bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship of Socioeconomic Status to Arterial Stiffness: Comparison Between Medical Aid Beneficiaries and National Health Insurance Beneficiaries
Authors: Kim Hack-Lyoung , Lee Jin Yong , Lim Woo-Hyun , Seo Jae-Bin , Kim Sang-Hyun , Zo Joo-He , Kim Myung-A 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Background
There is no general agreement on underlying pathophysiology explaining the high burden of cardiovascular disease on people at low socioeconomic status (SES). This study was conducted to investigate the association between healthcare systems and arterial stiffness.

Methods
A total of 8,929 subjects (60 years old and 55% were male) who underwent brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8,237 National Health Insurance (NHI) beneficiaries (92.2%) and 692 medical aid (MA) beneficiaries (7.8%). The median value of baPWV was 1,540 cm/s.

Results
Subjects with higher baPWV values (≥1,540 cm/s) were older, and more frequently had cardiovascular risk factors and unfavorable laboratory findings than those with lower values baPWV (&lt;1,540 cm/s). The baPWV values were significantly higher in MA beneficiaries than in NHI beneficiaries (1,966 ± 495 vs. 1,582 ± 346 cm/s, P &lt; 0.001). The proportion of MA beneficiaries was significantly higher in subjects with higher baPWV than those with lower baPWV (13.1% vs. 2.3%, P &lt; 0.001). In multivariable analysis, MA beneficiaries were significantly associated with higher baPWV values even after controlling for potential confounders (odds ratio, 5.41; 95% confidence intervals, 4.02–7.27; P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
The baPWV values were significantly higher in MA beneficiaries than in NHI beneficiaries. The result of this study provides additional evidence on the association between low SES and arterial stiffening.
Universal Face Masking Reduces Respiratory Viral Infections Among Inpatient Very-Low-Birthweight Neonatal Infants
Authors: Tong Wing Yee , Yung Chee Fu , Chiew Lee Chern , Chew Siong Beng , Ang Li Duan , Thoon Koh Cheng , Rajadurai Victor S , Yeo Kee Thai 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
We reviewed the impact of a universal face masking policy on respiratory viral infections (RVIs) among admitted very-low-birthweight infants in our neonatal department. There was a significant decrease in RVI incidence, specifically in our step-down level 2 unit, with respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus being the most common viruses isolated.
Acute peritoneal dialysis in the treatment of COVID-19-related acute kidney injury
Authors: Ponce Daniela , Balbi André L , Durand Jonathan B , Moretta Gustavo , Divino-Filho José C 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The kidney is not typically the main target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, but surprisingly, acute kidney injury (AKI) may occur in 4–23% of cases, whereas the dialysis management of AKI from coronavirus 2019 has not gained much attention. The severity of the pandemic has resulted in significant shortages in medical supplies, including respirators, ventilators and personal protective equipment. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains available and has been used in clinical practice for AKI for &gt;70 years; however, it has been used on only a limited basis and therefore experience and knowledge of its use has gradually vanished, leaving a considerable gap. The turning point came in 2007, with a series of sequential publications providing solid evidence that PD is a viable option. As there was an availability constraint and a capacity limit of equipment/supplies in many countries, hemodialysis and convective therapies became alternatives. However, even these therapies are not available in many countries and their capacity is being pushed to the limit in many cities. Evidence-based PD experience lends support for the use of PD now.
Supportive wind conditions influence offshore movements of Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers during fall migration
Authors: Loring Pamela H , McLaren James D , Goyert Holly F , Paton Peter W C 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
In advance of large-scale development of offshore wind energy facilities throughout the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), information on the migratory ecology and routes of federally threatened Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus melodus) is needed to conduct risk assessments pursuant to the Endangered Species Act. We tagged adult Piping Plovers (n = 150) with digitally coded VHF transmitters at 2 breeding areas within the southern New England region of the U.S. Atlantic coast from 2015 to 2017. We tracked their migratory departure flights using a regional automated telemetry network (n = 30 stations) extending across a portion of the U.S. Atlantic Bight region, a section of the U.S. Atlantic coast, and adjacent waters of the Atlantic Ocean extending from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Most adults departed within a 10-day window from July 19 to July 29, migrated nocturnally, and over 75% of individuals departed within 3 hr of local sunset on evenings with supportive winds. Piping Plovers migrated offshore directly across the mid-Atlantic Bight, from breeding areas in southern New England to stopover sites spanning from New York to North Carolina, USA, over 800 km away. During offshore migratory flights, Piping Plovers flew at estimated mean speeds of 42 km hr−1 and altitudes of 288 m (range of model uncertainty: 36–1,031 m). This study provides new information on the timing, weather conditions, routes, and altitudes of Piping Plovers during fall migration. This information can be used in estimations of collision risk that could potentially result from the construction of offshore wind turbines under consideration across large areas of the U.S. Atlantic OCS.
