bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Taiwan's budgetary responses to COVID-19: the use of special budgets
Authors: Liao Wei-Jie , Kuo Nai-Ling , Chuang Shih-Hsien 
Published: October 2020

PurposeThe authors examine the Taiwanese government's budgetary responses to COVID-19, with a focus on the special budgets created for containing the virus, undertaking bailouts and providing economic stimulus. The authors assess the short-term and long-term fiscal implications of the budgetary measures and discuss how Taiwan's experiences could provide lessons for other countries for future emergencies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collect data from Taiwan's official documents and news reports and compare the special budgets proposed by the Taiwanese government during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss lessons learned from the 2008–09 special budget and possible concerns of the 2020 special budgets. In the conclusions, the authors discuss potential long-term implications for Taiwan's budgetary system as well as possible lessons for other countries based on Taiwan's experiencesFindingsThe authors found that the 2008–09 special budgets focused only on economic stimulus, whereas the 2020 special budgets covered COVID-19 treatments, bailouts and economic stimulus. In 2020, the Taiwanese government devised targeted bailout plans for industries and individuals most affected by the pandemic and created the Triple Stimulus Vouchers to boost the economy. Since the special budgets were largely funded through borrowing, the authors pointed out concerns for fiscal sustainability and intergenerational equity.Originality/valueCOVID-19 has changed how the world functions massively. This work adds to the literature on COVID-19 by providing Taiwan's budgetary responses to the pandemic. This work also identifies ways for Taiwan to improve the existing budgetary system and discusses lessons for other countries.
Comparative study of the flexural properties of ABS, PLA and a PLA–wood composite manufactured through fused filament fabrication
Authors: Travieso-Rodriguez J.A. , Jerez-Mesa R. , Llumà Jordi , Gomez-Gras Giovanni , Casadesus Oriol 
Published: October 2020

Purpose
The aim of this paper is to analyze the mechanical properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) parts manufactured through fused filament fabrication and compare these results to analogous ones obtained on polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA–wood specimens to contribute for a wider understanding of the different materials used for additive manufacturing.

Design/methodology/approach
With that aim, an experimental based on an L27 Taguchi array was used to combine the specific parameters taken into account in the study, namely, layer height, nozzle diameter, infill density, orientation and printing velocity. All samples were subjected to a four-point bending test performed according to the ASTM D6272 standard.

Findings
Young’s modulus, elastic limit, maximum stress and maximum deformation of every sample were computed and subjected to an analysis of variance. Results prove that layer height and nozzle diameter are the most significant factors that affect the mechanical resistance in pieces generated through additive manufacturing and subjected to bending loads, regardless of the material.

Practical implications
The best results were obtained by combining a layer height of 0.1 mm and a nozzle diameter of 0.6 mm. The comparison of materials evidenced that PLA and its composite version reinforced with wood particles present more rigidity than ABS, whereas the latter can experience further deflection before break.

Originality/value
This study is of interest for manufacturers that want to decide which is the best material to be applied for their application, as it derives in a practical technical recommendation of the best parameters that should be selected to treat the material during the fused filament fabrication process.
Fisheries management influences phytoplankton biomass of Amazonian floodplain lakes
Authors: Campos‐Silva João Vitor , Peres Carlos A. , Amaral João Henrique Fernandes , Sarmento Hugo , Forsberg Bruce , Fonseca Carlos Roberto 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Tropical floodplains secure the protein supply of millions of people, but only sound management can ensure the long‐term continuity of such ecosystem services. Overfishing is a widespread threat to multitrophic systems, but how it affects ecosystem functioning is poorly understood, particularly in tropical freshwater food webs. Models based on temperate lakes frequently assume that primary producers are mostly bottom‐up controlled by nutrient and light limitations, with negligible effects of top‐down forces. Yet this assumption remains untested in complex tropical freshwater systems experiencing marked spatiotemporal variation.

