bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modification of preoperative radiochemotherapy for esophageal cancer (CROSS protocol) is safe and efficient with no impact on surgical morbidity
Authors: Paireder Matthias , Jomrich Gerd , Kristo Ivan , Asari Reza , Rieder Erwin , Beer Andrea , Ilhan-Mutlu Aysegül , Preusser Matthias , Schmid Rainer , Schoppmann Sebastian F. 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCTH) is proven to be highly effective in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC). We investigated oncological outcome and morbidity in patients treated with a modified CROSS protocol followed by esophagectomy at our institution.

Methods
Patients with EC receiving neoadjuvant RCTH with paclitaxel and carboplatin and concurrent radiotherapy (46 Gy) followed by esophagectomy were included in this retrospective analysis. Histopathological response, overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free interval (RFI) as well as perioperative morbidity were investigated.

Results
Thirty-six patients (86.1% male, mean age 61.3 years, standard deviation 11.52) received neoadjuvant RCTH before surgery. Sixteen patients (44.4%) were treated for squamous cell cancer, whereas 20 patients (55.6%) had adenocarcinoma. The majority (75%) underwent abdominothoracic esophageal resection. Major complications occurred in 7 patients (19.5%) including anastomotic leakage in 4 patients (11.1%). A R0 resection was achieved in 97.2%. A complete pathological remission was seen in 13 patients (36.1%). Major response, classified as Mandard tumor regression grade 1 and 2, was found in 26 patients (72.2%). Median OS and RFI were not reached.

Conclusions
Neoadjuvant radiotherapy with 46 Gy and concomitant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal carcinoma is safe and effective. The results of this modified radiotherapy protocol are encouraging and should be considered in future patient treatment and study designs.
Educational attainment in offspring bereaved by sudden parental death from external causes: a national cohort study from birth and throughout adulthood
Authors: Burrell Lisa Victoria , Mehlum Lars , Qin Ping 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has linked loss of a parent during childhood to reduced educational aspirations, school performance, and educational attainment later in life. The potential effect of maternal and paternal bereavement on attainment at all educational levels is, however, unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the potential influence of parental death by external causes on completion of compulsory education, high school, vocational education, and University or College education.

Methods
The study was based on data from three national longitudinal registers in Norway. The study population comprised 373,104 individuals born between January 1st 1970 and December 31st 1994. Information concerning deceased parents’ cause and date of death and offspring’s education and sociodemographic data were retrieved. Data were analysed with Cox regression.

Results
Children who had experienced parental death by external causes had a significantly reduced hazard ratio (HR) of completing all educational levels compared to children who did not have such experiences. The largest effects were evident for completion of high school (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.65–0.71) and University or College education (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70–0.80). No differences were evident for different causes of death, genders of deceased or ages at bereavement, and generally no significant interactions between gender of the bereaved offspring and predictor variables were evident for completion of all educational levels.

Conclusion
Parental death by external causes has vast and long-lasting impacts on offspring’s educational attainment at all levels. Health care interventions aimed at supporting bereaved children and adolescents should focus on challenges related to educational progress.
Simultaneous bi-pedicled DIEP and TUG flaps to enhance cosmetic outcome in unilateral delayed breast reconstruction: two flaps with three pedicles for one breast
Authors: Berner Juan Enrique , Magdum Ashish , Blackburn Adam 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAutologous breast reconstruction using free tissue transfer allows ‘like-for-like’ restoration of skin and volume following a mastectomy. Even though the majority of patients will require only one flap to restore their anatomy, occasionally, more than one flap is needed to get the best possible cosmetic outcome. For reconstructing the breast of a slim 49-year-old female patient, a bi-pedicled deep inferior epigastric perforator flap was used to replace the missing skin envelope, in combination with a buried transverse upper gracilis flap for volume restoration. The internal mammary vessels between the second and fourth costal cartilages were used as sole vessel recipient site, by preserving their intercostal perforators. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 2 days after her operation. This case shows how a bi-pedicled DIEP with a TUG flap can be used for the challenging scenario in which reconstructive and cosmetic goals are equally important.Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.
Functional expression and characterization of cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase from the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis in Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Wohl Julia , Petersen Maike 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Key message
Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase from the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis (AaC4H) was functionally expressed in the moss Physcomitrella patens and characterized at biochemical and molecular levels.

