bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bubbles, crashes and information contagion in large-group asset market experiments
Authors: Hommes Cars , Kopányi-Peuker Anita , Sonnemans Joep 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWe study the emergence of bubbles in a laboratory experiment with large groups of individuals. The realized price is the aggregation of the forecasts of a group of individuals, with positive expectations feedback through speculative demand. When prices deviate from fundamental value, a random selection of participants receives news about overvaluation. Our findings are: (i) large asset bubbles are robust in large groups, (ii) information contagion through news affects behaviour and may break the coordination on a bubble, (iii) time varying heterogeneity provides an explanation of bubble formation and crashes, and (iv) bubbles are strongly amplified by coordination on trend-extrapolation.
Spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) sperm cryopreservation in 5-mL cryovials
Authors: Beirão J. , Flengstad S. , Babiak I. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor aquaculture, cryopreservation is used to secure sperm availability throughout the entire spawning season. Under current protocols, sperm is cryopreserved in 0.5-mL straws. This implies thawing a considerable number of straws for insemination with cryopreserved sperm. In this work, we scale up the spotted wolffish sperm cryopreservation procedure through the development of a protocol for sperm cryopreservation in 5-mL cryovials. Different freezing (distances from the liquid nitrogen surface) and thawing rates were tested. The best results were obtained with cryovials frozen at a distance of 1.5 cm from the liquid nitrogen surface and thawed either at 15 or 10 °C for 4 and 6 min, respectively. Under these conditions, similar percentage of motile cells, sperm velocity and percentage of viable cells were obtained in comparison with the sperm cryopreserved in the traditional 0.5-mL straws. This protocol will facilitate the process of insemination with cryopreserved sperm in the spotted wolffish hatcheries.
Knot theory for proteins: Gauss codes, quandles and bondles
Authors: Adams Colin , Devadoss Judah , Elhamdadi Mohamed , Mashaghi Alireza 
Published: July 2020