We use consolidated community‐based fisheries management practices and spatial zoning to test the relative importance of bottom‐up versus top‐down drivers of phytoplankton biomass, controlling for the influence of local to landscape heterogeneity. Our study focuses on 58 large Amazonian floodplain lakes under different management regimes that resulted in a gradient of apex‐predator abundance. These lakes, distributed along ~600 km of a major tributary of the Amazon River, varied widely in size, structure, landscape context, and hydrological seasonality.

Using generalised linear models, we show that community‐based fisheries management, which controls the density of apex predators, is the strongest predictor of phytoplankton biomass during the dry season, when lakes become discrete landscape units. Water transparency also emerges as an important bottom‐up factor, but phosphorus, nitrogen and several lake and landscape metrics had minor or no effects on phytoplankton biomass. During the wet‐season food pulse, when lakes become connected to adjacent water bodies and homogenise the landscape, only lake depth explained phytoplankton biomass.

Synthesis and applications. Tropical freshwaters fisheries typically assume that fish biomass is controlled by bottom‐up mechanisms, so that overexploitation of large predators would not affect overall ecosystem productivity. Our results, however, show that top‐down forces are important drivers of primary productivity in tropical lakes, above and beyond the effects of bottom‐up factors. This helps us to understand the enormous success of community‐based ‘fishing agreements’ in the Amazon. Multiple stakeholders should embrace socio‐ecological management practices that shape both bottom‐up and top‐down forces to ensure biodiversity protection, sustainable fisheries yields and food security for local communities and regional economies.
Metagenome association study of the gut microbiome revealed biomarkers linked to chemotherapy outcomes in locally advanced and advanced lung cancer
Authors: Zhao Zhe , Fei Kailun , Bai Hua , Wang Zhijie , Duan Jianchun , Wang Jie 
Published: October 2020

BackgroundThe gut microbiome is important in the development and immunotherapy efficacy of lung cancer. However, the relationship between the intestinal flora and chemotherapy outcomes remains unclear and was investigated in this study.MethodsWe analyzed baseline stool samples from patients with locally advanced and advanced lung cancer before chemotherapy treatment, through metagenomics of the gut microbiota. The composition, diversity, function, and metabolic pathway analysis were compared among patients with different clinical outcomes.ResultsFrom 64 patients, 33 responded to treatment (responders) and 31 did not (nonresponders). Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus casseliflavus were enriched in responders (P < 0.05), while 11 bacteria including Leuconostoc lactis and Eubacterium siraeum were enriched in nonresponders (P < 0.05) by variance analysis. Responders were associated with significantly higher Acidobacteria and Granulicella, while Streptococcus oligofermentans, Megasphaera micronuciformis, and Eubacterium siraeum were more abundant in nonresponders by Lefse analysis. Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus casseliflavus were further identified as bacterial markers relevant to responders using unsupervised clustering, and Leuconostoc lactis and Eubacterium siraeum were related to nonresponders. The L‐glutamate degradation VIII pathway was enriched in responders (P = 0.014), and the C4 photosynthetic carbon assimilation cycle, reductive TCA cycle I, and hexitol fermentation to lactate, formate, ethanol, and acetate were enriched in nonresponders (P < 0.05). Additionally, significant associations of bacterial species with clinical phenotypes were observed by Spearman correlation analysis.ConclusionsThe specific gut microbiome of patients with lung cancer might be connected to the clinical outcomes of chemotherapy.Key pointsSignificant findings of the study
Lung cancer patients with different gut microbiome compositions and microbiome metabolic pathways have different responses to chemotherapy. Microbiome species are also associated with different lung cancer clinical phenotypes.
What this study adds
We have identified specific gut microbiome species that can be used as relevant biomarkers for chemotherapy outcomes. This can potentially be used to guide clinical treatment decisions.
Association between serum level soluble programmed cell death ligand 1 and prognosis in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer treated with anti‐PD‐1 antibody
Authors: Murakami Shuji , Shibaki Ryota , Matsumoto Yuji , Yoshida Tatsuya , Goto Yasushi , Kanda Shintaro , Horinouchi Hidehito , Fujiwara Yutaka , Yamamoto Noboru , Ohe Yuichiro 
Published: October 2020