Abstract
Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), a cytochrome P450-dependent hydroxylase, catalyzes the formation of 4-coumaric acid (=4-hydroxycinnamic acid) from trans-cinnamic acid. In the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis (Aa), this enzyme is supposed to be involved in the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid (a caffeic acid ester of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)lactic acid) and other related compounds. The coding sequence of AaC4H (CYP73A260) was expressed in the moss Physcomitrella patens (Pp_AaC4H). Protein extracts from the transformed moss showed considerably increased C4H activity driven by NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase of the moss. Since Physcomitrella has own putative cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylases, enzyme characterization was carried out in parallel with the untransformed Physcomitrella wild type (Pp_WT). Apparent Km-values for cinnamic acid and NADPH were determined to be at 17.3 µM and 88.0 µM for Pp_AaC4H and 25.1 µM and 92.3 µM for Pp_WT, respectively. Expression levels of AaC4H as well as two Physcomitrella patens C4H isoforms were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. While PpC4H_1 displayed constantly low levels of expression during the whole 21-day culture period, AaC4H and PpC4H_2 increased their expression during the first 6–8 days of the culture period and then decreased again. This work describes the biochemical in vitro characterization of a cytochrome P450-dependent enzyme, namely C4H, heterologously expressed in the haploid model plant Physcomitrella patens.
Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?
Authors: Sonnberger Karin , Duscher Georg G. , Fuehrer Hans-Peter , Leschnik Michael 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA retrospective study based on cases of canine dirofilariosis presented to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna or diagnosed by private practitioners throughout Austria, from 1998 to 2018 was conducted to investigate the long-term development and current state of canine dirofilarial infections in Austria. Included in this study were 146 dogs which were tested positive for D. immitis and/or D. repens. The most commonly used diagnostic methods and the probable geographical origins of the infections were evaluated and the treatment protocols applied were compared with each other and with the literature. The results show that most infections were found due to screening for common travel infections using antigen-ELISA or PCR-testing, or by the incidental finding of microfilariae. Remarkably, only 24.3% of all cases presented showed clinical signs indicating canine dirofilariosis. Regarding the origin and travel history of the dogs, thirteen different countries could be identified. The three treatment protocols used showed a similar outcome after 8 months of treatment and minor side effects, which is consistent with the literature. An alarming increase in reported infections with both D. immitis and D. repens in Austria was noted since 2014. The number of documented cases had almost tripled by 2018, raising severe concerns about the threat of it becoming endemic in Austria. Therefore, the existing recommendations in current guidelines regarding canine dirofilariosis should be widely publicised and more strictly enforced. Prophylactic measures for dogs travelling abroad and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for dogs imported from endemic countries should be obligatorily established throughout Europe, to reduce the risk of further spread of canine filarial infections to non-endemic regions.
Nitrogen rate impacts on tropical maize nitrogen use efficiency and soil nitrogen depletion in eastern and southern Africa
Authors: Pasley Heather R. , Camberato James J. , Cairns Jill E. , Zaman-Allah Mainassara , Das Biswanath , Vyn Tony J. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSub-Saharan Africa is facing food security challenges due, in part, to decades of soil nitrogen (N) depletion. Applying N fertilizer could increase crop yields and replenish soil N pools. From 2010 to 2015, field experiments conducted in Embu and Kiboko, Kenya and Harare, Zimbabwe investigated yield and N uptake response of six maize (Zea maysL.) hybrids to four N fertilizer rates (0 to 160 kg N ha−1) in continuous maize production systems. The N recovery efficiency (NRE), cumulative N balance, and soil N content in the upper 0.9 m of soil following the final harvest were determined at each N rate. Plant and soil responses to N fertilizer applications did not differ amongst hybrids. Across locations and N rates, NRE ranged from 0.4 to 1.8 kg kg−1. Higher NRE values in Kiboko and Harare occurred at lower post-harvest soil inorganic N levels. The excessively high NRE value of 1.8 kg kg−1at 40 kg N ha−1in Harare suggested that maize hybrids deplete soil inorganic N most at low N rates. Still, negative cumulative N balances indicated that inorganic soil N depletion occurred at all N rates in Embu and Harare (up to − 193 and − 167 kg N ha−1, respectively) and at the 40 kg N ha−1rate in Kiboko (− 72 kg N ha−1). Overall, maize N uptake exceeded fertilizer N applied and so, while yields increased, soil N pools were not replenished, especially at low total soil N levels (< 10,000 kg N ha−1in top 0.9 m).
New heuristic algorithms for the Dubins traveling salesman problem
Authors: Babel Luitpold 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe problem of finding a shortest curvature-constrained closed path through a set of targets in the plane is known as Dubins traveling salesman problem (DTSP). Applications of the DTSP include motion planning for kinematically constrained mobile robots and unmanned fixed-wing aerial vehicles. The difficulty of the DTSP is to simultaneously find an order of the targets and suitable headings (orientation angles) of the vehicle when passing the targets. Since the DTSP is known to be NP-hard there is a need for heuristic algorithms providing good quality solutions in reasonable time. Inspired by standard methods for the TSP we present a collection of such heuristics adapted to the DTSP. The algorithms are based on a technique that optimizes the headings of the targets of an open or closed subtour with given order. This is done by discretizing the headings, constructing an auxiliary network and computing a shortest path in the network. The first algorithm for the DTSP uses the order of the targets obtained from the solution of the Euclidean TSP. A second class of algorithms extends an open subtour by successively adding a new target and closes the tour if all targets have been added. A third class of algorithms starts with a closed subtour consisting of few targets and successively inserts a new target into the tour. The individual algorithms differ by the number of headings to be optimized in each iteration. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed methods are competitive with state-of-the-art methods for the DTSP concerning performance and superior concerning running time, which makes them applicable also to large-scale scenarios.
Intuitionism and the Modal Logic of Vagueness
Authors: Bobzien Susanne , Rumfitt Ian 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIntuitionistic logic provides an elegant solution to theSoritesParadox. Its acceptance has been hampered by two factors. First, the lack of an accepted semantics for languages containing vague terms has led even philosophers sympathetic to intuitionism to complain that no explanation has been given ofwhyintuitionistic logic is the correct logic for such languages. Second, switching from classical to intuitionistic logic, while it may help with theSorites, does not appear to offer any advantages when dealing with the so-called paradoxes of higher-order vagueness. We offer a proposal that makes strides on both issues. We argue that the intuitionist’s characteristic rejection of any third alethic value alongsidetrueandfalseis best elaborated by taking the normal modal systemS4Mto be the sentential logic of the operator ‘it is clearly the case that’.S4Mopens the way to an account of higher-order vagueness which avoids the paradoxes that have been thought to infect the notion.S4Mis one of the modal counterparts of the intuitionistic sentential calculus (IPC) and we use this fact to explain whyIPCis the correct sentential logic to use when reasoning with vague statements. We also show that our key results go through in an intuitionistic version ofS4M. Finally, we deploy our analysis to reply to Timothy Williamson’s objections to intuitionistic treatments of vagueness.
On Smart City and Safe City Concepts
Authors: Ristvej Jozef , Lacinák Maroš , Ondrejka Roman 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWith current environmental and social challenges in mind, we can say, that Smart Cities are becoming the need of modern society. Many cities in the world are already transforming their ways to be more efficient, greener and also safer. According to our studies, field of safety receives less focus in development strategies than other fields of smart development. However, to create a real Smart City, it is needed to understand the city as a complex environment, with their smart and safe concepts as interconnected parts. This paper deals with interconnected Smart City and Safe City concepts and it presents systems, that are common to both, equal concepts. Systems are divided into layers and features, needed in every system, are further summarized. Number of studied and compared works, dealing with respective systems from various points of view, our own experiences and communication with executives, responsible for smart development of Tampere city resulted in definitions, describing both concepts and each of the system layers, that are presented. The big picture was visualised by a structure for concepts and their systems, where the reader can see their relationships. Overview, of how smartness can improve safety is presented within description of specific system Smart Safety and Smart Healthcare.
Biases at the Ballot Box: How Multiple Forms of Voter Discrimination Impede the Descriptive and Substantive Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups
Authors: Martin Nicole S. , Blinder Scott 
Published: February 2020

