bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dose-dependence of radiotherapy-induced changes in serum levels of choline-containing phospholipids; the importance of lower doses delivered to large volumes of normal tissues
Authors: Jelonek Karol , Krzywon Aleksandra , Papaj Katarzyna , Polanowski Pawel , Szczepanik Krzysztof , Skladowski Krzysztof , Widlak Piotr 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Conformal radiotherapy is a primary treatment in head and neck cancer, which putative adverse effects depend on relatively low doses of radiation delivered to increased volumes of normal tissues. Systemic effects of such treatment include radiation-induced changes in serum lipid profile, yet dose- and volume-dependence of these changes remain to be established.

Methods
Here we analyzed levels of choline-containing phospholipids in serum samples collected consecutively during the radiotherapy used as the only treatment modality. The liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) approach applied in the study enabled the detection and quantitation of 151 phospholipids, including (lyso)phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins.

Results
No statistically significant differences were found in the pretreatment samples from patients with different locations and stages of cancer. To compensate for potential differences between schemes of radiotherapy, the biologically effective doses were calculated and used in the search of correlations with specific lipid levels. We found that the levels of several phospholipids depended on the maximum dose delivered to the gross tumor volume and total radiation energy absorbed by the patient’s body. Increased doses correlated with increased levels of sphingomyelins and reduced levels of phosphatidylcholines. Furthermore, we observed several phospholipids whose serum levels correlated with the degree of acute radiation toxicity.

Conclusion
Noteworthy, serum phospholipid levels were associated mainly with volumes of normal tissues irradiated with relatively low doses (i.e., total accumulated dose 20 Gy), which indicated the importance of such effects on the systemic response of the patient’s organism to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).
Robotic hernia surgery I. English version
Authors: Ramser Michaela , Baur Johannes , Keller Nicola , Kukleta Jan F. , Dörfer Jörg , Wiegering Armin , Eisner Lukas , Dietz Ulrich A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe treatment of inguinal hernias with open and minimally invasive procedures has reached a high standard in terms of outcome over the past 30 years. However, there is still need for further improvement, mainly in terms of reduction of postoperative seroma, chronic pain, and recurrence. This video article presents the endoscopic anatomy of the groin with regard to robotic transabdominal preperitoneal patch plasty (r‑TAPP) and illustrates the surgical steps of r‑TAPP with respective video sequences. The results of a cohort study of 302 consecutive hernias operated by r‑TAPP are presented and discussed in light of the added value of the robotic technique, including advantages for surgical training. r‑TAPP is the natural evolution of conventional TAPP and has the potential to become a new standard as equipment availability increases and material costs decrease. Future studies will also have to refine the multifaceted added value of r‑TAPP with new parameters.
The impact of repeated mass antigen testing for COVID-19 on the prevalence of the disease
Authors: Kahanec Martin , Lafférs Lukáš , Schmidpeter Bernhard 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn the absence of effective vaccination, mass testing and quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could help to mitigate pandemics and allow economies to stay open. We investigate the effects of repeated mass testing on the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, using data from the first ever nationwide rapid antigen testing implemented in Slovakia in autumn 2020. After the first round of testing, only districts above an ex ante unknown threshold of test positivity were re-tested. Comparing districts above and below the threshold, we provide evidence that repeated mass antigen testing can temporarily reduce the number of new infections. Our results suggest that mass testing coupled with the quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could be an effective tool in mitigating pandemics. For lasting effects, re-testing at regular intervals would likely be necessary.
A fast $$(2 + \frac{2}{7})$$-approximation algorithm for capacitated cycle covering
Authors: Traub Vera , Tröbst Thorben 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe consider the capacitated cycle covering problem: given an undirected, complete graph G with metric edge lengths and demands on the vertices, we want to cover the vertices with vertex-disjoint cycles, each serving a demand of at most one. The objective is to minimize a linear combination of the total length and the number of cycles. This problem is closely related to the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) and other cycle cover problems such as min-max cycle cover and bounded cycle cover. We show that a greedy algorithm followed by a post-processing step yields a $$(2 + \frac{2}{7})$$

(
2
+

2
7

)

-approximation for this problem by comparing the solution to a polymatroid relaxation. We also show that the analysis of our algorithm is tight and provide a $$2 + \epsilon $$