BackgroundProgrammed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) is known to have soluble forms aside from its membrane‐bound forms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive and prognostic values of serum soluble PD‐L1 (sPD‐L1) in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with anti‐PD‐1 antibody.MethodsA total of 233 patients were enrolled in this study. We assessed the level of serum sPD‐L1 before anti‐PD‐1 antibody treatment (pembrolizumab or nivolumab) and evaluated the correlation with PD‐L1 expression on tumor cells, the response to anti‐PD‐1 antibody treatment, and patient outcome.ResultsThe median serum sPD‐L1 concentration was 67.7 (range, 25 to 223) pg/mL. A weak correlation between serum sPD‐L1 and tumor PD‐L1 expression was observed. The disease control rate in the high sPD‐L1 group (≥90 pg/mL) was significantly lower than that in the low sPD‐L1 group (<90 pg/mL) (37% vs. 57%, P = 0.0158). The progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the high sPD‐L1 group were significantly shorter than those in the low sPD‐L1 group (median PFS, 57 days vs. 177 days, P = 0.011; median OS, 182 days vs. not reached, P < 0.001). The high level of serum sPD‐L1 was independently associated with a shorter PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.910; P = 0.061) and OS (HR, 2.073; P = 0.034) in multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThe serum sPD‐L1 level, which was only weakly correlated with the tumor PD‐L1 expression level, was an independent predictive and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC patients receiving anti‐PD‐1 antibody.Key pointsSignificant findings of the studyThe disease control rate in the high sPD‐L1 group was significantly lower than that in the low sPD‐L1 group. The progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the high sPD‐L1 group were significantly shorter than those in the low sPD‐L1 group. The high level of serum sPD‐L1 was independently associated with a shorter PFS and OS in multivariate analysis.What this study addsThis study demonstrated that serum sPD‐L1 level was an independent predictive and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC patients receiving anti‐PD‐1 antibody.
Cumulative incidences of hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders are increasing in five Finnish birth cohorts
Authors: Kerkelä Martta , Gyllenberg David , Gissler Mika , Sillanmäki Lauri , Keski-Säntti Markus , Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki Susanna , Filatova Svetlana , Hurtig Tuula , Miettunen Jouko , Sourander Andre , Veijola Juha 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore changes in the incidences of childhood and early adulthood hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders in five large Finnish birth cohorts of individuals born between 1966 and 1997.MethodsThe five birth cohorts were as follows: Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC 1966) and 1986 (NFBC 1986), 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort (FBC 1987) and 1997 (FBC 1997), and Finnish 1981 Birth Cohort Study (FBCS 1981). Incidences of hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders in each cohort were calculated separately for males (N = 71,209) and females (N = 65,190). Poisson regression was used to test difference in proportions of psychiatric disorders in wide range of diagnosis classes separately in childhood and adolescence, and early adulthood.ResultsThe total incidences of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence among males has increased in the birth cohorts over decades (Incidence Rate Ratio, IRR = 1.04 (1.04–1.05); p < 0.001). Similar result was seen among females (IRR = 1.04 (1.03–1.04); p < 0.001). In early adulthood, there was significant increase among females (IRR = 1.04 (1.03–1.05); p < 0.001), but among males, the change was not significant (IRR = 0.99 (0.99–1.00), p = 0.051).ConclusionsThe main finding was that the cumulative incidence of hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders increased over the decades in Finland. The increasing trend in hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders in early adulthood was detected in females but not in males. In the youngest cohorts, the cumulative incidence of hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders was at the same level in males and females, whereas in oldest cohort, males had higher incidence than females.
The tension‐free vaginal tape operation: Is the inexperienced surgeon a risk factor? Learning curve and Swedish quality reference
Authors: Nüssler Emil K. , Löfgren Mats , Lindkvist Håkan , Idahl Annika 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionTo reduce the risk of avoidable damage to the patient when training surgeons, one must predefine what standards to achieve, as well as supervise and monitor trainees' performance. The aim of this study is to establish a quality reference, to devise comprehensive tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) learning curves and to compare trainees' results to our quality reference.Material and methodsUsing the Swedish National Quality Register for Gynecologic Surgery, we devised TVT learning curves for all Swedish TVT trainees from 2009 to 2017, covering their first 50 operations. These outcomes were compared with the results of Sweden's most experienced TVT surgeons for 14 quality variables.ResultsIn all, 163 trainees performed 2804 operations and 40 experienced surgeons performed 3482 operations. For our primary outcomes – perioperative bladder perforations and urinary continence after 1 year – as well as re‐admission, re‐operation and days to all daily living activities, there was no statistically significant difference between trainees and experienced surgeons at any time. For the first 10 trainee operations only, there were small differences in favor of the experienced surgeons: patient‐reported minor complications after discharge (14% vs 18.4%, P = .002), 1‐year patient‐reported improvement (95.9% vs 91.8%, P < .000), and patient satisfaction (90.9% vs 86.2%, P = .002). For both trainee operations 1‐10 and 11‐50, compared with experienced surgeons, operation time (33.8 vs 22.2 min, P < .000; 28.3 vs 22.2 min, P < .000) and hospital stay time (0.16 vs 0.06 days, P < .001; 0.1 vs 0.06 days, P < .001) were longer, perioperative blood loss was higher (27.7 vs 24.4 mL, P = .001; 26.5 vs 24.4 mL, P = .004), and patient‐reported catheterization within 8 weeks was higher (3.9% vs 1.8%, P < .000; 2.5% vs 1.8%, P = .001). One‐year voiding difficulties for trainee patients (operations 1‐10:14.2%, P = .260; operations 11‐50:14.5%, P = .126) were comparable to the experienced surgeons (12.4%).ConclusionsThere is a learning curve for several secondary outcomes but the small effect size makes it improbable that the difference has clinical significance. Our national Swedish results show that it is possible to train new TVT surgeons without exposing patients to noteworthy extra risk and achieve results which are equivalent to the most experienced Swedish surgeons.
ORPHANS BY DESIGN: THE FUTURE OF GENETIC PARENTHOOD
Authors: Bowman‐Smart Hilary 
Published: October 2020

