bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strength and abrasive properties of andesite: relationships between strength parameters measured on cylindrical test specimens and micro-Deval values—a tool for durability assessment
Authors: Czinder Balázs , Török Ákos 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAggregates are necessary materials for the construction industry. Owing to their favourable properties, andesites are frequently used rock materials; hence, the investigation of their mechanical and aggregate properties has great significance. This paper introduces the analyses of 13 Hungarian andesite lithotypes. The samples were collected from six andesite quarries in Hungary. Cylindrical specimens and aggregate samples with 10.0/14.0-mm-sized grains were made from rock blocks. The specimens were tested in dry, water-saturated and freeze–thaw subjected conditions. Bulk density, uniaxial compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, indirect tensile strength and water absorption were measured. The abrasion resistance was tested by micro-Deval tests. The flakiness indexes of the samples were also measured. The data set of the laboratory test results provided input for further, one- and two-variable statistical analyses. According to the test results, there is no significant difference between the strength parameters measured in water-saturated and in freeze–thaw subjected conditions. The correlation and regression analyses revealed relationships between some rock mechanical parameters, as well as between micro-Deval coefficient and uniaxial compressive strength.
Schuldentragfähigkeit in der Eurozone bei niedrigen bzw. negativen Zinsen
Authors: Naumer Hans-Jörg 
Published: October 2020

ZussamenfassungWer soll das bezahlen? — eine Frage, die sich in Anbetracht der gegen die Corona-Krise geschnürten Fiskalpakete derzeit viele stellen. Die Staatsausgaben für die Maßnahmenpakete zur Stabilisierung der Wirtschaft sind enorm. Gleichzeitig sinken die Steuereinnahmen. An Lösungsvorschlägen mangelt es nicht: von „Helikoptergeld“ der Zentralbanken bis „Lastenausgleich“ per Vermögensteuern. Dabei hilft bereits das Niedrig- bzw. Negativzinsumfeld, die weiter steigenden Schuldenberge abzutragen.
Weltklassepatente — das „Gold“ der Wissensökonomie?
Authors: Overdiek Markus , Rausch Thomas , Gramke Kai 
Published: October 2020

ZusammenfassungFür Volkswirtschaften ist die eigene Innovationsfähigkeit ein entscheidender Faktor, um in der Wissensgesellschaft erfolgreich sein zu können. Das Innovationspotenzial wird häufig mit der Zahl der Patentanmeldungen gemessen — ohne dabei nach Bedeutung zu differenzieren oder ihre tatsächliche Anwendung zu untersuchen. Unser Ansatz versucht dagegen, ein realitätsnäheres Bild zu zeichnen, indem sie nur die wichtigsten Patente (Weltklassepatente) in den Blick nimmt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Vorsprung der USA im Patentbereich bei dieser Betrachtungsweise noch deutlicher zutage tritt, China auch in Sachen Patentqualität stark aufholt und Europa vor allem in digitalen Technologien dringenden Handlungsbedarf hat.
Preserving cultural heritage through the valorization of Cordillera heirloom rice in the Philippines
Authors: Bairagi Subir , Custodio Marie Claire , Durand-Morat Alvaro , Demont Matty 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFor centuries, heirloom rice varieties have been grown on the terraces of the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon, Philippines, terroirs known for their significant historical, cultural, and aesthetic values. However, heritage heirloom rice farming is gradually being abandoned, mainly because of its lower productivity and the struggle of the sector to create a sustainable niche market for heirloom rice by branding its cultural, social, and nutritional values. We propose several demand-side intervention strategies for the valorization of heirloom rice. To support the development of a segmented marketing strategy for heritage farming, we provide evidence on urban consumers’ willingness to purchase heirloom rice. We interviewed 500 urban consumers from Metro Manila in July–August 2015, who placed a purchasing bid on a kilogram of heirloom rice. Consumers’ bids averaged PHP 72.61 kg−1 (USD 1.60 kg−1), which is less than half its current market price. This explains why heirloom rice struggles to gain market share in urban markets in the Philippines. Given this bid price, we estimate a potential market size of PHP 20.3 billion (USD 443 million) that could be created for heirloom rice and tapped into by heritage farmers. Findings further indicate that women, business owners, and consumers who buy packaged rice and eat pigmented rice are willing to pay more for heirloom rice. Finally, our evidence suggests that proper information framing will be necessary to create demand and support the valorization of heirloom rice to preserve cultural heritage and in situ biodiversity of rice landraces in the Philippines.
Design of a 40 GHz low noise amplifier using multigate technique for cascode devices
Authors: Shaheen Rana Azhar , Rahkonen Timo , Pärssinen Aarno 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIncreased parasitic components in silicon-based nanometer (nm) scale active devices have various performance trade-offs between optimizing the key parameters, for example, maximum frequency of oscillation ($$f_{max}$$