2
+
ϵ

lower bound for the relaxation.
Impact Evaluation of Alternative Irrigation Technology in Crete: Correcting for Selectivity Bias
Authors: Vrachioli Maria , Stefanou Spiro E. , Tzouvelekas Vangelis 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe interest in promoting food and water security through development projects has led to the need to evaluate the impact of these projects. This study evaluates the impact from transitioning to a modern irrigation technology. Deciding to adopt or not an alternative irrigation technology (sprinklers) is not necessarily a random determination. Therefore, selection bias can be present and this can lead to biased estimates. In this study, we apply methodological specifications to correct for self-selectivity biases. Then, we measure and compare the technical efficiency scores from adopters and non-adopters. The empirical application uses data covering 56 small-scale greenhouse farms in Crete (Greece) for the cropping years 2009-2013. The results reveal that the average technical efficiency for farmers who adopted sprinkler irrigation is lower than the group of non-adopters, when the presence of selectivity bias cannot be rejected. This implies that either the farmers need more time to incorporate the know-how of the newly acquired technology or they become less motivated after the adoption. Consequently, agricultural water saving technologies need to be promoted in combination with support to the farmers, so they can cope with the lower performance in the first years after adoption.
Methanol dynamics in H-ZSM-5 with Si/Al ratio of 25: a quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) study
Authors: Matam Santhosh K. , Catlow C. Richard A. , Silverwood Ian P. , O’Malley Alexander J. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMethanol dynamics in zeolite H-ZSM-5 (Si/Al of 25) with a methanol loading of ~ 30 molecules per unit cell has been studied at 298, 323, 348 and 373 K by incoherent quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS). The elastic incoherent structure factor (EISF) reveals that the majority of methanol is immobile, in the range between 70 and 80%, depending on the measurement temperature. At 298 K, ≈ 20% methanol is mobile on the instrumental timescale, exhibiting isotropic rotational dynamics with a rotational diffusion coefficient (DR) of 4.75 × 1010 s−1. Upon increasing the measurement temperature from 298 to 323 K, the nature of the methanol dynamics changes from rotational to translational diffusion dynamics. Similar translational diffusion rates are measured at 348 and 373 K, though with a larger mobile fraction as temperature increases. The translational diffusion is characterised as jump diffusion confined to a sphere with a radius close to that of a ZSM-5 channel. The diffusion coefficients may be calculated using either the Volino–Dianoux (VD) model of diffusion confined to a sphere, or the Chudley–Elliot (CE) jump diffusion model. The VD model gives rise to a self-diffusion co-efficient (Ds) of methanol in the range of 7.8–8.4 × 10–10 m2 s−1. The CE model gives a Ds of around 1.2 (± 0.1) × 10–9 m2 s−1 with a jump distance of 2.8 (either + 0.15 or − 0.1) Å and a residence time (τ) of ~ 10.8 (either + 0.1 or − 0.2) ps. A correlation between the present and earlier studies that report methanol dynamics in H-ZSM-5 with Si/Al of 36 is made, suggesting that with increasing Si/Al ratio, the mobile fraction of methanol increases while DR decreases.
A Preclinical Study of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treating Detrusor Underactivity by Chronic Bladder Ischemia
Authors: Yu Hwan Yeul , Shin Jung Hyun , Yun HongDuck , Ryu Chae-Min , Lee Seungun , Heo Jinbeom , Lim Jisun , Park Juhyun , Hong Ki-Sung , Chung Hyung-Min , Shin Dong-Myung , Choo Myung-Soo 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
The therapeutic effects of human embryonic stem cell-derived multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (M-MSCs) were evaluated for detrusor underactivity (DUA) in a rat model with atherosclerosis-induced chronic bladder ischemia (CBI) and associated mechanisms.

Methods
Sixteen-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into five groups (n = 10). The DUA groups underwent 30 bilateral repetitions of endothelial injury to the iliac arteries to induce CBI, while the sham control group underwent a sham operation. All rats used in this study received a 1.25% cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. M-MSCs at a density of 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 × 105 cells (250 K, 500 K, or 1000 K; K = a thousand) were injected directly into the bladder 7 weeks post-injury, while the sham and DUA group were treated only with vehicle (phosphate buffer solution). One week after M-MSC injection, awake cystometry was performed on the rats. Then, the bladders were harvested, studied in an organ bath, and prepared for histological and gene expression analyses.

Results
CBI by iliac artery injury reproduced voiding defects characteristic of DUA with decreased micturition pressure, increased micturition interval, and a larger residual volume. The pathological DUA properties were improved by M-MSC treatment in a dose-dependent manner, with the 1000 K group producing the best efficacy. Histological analysis revealed that M-MSC therapy reduced CBI-induced injuries including bladder fibrosis, muscular loss, and apoptosis. Transplanted M-MSCs mainly engrafted as vimentin and NG2 positive pericytes rather than myocytes, leading to increased angiogenesis in the CBI bladder. Transcriptomes of the CBI-injured bladders were characterized by the complement system, inflammatory, and ion transport-related pathways, which were restored by M-MSC therapy.