AbstractEstablishing the nature of genetic parenthood is an important task. This is, firstly, because many people desire that relationship and it is in their interest to know what that is, and secondly, because there is a view that it may incur certain moral obligations between the genetic parent and their child. Many theorists have made attempts to define exactly what genetic parenthood is. I show that these definitions are deficient if they wish to fully capture all reproductive scenarios in ways that are intuitive and/or meaningful. Through a series of cases involving technologies such as cloning and genome editing, we see that in lieu of the traditional two parents, there are possible beings who have no genetic parents, one genetic parent, or many genetic parents. Establishing these cases complicates our understanding of genetic parenthood. From this, we must reconsider current definitions, as well as the usefulness of defining genetic parenthood in these complex cases. Here I do not aim to establish a new definition, but rather to suggest that this complexity makes it necessary to re‐assess the importance of the connection between genetic parenthood and parental obligations and authorities.
Optimizing LBVH‐Construction and Hierarchy‐Traversal to accelerate kNN Queries on Point Clouds using the GPU
Authors: Jakob J. , Guthe M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractProcessing point clouds often requires information about the point neighbourhood in order to extract, calculate and determine characteristics. We continue the tradition of developing increasingly faster neighbourhood query algorithms and present a highly efficient algorithm for solving the exact neighbourhood problem in point clouds using the GPU. Both, the required data structures and the kNN query, are calculated entirely on the GPU. This enables real‐time performance for large queries in extremely large point clouds. Our experiments show a more than threefold acceleration, compared to state‐of‐the‐art GPU based methods including all memory transfers. In terms of pure query performance, we achieve over answered neighbourhood queries per millisecond for 16 nearest neighbours on common graphics hardware.
Comparative accuracy of cone‐beam CT and conventional multislice computed tomography for real‐time navigation in zygomatic implant surgery
Authors: Tao Baoxin , Shen Yihan , Sun Yuanyuan , Huang Wei , Wang Feng , Wu Yiqun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundCone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) and conventional multislice CT (MSCT) are both used in zygomatic implant navigation surgery but the superiority of one technique versus the other remains unclear.PurposeThis study compared the accuracy of CBCT and MSCT in zygomatic implant navigation surgery by calculating the deviations of implants.Material and methodsPatients with severely atrophic maxillae were classified into two groups according to the use of CBCT‐ or MSCT‐guided navigation system. The entry and apical distance deviation, and the angle deviation of zygomatic implants were measured on fused operation images. A linear effect model was used for analysis, with statistical significance set at P < .05.ResultsA total of 72 zygomatic implants were inserted as planned in 23 patients. The comparison of deviations in CBCT and MSCT groups showed a mean (± SD) entry deviation of 1.69 ± 0.59 mm vs 2.04 ± 0.78 mm (P = .146), apical deviation of 2 ± 0.68 mm vs 2.55 ± 0.85 (P < .001), and angle deviation of 2.32 ± 1.02° vs 3.23 ± 1.21° (P = .038).ConclusionReal‐time zygomatic implant navigation surgery with CBCT may result in higher values for accuracy than MSCT.
Mapping shifts in spatial synchrony in grassland birds to inform conservation planning
Authors: Allen Michael C. , Lockwood Julie L. 
Published: October 2020