Training Requirements, Automation, and Job Polarisation
Authors: Feng Andy , Graetz Georg 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe analyse how job training requirements interact with engineering complexity in shaping firms’ automation decisions. A model that distinguishes between a task’s engineering complexity and its training requirements predicts that when two tasks are equally complex, firms automate the task that requires more training. Under plausible conditions this leads to job polarisation, and in particular to polarisation of employment by initial training requirements. US data provide empirical support for the model’s implications. Training requirements and a measure of engineering complexity account for much of US job polarisation from 1980 to 2008.
Effect of oral consumption of capsules containing Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 on the vaginal microbiota of healthy adult women: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study
Authors: Koirala Ranjan , Gargari Giorgio , Arioli Stefania , Taverniti Valentina , Fiore Walter , Grossi Elena , Anelli Gaia Maria , Cetin Irene , Guglielmetti Simone 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
Oral consumption of probiotics is practical and can be an effective solution to preserve vaginal eubiosis. Here, we studied the ability of orally administered Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 (DSM 26760) to affect the composition of the vaginal microbiota and colonize the vaginal mucosa in nondiseased adult women. A total of 40 volunteers took oral probiotic (24 billion CFU) or placebo capsules daily for 4 weeks, and after a 4-week washout, they switched to placebo or probiotic capsules according to the crossover design. A total of 23 volunteers completed the study according to the protocol. Before and after capsule ingestion, vaginal swabs were collected for qPCR quantification to detect L. paracasei LPC-S01 and for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Vaginal swabs were grouped according to their bacterial taxonomic structure into nine community state types (CSTs), four of which were dominated by lactobacilli. Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 was detected in the vagina of two participants. Statistical modeling (including linear mixed-effects model analysis) demonstrated that daily intake of probiotic capsules reduced the relative abundance of Gardnerella spp. Quantitative PCR with Gardnerella vaginalis primers confirmed this result. Considering the pathogenic nature of G. vaginalis, these results suggest a potential positive effect of this probiotic capsule on the vaginal microbial ecosystem.
Geodetic evidence for a buoyant mantle plume beneath the Eifel volcanic area, NW Europe
Authors: Kreemer Corné , Blewitt Geoffrey , Davis Paul M 
Published: May 2020

SUMMARY
The volcanism of the Eifel volcanic field (EVF), in west-central Germany, is often considered an example of hotspot volcanism given its geochemical signature and the putative mantle plume imaged underneath. EVF's setting in a stable continental area provides a rare natural laboratory to image surface deformation and test the hypothesis of there being a thermally buoyant plume. Here we use Global Positioning System (GPS) data to robustly image vertical land motion (VLM) and horizontal strain rates over most of intraplate Europe. We find a spatially coherent positive VLM anomaly over an area much larger than the EVF and with a maximum uplift of ∼1 mm yr−1 at the EVF (when corrected for glacial isostatic adjustment). This rate is considerably higher than averaged over the Late-Quaternary. Over the same area that uplifts, we find significant horizontal extension surrounded by a radial pattern of shortening, a superposition that strongly suggests a common dynamic cause. Besides the Eifel, no other area in NW Europe shows significant positive VLM coupled with extensional strain rates, except for the much broader region of glacial isostatic adjustment. We refer to this 3-D deformation anomaly as the Eifel Anomaly. We also find an extensional strain rate anomaly near the Massif Central volcanic field surrounded by radial shortening, but we do not detect a significant positive VLM signal there. The fact that the Eifel Anomaly is located above the Eifel plume suggests that the plume causes the anomaly. Indeed, we show that buoyancy forces induced by the plume at the bottom of the lithosphere can explain this remarkable surface deformation. Plume-induced deformation can also explain the relatively high rate of regional seismicity, particularly along the Lower Rhine Embayment.
The effect of gender and educational level on dictionary use strategies adopted by upper-elementary and lower-secondary students attending Greek Schools1
Authors: Chadjipapa Elina , Gavriilidou Zoe , Markos Angelos , Mylonopoulos Antonis 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe aim of the present large-scale study is to elaborate on the concept of ‘Dictionary Use Strategy’ (DUS), to investigate the effect of gender and educational level on DUSs adopted by upper elementary and lower secondary students in Greek mainstream schools, and to determine the strategic profile of the sample by using a standardized instrument of data collection. The sample consisted of 745 upper elementary and lower secondary pupils in Greek mainstream education to whom the Strategy Inventory for Dictionary Use (S.I.D.U.) was administered. Results indicate that the adoption of dictionary use strategies is significantly influenced by both educational level and gender. Results are discussed in connection with the effectiveness of dictionary use and the influence of gender and educational level on learning strategy use.