f

max

, gate resistance and capacitance, etc. A common-source cascode device is commonly used in amplifier designs at RF/millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies. In addition to intrinsic parasitic components, extrinsic components due to wiring and layout effects, are also critical for performance and accurate modelling of the devices. In this work, a comparison of two different layout techniques for cascode devices is presented to optimize the extrinsic parasitic elements, such as gate resistance. A multi-gate or multi-port layout technique is proposed for optimizing the gate resistance ($$r_g$$

r
g

). Extracted values from measurement results show reduction of 10% in $$r_{g}$$

r
g

of multi-gate layout technique compared to a conventional gate-above-device layout for cascode devices. However, conventional layout exhibits smaller gate-to-source and gate-to-drain capacitances which leads to better performance in terms of speed, i.e. $$f_{max}$$

f

max

. An LNA is designed at 40 GHz frequency using proposed multi-gate cascode device. LNA achieves a measured peak gain of 10.2 dB and noise figure of 4.2 dB at 40 GHz. All the structures are designed and fabricated using 45 nm CMOS silicon on insulator (SOI) technology.
Patterns of ectoparasite infection in wild-caught and laboratory-bred cichlid fish, and their hybrids, implicate extrinsic rather than intrinsic causes of species differences in infection
Authors: Gobbin Tiziana P. , Tiemersma Ron , Leone Giulia , Seehausen Ole , Maan Martine E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractParasite-mediated selection may initiate or enhance differentiation between host populations that are exposed to different parasite infections. Variation in infection among populations may result from differences in host ecology (thereby exposure to certain parasites) and/or intrinsic immunological traits. Species of cichlid fish, even when recently diverged, often differ in parasite infection, but the contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic causes are unknown. Here, we compare infection patterns between two closely related host species from Lake Victoria (genus Pundamilia), using wild-caught and first-generation laboratory-reared fish, as well as laboratory-reared hybrids. Three of the commonest ectoparasite species observed in the wild were also present in the laboratory populations. However, the infection differences between the host species as observed in the wild were not maintained in laboratory conditions. In addition, hybrids did not differ in infection from either parental species. These findings suggest that the observed species differences in infection in the wild might be mainly driven by ecology-related effects (i.e. differential exposure), rather than by intrinsic species differences in immunological traits. Thus, while there is scope for parasite-mediated selection in Pundamilia in the wild, it has apparently not yet generated divergent evolutionary responses and may not enhance assortative mating among closely related species.
Impact of Primary Staging with Fibroblast Activation Protein Specific Enzyme Inhibitor (FAPI)-PET/CT on Radio-Oncologic Treatment Planning of Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Ristau J. , Giesel F. L. , Haefner M. F. , Staudinger F. , Lindner T. , Merkel A. , Schlittenhardt J. , Kratochwil C. , Choyke P. L. , Herfarth K. , Debus J. , Haberkorn U. , Koerber S. A. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Quinoline-based ligands targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts have emerged as promising radiopharmaceuticals in different tumor entities. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore the potential of FAPI-PET/CT in the initial staging of esophageal cancer patients and its usefulness in radiotherapy planning as a first clinical analysis.