Conclusions
Single injection of M-MSCs directly into the bladder of a CBI-induced DUA rat model improved voiding profiles and repaired the bladder muscle atrophy in a dose-dependent manner.

Graphical abstract
Nonproper intersection products and generalized cycles
Authors: Andersson Mats , Eriksson Dennis , Samuelsson Kalm Håkan , Wulcan Elizabeth , Yger Alain 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe develop intersection theory in terms of the$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-group of a reduced analytic space. This group was introduced in a previous work as an analogue of the Chow group; it is generated by currents that are direct images of Chern forms and it contains all usual cycles. However, contrary to Chow classes, the$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-classes have well-defined multiplicities at each point. We focus on a$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-analogue of the intersection theory based on the Stückrad–Vogel procedure and the join construction in projective space. Our approach provides global$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-classes which satisfy a Bézout theorem and have the expected local intersection numbers. We also introduce$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-analogues of more classical constructions of intersections using the Gysin map of the diagonal. These constructions are connected via a$${{\mathscr {B}}}$$B-variant of van Gastel’s formulas. Furthermore, we prove that our intersections coincide with the classical ones on cohomology level.
The Muskat problem with surface tension and equal viscosities in subcritical $$L_p$$-Sobolev spaces
Authors: Matioc Anca-Voichita , Matioc Bogdan-Vasile 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this paper we establish the well-posedness of the Muskat problem with surface tension and equal viscosities in the subcritical Sobolev spaces$$W^s_p(\mathbb {R})$$Wps(R), where$${p\in (1,2]}$$p∈(1,2]and $${s\in (1+1/p,2)}$$s∈(1+1/p,2). This is achieved by showing that the mathematical model can be formulated as a quasilinear parabolic evolution problem in$$W^{\overline{s}-2}_p(\mathbb {R})$$Wps¯-2(R), where $${\overline{s}\in (1+1/p,s)}$$s¯∈(1+1/p,s). Moreover, we prove that the solutions become instantly smooth and we provide a criterion for the global existence of solutions.
Large scale simulation of pressure induced phase-field fracture propagation using Utopia
Authors: Zulian Patrick , Kopaničáková Alena , Nestola Maria Giuseppina Chiara , Fink Andreas , Fadel Nur Aiman , VandeVondele Joost , Krause Rolf 
Published: June 2021