AbstractProteins are linear molecular chains that often fold to function. The topology of folding is widely believed to define its properties and function, and knot theory has been applied to study protein structure and its implications. More that 97% of proteins are, however, classified as unknots when intra-chain interactions are ignored. This raises the question as to whether knot theory can be extended to include intra-chain interactions and thus be able to categorize topology of the proteins that are otherwise classified as unknotted. Here, we develop knot theory for folded linear molecular chains and apply it to proteins. For this purpose, proteins will be thought of as an embedding of a linear segment into three dimensions, with additional structure coming from self-bonding. We then project to a two-dimensional diagram and consider the basic rules of equivalence between two diagrams. We further consider the representation of projections of proteins using Gauss codes, or strings of numbers and letters, and how we can equate these codes with changes allowed in the diagrams. Finally, we explore the possibility of applying the algebraic structure of quandles to distinguish the topologies of proteins. Because of the presence of bonds, we extend the theory to define bondles, a type of quandle particularly adapted to distinguishing the topological types of proteins.
Early indications of success rehabilitating an underperforming teak (Tectona grandis) plantation in Panama through enrichment planting
Authors: Marshall Abigail , McLaughlin Bailey P. , Zerr Camilla , Yanguas-Fernández Estrella , Hall Jefferson S. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractEnrichment planting can be an effective strategy for increasing the ecological and economic value of timber plantations, but success depends on appropriate matching of under- and overstory species and site conditions. This case study in the Panama Canal Watershed explores the viability of enrichment planting for rehabilitating underperforming teak (Tectonia grandis) plantations, which are common in the area. Two high-value timber species native to the neotropics, Dalbergia retusa and Terminalia amazonia, were underplanted in an established teak plantation at the Agua Salud research site in the province of Colon, Panama. Seedling survival, basal diameter, height, total biomass and relative growth rate were assessed for the two years following planting. In contrast with the widespread belief that teak is a poor nurse tree, both species achieved promising early growth with low mortality in plantation understory conditions. Neither understory light availability nor combined above- and below-ground effects of crowding pressure from teak strongly predicted growth of either species. D. retusa, thought to be more shade-tolerant, performed equally across a range of intermediate light levels whereas T. amazonia, thought to be more heliotropic, performed best at the highest light levels, though light relationships explained little variation in seedling growth. These early findings support the suitability of either species for use in enrichment plantings in established, underperforming teak plantations in the Panama Canal Watershed. Longer-term research is needed to evaluate the potential of enrichment planting to increase profitability and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water resource management in these plantations.
Long-term survival outcomes of pineal region gliomas
Authors: Choque-Velasquez Joham , Resendiz-Nieves Julio , Jahromi Behnam Rezai , Baluszek Szymon , Muhammad Sajjad , Colasanti Roberto , Hernesniemi Juha 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPurposeSurgical series of pineal region gliomas are rarely available. Whereas it is a general assumption that the extent of surgical resection correlates with survival outcomes of intracranial gliomas; the impact of the microsurgical resection on the long-term outcomes of pineal gliomas has been questioned. We present a surgical series of pineal region gliomas with focus on the survival outcome analysis.Methods17 histologically confirmed pineal region glioma patients classified as diffuse and non-diffuse gliomas were retrospectively analyzed. A detailed description of the series was followed by regression models to identify predictors of clinical outcomes. Uni- a multivariate survival analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of mortality.ResultsAlthough the number of treated patients was small, only WHO grade histopathology remained significant (p = 0.02) after multivariate survival analysis with extent of resection, age, tumor volume, and preoperative functional status. The extent of the surgical resection did not correlate with the disease survival rates of non-diffuse (p = 1), diffuse (p = 0.2), nor all gliomas (p = 0.6). 15 of 17 patients underwent gross total (nine patients) or subtotal resection. The preoperative functional status of the patients showed overall improvement on the immediate (p < 0.001) and long-term (p = 0.03) follow-up after 106 (3 – 324) months.ConclusionThe extent of the surgical resection does not seem to significantly impact on the survival outcomes of pineal region gliomas. Thus, genotype and molecular features may essentially affect the outcome. Further research on the field is required.
Effect of Nanopowder Addition on the Sintering of Water-Atomized Iron Powder
Authors: Manchili Swathi K. , Wendel Johan , Zehri Abdelhafid , Liu Johan , Hryha Eduard , Nyborg Lars 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
A promising method of improving the densification of powder metallurgical steel components is to blend nanopowder with the otherwise typically used micrometre-sized powder. The higher surface-to-volume ratio of nanopowder is hypothesized to accelerate the sintering process and increase the inter-particle contact area between the powder particles. This is supposed to enhance the material transport and improve the densification. In the present investigation, water-atomized iron powder (− 45 μm) was mixed separately with pure iron and low-carbon steel nanopowder, each at a ratio of 95 to 5 pct. These powder mixes were compacted at different pressures (400, 600 and 800 MPa) and then sintered at 1350 °C in a pure hydrogen atmosphere. The sintering behavior of the powder blend compacts was compared to that of the compact with micrometre-sized powder only. Densification commenced at much lower temperatures in the presence of nanopowder. To understand this, sintering at intermittent temperatures such as 500 °C and 700 °C was conducted. The fracture surface revealed that the nanopowder was sintered at between 500 °C and 700 °C, which in turn contributed to the densification of the powder mix at the lower temperature range. Based on the sintering experiments, an attempt was made to calculate the activation energy and identify the associated sinter mechanism using two different approaches. It was shown that the first approach yielded values in agreement with the grain-boundary diffusion mechanism. As the nanopowder content increased, there was an increase in linear shrinkage during sintering.
Corporate governance of insurers in Germany. German National Report
Authors: Gal Jens 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCorporate governance is the set of rules, be they legal or self-regulatory, practices and processes pursuant to which an insurance undertaking is administrated. Good corporate governance is not only key to establishing oneself and succeeding in a competitive environment but also to safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders in an insurance undertaking. It is insofar not surprising that mandatory requirements on the administration of insurance undertakings have become rather prolific in recent years, in an attempt by regulators to protect especially policyholders against perceived risks hailing from improperly governed insurance undertakings. In Germany this has been regarded by many undertakings as an overly paternalistic approach of the legislator, especially considering that the German insurance sector has experienced for decades if not centuries a remarkably low number of insolvencies and that German insurers were neither the trigger nor the (especially) endangered actors in the financial crisis commencing in 2007. Notwithstanding the true core of this criticism, that the insurance industry was taken to a certain degree hostage by the shortcomings within the banking sector, the reform of German Insurance Supervisory Law via implementation of the Solvency II-System has brought many advances in the sense of better governance of insurance undertakings and has also brought to light many deficiencies that the administration of some insurance undertakings may have suffered from in the past, which are now more properly addressed.
Investigating the co-creation of IT consulting service value: empirical findings of a matched pair analysis
Authors: Oesterle Severin , Buchwald Arne , Urbach Nils 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDigitalization is increasingly and broadly impacting on companies throughout all industries. To cope with digital transformation, organizations need specific IT skills and often face a bottleneck between required and existing capabilities. Thus, organizations revert to support from IT consultants. However, such collaborations need to create value so as to make client organizations future-proof in the long term. We therefore need a better understanding of how value is created in IT consulting projects. We build on service-dominant (S-D) logic as the theory base and evaluate our structural model, which explains IT consulting service value based on 77 matched pairs of IT consulting projects using structural equation modeling. We provide empirical support for the assumptions of S-D logic in the IT consulting industry and reveal determinants that significantly contribute to the overall IT consulting service value. Our results contribute to the ongoing discourse in the S-D logic literature and provide meaningful insights for practice.
Assessment of the groundwater suitability for irrigation near Al Kufa City and preparing the final water quality maps using spatial distribution tools
Authors: Al Maliki Ali A. , Abbass Zainab D. , Hussain Hussain M. , Al-Ansari Nadhir 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn many parts of the world, groundwater quality is decreasing due to urbanization industrialization and use of agricultures in rural areas. This subject has formed an urgent need to determine the suitability of groundwater for various purposes. The aim of this study is to determine a groundwater index for groundwater use for irrigation in agriculture. The study is carried out in an agricultural area; near Al Kufa city, North of Al Najaf province, Iraq. Many chemical variables are used in this model, including (total dissolved solids TDS, electrical conductivity EC, sodium Na, potassium K and iron Fe), in addition to some of the heavy metals (cadmium Cd, lead Pb, chromium Cr, and nickel Ni), that also added to the index. The weight’s parameters are determined using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and classified into five groups based on the human health significance of these parameters and negative effect on agriculture. The result of this study indicates that the water quality index (WQI) records values between (0 and 4.33), and in which the value of (2.16) represents the limit between unpolluted and polluted groundwater. This study confirms that all groundwater samples over the study area are suitable for agriculture. The final WQI values are exported to ArcMap environment to prepare the final WQI maps of study area.
Auswirkungen von Analogiemodellen auf den Aufbau konzeptuellen Wissens im Sachunterricht der Grundschule – Beispiel Stromkreis
Authors: Haider Michael , Fölling-Albers Maria 
Published: July 2020

ZusammenfassungNaturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht bedarf vielfach konkreter Anschauungsmittel, weil Lerninhalte abstrakt und/oder aufgrund spezifischer Merkmale nicht direkt erfahrbar sind. Durch Analogiemodelle können solche Konkretisierungen erreicht werden. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde mit einem quasi-experimentellen Prä‑, Post- und Follow-up-Design untersucht, inwiefern bei Schülerinnen und Schülern der dritten Jahrgangsstufe (N = 254) der Einsatz unterschiedlicher Analogiemodelle (Wassermodelle vs. Riemenmodelle) den Aufbau konzeptuellen Wissens zum Thema Strom (Stromfluss, Stromverbrauch (Der Begriff Stromverbrauch wird zwar im Alltag verwendet, ist aber sachlich inkorrekt. Wegen einer besseren Lesbarkeit wird auf Anführungszeichen verzichtet.)) unterstützt. Die Befunde zeigen, dass der Inhalt Stromfluss auch ohne den Einsatz von Analogiemodellen erfolgreich erarbeitet werden kann. Beim komplexeren Schwerpunkt Stromverbrauch erwies sich der Einsatz des Riemenmodells als günstiger. Differenzielle Effekte für Kinder mit ungünstigen Lernvoraussetzungen konnten nicht gefunden werden.
Opinions, Attitudes, and Perceptions in Relation to Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation in the Undiagnosed Spanish Male Population. Results of the PANDORA Project
Authors: Prieto-Castro R. , Puigvert-Martínez A.M. , Artigas-Feliu R. , Illán-Mateo P. , Cruz-Culebra N. , Artés-Ferragud M. , Reverte Alcaraz 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Approximately 43% of Spanish men report experiencing premature ejaculation (PE) at some point in their lives and 12.1% suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), of whom only 16.5% have seen a doctor. Despite this, ED and PE remain undiagnosed among a supposedly healthy segment of the population.

Aim
To assess the general knowledge of a representative population of healthy Spanish males of the symptoms, treatment, and expectations related to ED and PE.

Methods
This was a descriptive study based on an online questionnaire in which 2,515 males aged 25–75 years with no history of ED and/or PE presented their perception of aspects related to symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and expectations in ED and PE.

Main Outcome Measures
The study provided an evaluation of the knowledge, attitude, and underdiagnosis of ED and/or PE in healthy males and the approach taken by urology specialists and other disciplines.

Results
The survey was completed by 2,515 healthy males, including over 80% of those who had completed secondary or higher education. 60% of the sample had never seen a urologist and 59% and 62% of the participating men responded correctly to the statements about PE and ED, respectively. Their lack of knowledge of the therapeutic alternatives was clear (74% and 76% of the panel were unaware of the existence of effective treatments for ED and PE, respectively). Despite the initiative shown by some participants in seeking information about each condition (10.3% for ED; 16.7% for PE), only 4.7% of them had been questioned about ED by a medical practitioner (1.9% for PE). The underdiagnosis rate stood at 3.5% for ED (5.6% participants &gt;65 years) and at about 10% for PE.

Clinical Implications
These results will represent a point of departure for establishing some recommendations to improve the detection and treatment of these disorders.