Methods
Seven patients with treatment-naive esophageal cancer underwent FAPI-PET/CT. Tracer uptake was quantified by standardized uptake values (SUV)max and (SUV)mean. Six patients received definitive and one neoadjuvant (chemo)radiation therapy. Endo-esophageal clipping, the gold standard to define tumor margins not delineable per CT, was performed in three patients.

Results
Primary tumors demonstrated high FAPI uptake with a median SUVmax of 17.2. Excellent tumor-to-background ratios resulted in accurate target volume delineation and were found in perfect match with clipping. Detection of regional lymph node metastases facilitated the use of simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy plans for these patients.

Conclusion
FAPI-PET/CT may be beneficial for the management of esophageal cancer particularly in planning radiotherapy, but further research is necessary to increase patient number and statistical reliability.
Climate change and household welfare in sub-Saharan Africa: empirical evidence from Swaziland
Authors: Sam Abdoul G. , Abidoye Babatunde O. , Mashaba Sihle 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and several studies suggest that climate change is expected to increase food insecurity and poverty in many parts of the world. In this paper, we adopt a microeconometric approach to empirically estimate the impact of climate change-induced hikes in cereal prices on household welfare in Swaziland (also Kingdom of Eswatini). We do so first by econometrically estimating expenditure and price elasticities of five food groups consumed by households in Swaziland using the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS), based on data from the 2009/2010 Swaziland Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Second, we use the estimated expenditure and compensated elasticities from the AIDS model, food shares from the household survey, and food price projections developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to estimate the proportionate increase in income required to maintain the level of household utility that would have prevailed absent an increase in food prices. Our results show increases in cereal prices due to climate change are expected to double extreme poverty in urban areas and increase poverty in rural areas of the country to staggering levels - between 71 and 75%, compared to 63% before the price changes. Income transfers of between 17.5 and 25.4% of pre-change expenditures are needed to avoid the welfare losses.
The upshot of Polyphenolic compounds on immunity amid COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging communicable diseases: An appraisal
Authors: Khalil Ayman , Tazeddinova Diana 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPolyphenols are a large family of more than 10,000 naturally occurring compounds, which exert countless pharmacological, biological and physiological benefits for human health including several chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases. Their role in traditional medicine, such as the use of a wide range of remedial herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, basil), has been well and long known for treating common respiratory problems and cold infections. This review reports on the most highlighted polyphenolic compounds present in up to date literature and their specific antiviral perceptive properties that might enhance the body immunity facing COVID-19, and other viral infectious diseases. In fact, several studies and clinical trials increasingly proved the role of polyphenols in controlling numerous human pathogens including SARS and MERS, which are quite similar to COVID-19 through the enhancement of host immune response against viral infections by different biological mechanisms. Thus, polyphenols ought to be considered as a potential and valuable source for designing new drugs that could be used effectively in the combat against COVID‐19 and other rigorous diseases.
Integrability of Point-Vortex Dynamics via Symplectic Reduction: A Survey
Authors: Modin Klas , Viviani Milo 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPoint-vortex dynamics describe idealized, non-smooth solutions to the incompressible Euler equations on two-dimensional manifolds. Integrability results for few point-vortices on various domains is a vivid topic, with many results and techniques scattered in the literature. Here, we give a unified framework for proving integrability results for $$N=2$$