AbstractResearch shows that ethnic minority candidates often face an electoral penalty at the ballot box. In this study, we argue that this penalty depends on both candidate and voter characteristics, and that pro-minority policy positions incur a greater penalty than a candidate’s ethnic background itself. Using a conjoint experiment embedded in a panel study of British voters, we investigate the relative contributions of candidate ethnicity, policy positions, affirmative action, and voter attitudes to this electoral penalty. We find that although Pakistani (Muslim) candidates are penalized directly for their ethnicity, black Caribbean candidates receive on average the same levels of support as white British ones. However, black Caribbean candidates suffer conditional discrimination where they are penalized if they express support for pro-minority policies, and all candidates are penalized for having been selected through an affirmative action initiative. We also find that some white British voters are more inclined to support a black Caribbean candidate than a white British one, all else being equal. These voters (one quarter of our sample) have cosmopolitan views on immigration, and a strong commitment to anti-prejudice norms. However, despite efforts across parties to increase the ethnic diversity of candidates for office, many voters’ preferences continue to pose barriers toward descriptive and substantive representation of ethnic minority groups.
The Low Income Gap: A New Indicator Based on a Minimum Income Standard
Authors: Hirsch Donald , Padley Matt , Stone Juliet , Valadez-Martinez Laura 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn many high-income countries, governments seek to ensure that households at least have sufficient incomes to afford basic essentials such as food and clothing, but also to help citizens reach socially acceptable living standards allowing full participation in society. Their success in doing so is commonly monitored in terms of how many citizens are below a poverty line set relative to median income, and by how far below it they fall (the ‘poverty gap’). Yet the threshold below which this gap starts to be measured is arbitrary, begging the question of what level of low income needs addressing. A more ambitious measure, presented in this paper, considers the extent to which people fall short of a benchmark representing a socially agreed minimum standard. This ‘low income gap’ can be used to represent the distance a society has to go to eliminate income that is undesirably low. The paper presents the indicator, its meaning and some recent trends in the United Kingdom, where the methodology behind the indicator has been pioneered. The results demonstrate that this empirically derived benchmark has the potential to be of value in other countries, in assessing whether they are making progress in reducing low income.
Studies of the Joining-Relevant Interfacial Properties in the Si-Ti/C and Si-Ti/SiC Systems
Authors: Giuranno Donatella , Sobczak Natalia , Bruzda Grzegorz , Nowak Rafal , Polkowski Wojciech , Polkowska Adelajda , Kudyba Artur , Novakovic Rada 
Published: February 2020