Towards a just Internet access: republican net neutrality for the EU
Authors: Rochel Johan 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The issue of net neutrality has been the object of intense policy-making effort in EU institutions and in EU Member States. These efforts have led to the entry into force of EU Regulation 2015/2120 in 2016. This article aims to contribute to both legal discussion on this EU legislation and philosophical discussion on net neutrality. It relies upon a methodological approach conceived as a dialogue between law and political philosophy. The main hypothesis of this article is that ‘net neutrality’ is an open concept crystallizing distinct normative challenges. In order to address them, I develop a two-fold argument: first, identify underlying values and, second, use them as interpretative guidelines for legal norms. I will propose a republican understanding of the values at stake in the different traffic management measures addressed by EU Regulation 2015/2120. This republican approach is based on the definition of freedom as the absence of domination. I will show how this approach might be productive in interpreting EU regulations.
Characteristic Polynomials of Complex Random Matrices and Painlevé Transcendents
Authors: Deaño Alfredo , Simm Nick 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
We study expectations of powers and correlation functions for characteristic polynomials of $N \times N$ non-Hermitian random matrices. For the $1$-point and $2$-point correlation function, we obtain several characterizations in terms of Painlevé transcendents, both at finite $N$ and asymptotically as $N \to \infty $. In the asymptotic analysis, two regimes of interest are distinguished: boundary asymptotics where parameters of the correlation function can touch the boundary of the limiting eigenvalue support and bulk asymptotics where they are strictly inside the support. For the complex Ginibre ensemble this involves Painlevé IV at the boundary as $N \to \infty $. Our approach, together with the results in [ 49], suggests that this should arise in a much broader class of planar models. For the bulk asymptotics, one of our results can be interpreted as the merging of two “planar Fisher–Hartwig singularities” where Painlevé V arises in the asymptotics. We also discuss the correspondence of our results with a normal matrix model with $d$-fold rotational symmetries known as the lemniscate ensemble, recently studied in [ 15, 18]. Our approach is flexible enough to apply to non-Gaussian models such as the truncated unitary ensemble or induced Ginibre ensemble; we show that in the former case Painlevé VI arises at finite $N$. Scaling near the boundary leads to Painlevé V, in contrast to the Ginibre ensemble.
Alterations of fecal microbiome characteristics by dietary soy isoflavone ingestion in growing pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
Authors: Smith Brooke N , Fleming Stephen A , Wang Mei , Dilger Ryan N 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an economically important disease, and the ingestion of soy isoflavones (ISF) may benefit PRRSV-infected pigs due to demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of ISF consumption on fecal microbiome characteristics at different timepoints across a disease challenge and determine whether any changes, if present, elude to potential biological mechanisms for previously observed performance benefits. In total, 96 weaned barrows were group-housed in a Biosafety Level-2 containment facility and allotted to one of three experimental treatments that were maintained throughout the study: noninfected pigs receiving an ISF-devoid control diet (NEG, n = 24) and infected pigs receiving either the control diet (POS, n = 36) or that supplemented with total ISF in excess of 1,600 mg/kg (ISF, n = 36). Following a 7-d adaptation, pigs were inoculated intranasally with either a sham-control (phosphate-buffered saline) or live PRRSV (1 × 105 median tissue culture infectious dose[TCID]50/mL, strain NADC20). Fecal samples were collected from 48 individual pigs at pre-infection (−2 d post-inoculation [DPI]), peak-infection (10 DPI), and post-infection (144 DPI) timepoints. Extracted DNA was used to quantify fecal microbiota profiles via 16S bacterial rRNA sequencing. Differences in bacterial communities among diet groups were evaluated with principal coordinate analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance using UniFrac distance matrices based on both unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances using QIIME 2. All other data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA performed on square root transformations using R. Across all timepoints, only a few differences were observed due to ISF alone mainly in lowly abundant genera. The most notable differences observed were decreased relative abundance of Actinobacteria at 144 DPI between noninfected and infected treatments (P &lt; 0.05), which is consistent with various dysbioses observed in other disease models. Our findings indicate that the differences present were mainly due to PRRSV-infection alone and not strongly influenced by diet, which implies that previously observed performance benefits conferred by dietary ISF are not likely due to the changes in microbiome composition.