N
=
2

, 3, or 4 point-vortices (and also more general Hamiltonian systems), based on symplectic reduction theory. The approach works on any two-dimensional manifold with a symmetry group; we illustrate it on the sphere, the plane, the hyperbolic plane, and the flat torus. A systematic study of integrability is prompted by advances in two-dimensional turbulence, bridging the long-time behaviour of 2D Euler equations with questions of point-vortex integrability. A gallery of solutions is given in the appendix.
Valuation with mixed financing strategies
Authors: Dierkes Stefan , de Maeyer Imke 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn corporate valuation, it is common to assume either passive or active debt management. However, it is questionable whether these pure financing policies reflect the real financing policies of firms with a sufficient degree of accuracy. This shortcoming has led to the development of mixed financing strategies as combinations of pure financing strategies. Whereas hybrid financing is directly linked to the two-phase model, it is unclear how to apply discontinuous financing in such a setting. In this study, according to the two versions of hybrid financing, we analyze the implementation of discontinuous financing in a two-phase model. Thereby, we present a simpler and more intuitive derivation of the valuation equation for discontinuous financing to increase its acceptance and its use for corporate valuation practice. Moreover, we compare the different mixed financing strategies with each other theoretically, and we conduct simulations to elucidate the impact on market values and the sensitivities of input parameters. The study concludes that the presented mixed financing strategies can help in the attempt to reflect the real financing behavior of firms more accurately and, therefore, constitute a valuable alternative to pure financing strategies for valuation.
Design and analysis of deepwater tension sensors for ice drill application
Authors: Shi Jianguang , Huang Shengmiao , Wang Binyan , Li Chong , Peng Shilin , Sun Youhong , Talalay Pavel , Yu Haibin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMonitoring the tension in cables is significant in some ice drill and deepwater applications. Take our RECoverable Autonomous Sonde (RECAS) for example. It is able to melt a hole to the bottom of ice sheet and is able to move upwards. A winch is installed inside RECAS to release and recover the cable, whose tension needs to be monitored in real time in order to control the behavior of the winch. The high pressure of deep water and limited installation space pose great challenges in sensor development. In this paper, two editions of newly designed deepwater tension sensors are proposed. The first edition is based on a fresh hydraulic load module that operates in high pressure environment and the second edition tension, which aims to improve the accuracy, applies a newly designed watertight load module. Detailed force transmission and characteristic analysis of the sensors are carried out. The sensors have got through a series of experiments, including calibration experiments, pressure experiments and field experiments. The resultant accuracy of the second edition sensor, which has a better performance, is over 2% under the measuring range of 1000 kg and the dimension of the final sensor is as compact as 150 mm × 137 mm × 86 mm.
The Assouad spectrum of random self-affine carpets
Authors: FRASER JONATHAN M. , TROSCHEIT SASCHA 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe derive the almost sure Assouad spectrum and quasi-Assouad dimension of one-variable random self-affine Bedford–McMullen carpets. Previous work has revealed that the (related) Assouad dimension is not sufficiently sensitive to distinguish between subtle changes in the random model, since it tends to be almost surely ‘as large as possible’ (a deterministic quantity). This has been verified in conformal and non-conformal settings. In the conformal setting, the Assouad spectrum and quasi-Assouad dimension behave rather differently, tending to almost surely coincide with the upper box dimension. Here we investigate the non-conformal setting and find that the Assouad spectrum and quasi-Assouad dimension generally do not coincide with the box dimension or Assouad dimension. We provide examples highlighting the subtle differences between these notions. Our proofs combine deterministic covering techniques with suitably adapted Chernoff estimates and Borel–Cantelli-type arguments.
Effect of Rinsing Canned Foods on Bisphenol-A Exposure: The Hummus Experiment