ResumenLa sincronía espacial, definida como las fluctuaciones correlacionadas de la abundancia de poblaciones separadas espacialmente, puede deberse a las fluctuaciones regionales de los conductores ambientales naturales y antropogénicos de las poblaciones. Los análisis de la geografía de las sincronías pueden proporcionar conocimiento útil para guiar los esfuerzos de planeación de la conservación al revelar regiones de conductores comunes de población y la vulnerabilidad de extinción de las metapoblaciones. Examinamos la geografía de la sincronía espacial y los cambios por década en estos patrones para las aves de pastizal en los Estados Unidos y Canadá, las cuales están experimentando declinaciones poblacionales extensas y persistentes. Usamos modelos bayesianos jerárquicos y más de 50 años de datos de abundancia tomados del Censo Norteamericano de Aves Reproductoras para generar índices poblacionales dentro una cuadrícula de 2° de latitud por 2° de longitud. Calculamos y mapeamos la sincronía espacial local media para cada celda (la correlación con deducción de tendencia de la media del índice entre las celdas vecinas), además de la incertidumbre asociada, para 19 especies en dos períodos de 26 años: 1968 ‐ 1993 y 1994 ‐ 2019. Se predijo que las aves de pastizal aumentarían su sincronía espacial en donde aumentarán la intensificación agrícola, el cambio climático o las interacciones entre ambos. No encontramos evidencia de un aumento generalizado de la sincronía entre las especies de aves de pastizal. Sin embargo, con base en la geografía de estos cambios, hubo una heterogeneidad espacial considerable entre las especies. Como promedio entre las especies, identificamos módulos de sincronía espacial en aumento en las regiones de Prairie Pothole y Shortgrass Prairie así como una región de sincronía espacial en declive al este de los Estados Unidos. Nuestra estrategia tiene el potencial para guiar a la planeación de la conservación a escala continental al añadir una capa adicional de información relevante a los análisis del estado de las especies y a la priorización espacial de las acciones de manejo y de políticas. Nuestro trabajo contribuye a una creciente literatura que sugiere que el cambio mundial podría derivar en patrones cambiantes de sincronía espacial en las dinámicas poblacionales de muchos taxones con implicaciones amplias para la conservación de la biodiversidad.Mapeo de los Cambios en la Sincronía Espacial de las Aves de Pastizal para Guiar la Planeación de la Conservación