Strengths & Limitations
This is the first study of its kind in Spain to analyze the underdiagnosis of ED and/or PE inferred from data reported by a population of healthy males. Screening for ED was performed with a validated questionnaire. However, the rest of the research was conducted using adaptations of validated questionnaires or a self-designed questionnaire based on and in consultation with a group of experienced andrologists.

Conclusion
People need to have greater knowledge of both the conditions and the related false myths to make sure that they are familiar with the existence of drug treatments and socio-sanitary interventions. Primary care physicians and urologists should also be more proactive in routine visits in order to achieve better management of ED and PE.
OFDM waveform for distributed radar sensing in automotive scenarios
Authors: Schieler Steffen , Schneider Christian , Andrich Carsten , Döbereiner Michael , Luo Jian , Schwind Andreas , Thomä Reiner S. , Del Galdo Giovanni 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper, an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform radar sensing approach is demonstrated based on field measurements at C-band. We demonstrate a concept that is based on the exploitation of typical wireless communication transmissions to perform passive, distributed radar sensing. Our concept is based on an OFDM radar that operates in the modulation symbol domain and can be well integrated into existing OFDM receivers. The measurement setup and the signal processing steps for the OFDM radar are described. The results show that the passive, distributed radar sensing approach can be used to detect and localize moving cars and even pedestrians in automotive intersection scenarios.
Perspectives on Marine Electromagnetic Methods
Authors: Constable Steven 
Published: July 2020

AbstractMarine electromagnetic methods form important tools for the study of offshore geology, particularly at plate boundaries such as mid‐ocean ridges, subduction zones, and the boundary between the lithosphere and asthenosphere, because electrical conductivity is strongly dependent on water content, partial melt, and temperature. Very early development of electromagnetic methods in the oceans was driven by military interest in marine communication and detection, and geological applications soon followed. Around the turn of the century, what was originally a niche discipline expanded dramatically when the hydrocarbon industry embraced magnetotelluric and controlled‐source electromagnetic methods as aids to deep‐water exploration, driving a significant improvement in instrumentation and interpretation software. This greatly enhanced the imaging capabilities of these methods, and led to an expansion of their academic use both in plate boundary studies and newer applications such as gas hydrate studies, offshore groundwater mapping, and others.
Statistical Analysis of the Possible Association Between Geomagnetic Storms and Cetacean Mass Strandings
Authors: Pulkkinen A. , Moore K. , Zellar R. , Uritskaya O. , Karaköylü E. M. , Uritsky V. , Reeb D. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCetacean mass strandings are one of the long‐standing mysteries in marine biology and many explanations have been proposed for the often‐fatal animal behavior. Geomagnetic activity that is driven by solar phenomena such as coronal mass ejections is one of the proposed explanations. In this study, we investigate if there is statistical evidence for a possible connection between mass strandings and geomagnetic storms. Fresh (live or recently deceased animals) mass stranding records from Cape Cod, USA, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, together with global geomagnetic indices and local geomagnetic observations, are utilized in this investigation. While seasonal statistical association is found between cetacean mass strandings and geomagnetic field variations, the connection is likely a byproduct of the seasonality found in both types of data. No statistical associations are found in 30‐day or shorter time scales that are believed to be relevant for possible animal response to changes in geomagnetic conditions. If geomagnetic activity plays any role in fresh mass strandings analyzed in this investigation, the connection has to be very subtle and likely coupled with a complex combination of multiple environmental factors.
Neurogenesis of medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens continues into adulthood and is enhanced by pathological pain
Authors: García-González Diego , Dumitru Ionut , Zuccotti Annalisa , Yen Ting-Yun , Herranz-Pérez Vicente , Tan Linette Liqi , Neitz Angela , García-Verdugo José Manuel , Kuner Rohini , Alfonso Julieta , Monyer Hannah 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn mammals, most adult neural stem cells (NSCs) are located in the ventricular–subventricular zone (V-SVZ) along the wall of the lateral ventricles and they are the source of olfactory bulb interneurons. Adult NSCs exhibit an apico-basal polarity; they harbor a short apical process and a long basal process, reminiscent of radial glia morphology. In the adult mouse brain, we detected extremely long radial glia-like fibers that originate from the anterior–ventral V-SVZ and that are directed to the ventral striatum. Interestingly, a fraction of adult V-SVZ-derived neuroblasts dispersed in close association with the radial glia-like fibers in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Using several in vivo mouse models, we show that newborn neurons integrate into preexisting circuits in the NAc where they mature as medium spiny neurons (MSNs), i.e., a type of projection neurons formerly believed to be generated only during embryonic development. Moreover, we found that the number of newborn neurons in the NAc is dynamically regulated by persistent pain, suggesting that adult neurogenesis of MSNs is an experience-modulated process.