Authors: Blackburn Brenna E. , Cox Kyley J. , Zhang Yue , Anderson David J. , Wilkins Diana G. , Porucznik Christina A. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBisphenol-A (BPA) is associated with adverse health outcomes and is found in many canned foods. It is not understood if some BPA contamination can be washed away by rinsing. The objective of this single-blinded crossover experiment was to determine whether BPA exposure, as measured by urinary concentrations, could be decreased by rinsing canned beans prior to consumption. Three types of hummus were prepared from dried beans, rinsed, and unrinsed canned beans. Fourteen healthy participants ate two samples of each hummus over six experimental days and collected spot urine specimens for BPA measurement. The geometric mean BPA levels for dried beans BPA (GM = 0.97 ng/ml, 95%CI = 0.74,1.26) was significantly lower than rinsed (GM = 1.89 ng/ml, 1.37,2.59) and unrinsed (GM = 2.46 ng/ml, 1.44,4.19). Difference-in-difference estimates showed an increase in GM BPA from pre- to post-hummus between unrinsed and rinsed canned beans of 1.39 ng/ml, p-value = 0.0400. Rinsing canned beans was an effective method to reduce BPA exposure.
Effect of vitamin E on cisplatin-induced memory impairment in male rats
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Masoud , Alizadeh Amir , Heydari Parnian , Kafami Marzieh , Hosseini Mahmoud , Beheshti Farimah , Marefati Narges , Ghanbarabadi Moustafa 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjective:Neurotoxicity is an adverse effect caused by cisplatin due to inflammation and oxidative stress in the central nervous system. The present study aimed to assess the effects of vitamin E injection on the learning and memory of rats with cisplatin-induced cognitive impairment.Methods:Male rats were administered with cisplatin (2 mg/kg/7 day; intraperitoneally [i i.p.]) and/or vitamin E (200 mg/kg/7 day; i.p.) for 1 week, and the control group received saline solution. Spatial memory was evaluated using Morris water maze (MWM). In addition, the hippocampal concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), thiol, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured using biochemical methods.Results:According to the findings, cisplatin significantly increased the escape latency, while decreasing the time spent and travelled pathway in the target quadrant on the final trial day compared to the control group. Furthermore, pre-treatment with vitamin E significantly reversed all the results in the spatial memory test. The biochemical data indicated that vitamin E could decrease MDA activity and increase thiol and SOD activity compared to the control group.Conclusion:According to the results, vitamin E could improve cisplatin-induced memory impairment possibly through affecting the hippocampal oxidative status.
Identifying dietary patterns in Irish schoolchildren and their association with nutritional knowledge and markers of health before and after intervention
Authors: Merrotsy Alison , McCarthy Aoife L. , Lacey Sean , Coppinger Tara 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe aim of the study was to identify dietary patterns (DP) and examine differences in anthropometric measures, blood pressure (BP), cardiorespiratory fitness and nutritional knowledge of 6- and 10-year-old children at baseline and following a nutrition and physical activity intervention, with respect to DP and treatment group. This is a longitudinal study. Food diary, nutritional knowledge questionnaire and 550-m walk/run test measured dietary intake, nutritional knowledge and cardiorespiratory fitness, respectively. BP, weight, height and waist circumference were also measured and BMI and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were derived. All measurements were performed at baseline and following intervention. Two primary schools (one intervention, one control) in Cork, Ireland, were selected. Participants were 6- (n 39, age 5·9 (sd 0·6) years) and 10- (n 49, age 9·8 (sd 0·5) years)-year-olds. Two DP were identified, using k-means cluster analysis, for both 6- (unhealthy and nutrient-dense) and 10-year-olds (processed and Western diet) at baseline. DP derived post-intervention were (1) plant-based and (2) processed foods for 6-year-olds and (1) nutrient-dense and (2) unhealthy for 10-year-olds. There was no statistically significant difference in DP for 6- and 10-year-olds at baseline and post-intervention (P > 0·05). Following the intervention, a multivariate ANOVA showed there were no statistically significant differences in nutritional knowledge, BMI, WHtR, cardiorespiratory fitness and BP based on DP and intervention/control group for both age groups (P > 0·05). Three out of four dietary patterns identified for 6- and 10-year-olds were unfavourable. While no statistically significant evidence of intervention impact was found on DP, a positive trend was emerging among 10-year-olds.