Protracted Armed Violence as a Criterion for the Existence of Non-international Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law and Beyond
Authors: Hrnjaz Miloš , Simentić Popović Janja 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The present article provides legal analysis of the concept of ‘protracted armed violence’ which is part of the commonly accepted definition of non-international armed conflict (NIAC). The International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia interpreted this notion as the intensity requirement. However, the practice of other international legal institutions that use this concept (such as International Criminal Court and some other judicial institutions) is not always coherent with this finding. This fact raised several theoretical and practical issues in the process of interpretation and implementation of international legal norms. Therefore, the aim of the article is to critically reassess the ‘protracted armed violence’ concept in various branches of international law and to contribute to the better understanding of the NIAC phenomenon.
Smoking Status at Diagnosis and Colorectal Cancer Prognosis According to Tumor Lymphocytic Reaction
Authors: Fujiyoshi Kenji , Chen Yang , Haruki Koichiro , Ugai Tomotaka , Kishikawa Junko , Hamada Tsuyoshi , Liu Li , Arima Kota , Borowsky Jennifer , Väyrynen Juha P , Zhao Melissa , Lau Mai Chan , Gu Simeng , Shi Shanshan , Akimoto Naohiko , Twombly Tyler S , Drew David A , Song Mingyang , Chan Andrew T , Giovannucci Edward L , Meyerhardt Jeffrey A , Fuchs Charles S , Nishihara Reiko , Lennerz Jochen K , Giannakis Marios , Nowak Jonathan A , Zhang Xuehong , Wu Kana , Ogino Shuji 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundSmoking has been associated with worse colorectal cancer patient survival and may potentially suppress the immune response in the tumor microenvironment. We hypothesized that the prognostic association of smoking behavior at colorectal cancer diagnosis might differ by lymphocytic reaction patterns in cancer tissue.MethodsUsing 1474 colon and rectal cancer patients within 2 large prospective cohort studies (Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study), we characterized 4 patterns of histopathologic lymphocytic reaction, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), intratumoral periglandular reaction, peritumoral lymphocytic reaction, and Crohn’s-like lymphoid reaction. Using covariate data of 4420 incident colorectal cancer patients in total, an inverse probability weighted multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was conducted to adjust for selection bias due to tissue availability and potential confounders, including tumor differentiation, disease stage, microsatellite instability status, CpG island methylator phenotype, long interspersed nucleotide element-1 methylation, and KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations.ResultsThe prognostic association of smoking status at diagnosis differed by TIL status. Compared with never smokers, the multivariable-adjusted colorectal cancer–specific mortality hazard ratio for current smokers was 1.50 (95% confidence interval = 1.10 to 2.06) in tumors with negative or low TIL and 0.43 (95% confidence interval = 0.16 to 1.12) in tumors with intermediate or high TIL (2-sided Pinteraction = .009). No statistically significant interactions were observed in the other patterns of lymphocytic reaction.ConclusionsThe association of smoking status at diagnosis with colorectal cancer mortality may be stronger for carcinomas with negative or low TIL, suggesting a potential interplay of smoking and lymphocytic reaction in the colorectal cancer microenvironment.
International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution
Authors: Rubins Noah D , Nektarios Papanastasiou Thomas , Kinsella N Stephan 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
This second edition explores the multi-layered legal framework for the protection of foreign investment against political risk. The chapters analyze some of the key issues surrounding this subject, such as structuring transactions to minimize political risk, political risk insurance, State responsibility, treaties protecting foreign investmentand international arbitration between States and investors. Since the previous edition, far more attention has been paid to some of these issues, in particular investor–State arbitration.All chapters have been revised to take into account the number of new arbitration awards that have come to light and the massive volume of commentary on the subject of international investment arbitration since the first edition. The authors have carefully considered the latest theoretical approaches to foreign investment protection and the most intellectually challenging awards issued in the intervening decade, as well as the most recent practical guidance on the procedural recourse available to investors who face political risks. The book is written to appeal to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It is suitable as a primer for non-specialist practitioners seeking to familiarize themselves with international law pertaining to political risk. It is also suitable for students who intend to specialize in international investment law.
Structuring Transactions to Minimize Political Risk
Authors: Rubins Noah D , Papanastasiou Thomas-Nektarios , Kinsella N Stephan 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
This chapter analyzes the types of investment projects most often undertaken in developing States, and provides an analysis of the structures that can be implemented to reduce exposure to political risk. The discussions cover project types (petroleum extraction agreements and infrastructure projects), transaction structures, investor–State contracts, core State contract clauses affecting political risk (arbitration clause, choice-of-law clause, stabilization clause, and force majeure clause), clauses for guidance of courts and tribunals (damage clause, interest rate clause, local remedies clause, and waiver of sovereign immunity), and other useful contractual provisions (conversion of currency clause, payment of currency to offshore account, and binding the State as party to the contract).