AbstractReactive melt infiltration of Si-based alloys into C preforms and SiC/C composites may be an affordable alternative route to fabricate highly performant lightweighting metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), as well as to obtain reliable and long-term stable joints. In order to optimize reactive infiltration process and to tailor the joint microstructures, the knowledge of interfacial phenomena including thermodynamics, kinetics and surface properties of involved phases (i.e., metals and ceramics) as well as wettability and reactivity occurring between dissimilar materials is of crucial importance. In the present work, the feasibility study of a novel brazing method using Si-Ti alloys as filler for SiCf/SiC is reported and supported by the analysis of microstructural evolution and interfacial phenomena observed during the joining process. Namely, the CMC joining was successfully obtained via the reactive infiltration approach. The results obtained were critically discussed and compared with the know-how coming from the previously carried out investigations on the wetting and reactivity of Si-Ti melts in contact with glassy-C and HIP-SiC substrates. In particular, the microstructural evolution of the Si-Ti/C and Si-Ti/SiC interfaces during wetting tests and at the joint of CMC parts was analyzed and related to the operating conditions.
Geochemical and Isotopic Composition of Gypsum Deposits from Sahastradhara Region of Lesser Himalaya, India
Authors: Maurya Sakshi , Rai Santosh K. 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Major element chemistry of the gypsum mineralisation in the Himalayan region which represent the ancient seawater of the Tethys Sea. It provides the constraints on the change of global elemental and isotopic (87Sr/86Sr) variation over a geological time scale. Results indicate that these gypsum lenses, are formed by secondary process of leaching of host rocks and subsequent mineralization. These have close affinities with the seawaters and hence, may be a suitable proxy to represent the ancient seawater compositions. This information could be utilised to infer the paleooceanographic reconstruction of the Tethys Sea. As a part of this study, samples from Sahastradhara Lesser Himalaya were analysed for their geochemical and isotopic composition to infer about the chemical variation.
The fourth power mean of Dirichlet L-functions in $${\mathbb {F}}_q [T]$$
Authors: Andrade Julio Cesar , Yiasemides Michael 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWe prove results on moments of L-functions in the function field setting, where the moment averages are taken over primitive characters of modulus R, where R is a polynomial in $${\mathbb {F}}_{q}[T]$$

F
q

[
T
]

. We consider the behaviour as $${{\,\mathrm{deg}\,}}R \rightarrow \infty $$

deg

R
→
∞

and the cardinality of the finite field is fixed. Specifically, we obtain an exact formula for the second moment provided that R is square-full, an asymptotic formula for the second moment for any R, and an asymptotic formula for the fourth moment for any R. The fourth moment result is a function field analogue of Soundararajan’s result in the number field setting that improved upon a previous result by Heath-Brown. Both the second and fourth moment results extend work done by Tamam in the function field setting who focused on the case where R is prime. As a prerequisite for the fourth moment result, we obtain, for the special case of the divisor function, the function field analogue of Shiu’s generalised Brun–Titchmarsh theorem.