AbstractNon-linear phase field models are increasingly used for the simulation of fracture propagation problems. The numerical simulation of fracture networks of realistic size requires the efficient parallel solution of large coupled non-linear systems. Although in principle efficient iterative multi-level methods for these types of problems are available, they are not widely used in practice due to the complexity of their parallel implementation. Here, we present Utopia, which is an open-source C++ library for parallel non-linear multilevel solution strategies. Utopia provides the advantages of high-level programming interfaces while at the same time a framework to access low-level data-structures without breaking code encapsulation. Complex numerical procedures can be expressed with few lines of code, and evaluated by different implementations, libraries, or computing hardware. In this paper, we investigate the parallel performance of our implementation of the recursive multilevel trust-region (RMTR) method based on the Utopia library. RMTR is a globally convergent multilevel solution strategy designed to solve non-convex constrained minimization problems. In particular, we solve pressure-induced phase-field fracture propagation in large and complex fracture networks. Solving such problems is deemed challenging even for a few fractures, however, here we are considering networks of realistic size with up to 1000 fractures.
Association of biochar properties with changes in soil bacterial, fungal and fauna communities and nutrient cycling processes
Authors: Dai Zhongmin , Xiong Xinquan , Zhu Hang , Xu Haojie , Leng Peng , Li Jihui , Tang C. , Xu Jianming 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSoil microorganisms play crucial roles in soil nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, fertility maintenance and crop health and production. To date, the responses of microorganisms, such as microbial activity, diversity, community structure and nutrient cycling processes, to biochar addition have been widely reported. However, the relationships between soil microbial groups (bacteria, fungi and microscopic fauna) and biochar physicochemical properties have not been summarized. In this review, we conclude that biochar affects soil microbial growth, diversity and community compositions by directly providing growth promoters for soil biota or indirectly changing soil basic properties. The porous structure, labile C, high pH and electrochemical properties of biochar play an important role in determining soil microbial abundance and communities, and their mediated N and P cycling processes, while the effects and underlying mechanisms vary with biochar types that are affected by pyrolysis temperature and feedstock type. Finally, we highlight some issues related to research methodology and subjects that are still poorly understood or controversial, and the perspectives for further research in microbial responses to biochar addition.
A more accurate half-discrete Hilbert-type inequality in the whole plane and the reverses
Authors: Rassias Michael Th. , Yang Bicheng , Meletiou Gerasimos C. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractA more accurate half-discrete Hilbert-type inequality in the whole plane with multi-parameters is established by the use of Hermite–Hadamard’s inequality and weight functions. Furthermore, some equivalent forms and some special types of inequalities and operator representations as well as reverses are considered.
Simultaneous Determination of Flavonoids from Bamboo Leaf Extracts Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Li Xiabing , Tao Wuqun , Xun Hang , Yao Xi , Wang Jin , Sun Jia , Yue Yongde , Tang Feng 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAn analytical method for the simultaneous determination of ten major functional flavonoids (isoorientin, orientin, vitexin, isovitexin, apigenin, luteolin, tricin, quercetin, rutin, and kaempferol) in different bamboo species was developed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a reversed-phase C-18 column with acetonitrile and water as the mobile phases. Detection was performed in negative ion electrospray ionization mode using multiple reaction monitoring mode. The correlation coefficients for the calibration curves ranged from 0.9955 to 0.9997. The limit of detection ranged from 1 to 45 ng/ml. The applicability of this analytical approach was confirmed by the successful analysis of real leaf samples of four bamboo species, family Poaceae: Pleioblastus amarus (Keng) Keng f., Phyllostachys glauca McClure, Phyllostachys edullis (Carrière) J.Houz, and Indocalamus latifolius (Keng) McClure. The total flavonoid contents were 3321.09, 3095.96, 4037.33, and 2808.42 mg/kg for P. amarus, P. glauca, P. edullis, and I. latifolius, respectively.
Graphical abstract
Data-based polyhedron model for optimization of engineering structures involving uncertainties
Authors: Qiu Zhiping , Wu Han , Elishakoff Isaac , Liu Dongliang 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
This paper studies the data-based polyhedron model and its application in uncertain linear optimization of engineering structures, especially in the absence of information either on probabilistic properties or about membership functions in the fussy sets-based approach, in which situation it is more appropriate to quantify the uncertainties by convex polyhedra. Firstly, we introduce the uncertainty quantification method of the convex polyhedron approach and the model modification method by Chebyshev inequality. Secondly, the characteristics of the optimal solution of convex polyhedron linear programming are investigated. Then the vertex solution of convex polyhedron linear programming is presented and proven. Next, the application of convex polyhedron linear programming in the static load-bearing capacity problem is introduced. Finally, the effectiveness of the vertex solution is verified by an example of the plane truss bearing problem, and the efficiency is verified by a load-bearing problem of stiffened composite plates.
COVID-19 Antibody Testing as a Precondition for Employment: Ethical and Legal Considerations
Authors: Gerke Sara , Katznelson Gali , Reiss Dorit , Shachar Carmel 
Published: June 2021

AbstractEmployers and governments are interested in the use of serological (antibody) testing to allow people to return to work before there is a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. We articulate the preconditions needed for the implementation of antibody testing, including the role of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Mens Daemonica: Guilt, Justice, and the Occult in South Africa
Authors: Rupcic Sonia 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn winter 2014, the town of Thohoyandou, South Africa was gripped with panic after a series of rapes and murders. In this area, notorious for its occult specialists and witchcraft, stories began to circulate attributing the violence to demonic forces. These stories were given credence by the young man who was charged with these crimes. In his testimony, he confirmed that he was possessed by evil forces. Taking this story as a point of departure, this article provides an empirical account of the ambivalent ways state sites of criminal justice grapple with the occult in South Africa. Drawing on twenty-two months of ethnographic fieldwork, I describe how spirit possession is not easily reconciled with legal methods of parsing criminal liability in courtrooms. And yet, when imprisoned people are paroled, the state entertains the possibility of bewitchment in public ceremonies of reconciliation. Abstracting from local stories about the occult, this article proposesmens daemonica(“demonic mind”) to describe this state of hijacked selfhood and as an alternative to themens rea(“criminal mind”) observed in criminal law. While the latter seeks the cause of wrongdoing in the authentic will of the autonomous, self-governing subject,mens daemonicadescribes a putatively extra-legal idea of captured volition that implicates a vast and ultimately unknowable range of others and objects in what only appears to be a singular act of wrongdoing. This way of reckoning culpability has the potential to inspire new approaches to justice.
Differences over Difference: Sino-Russian Friendship at Interstate and Interpersonal Scales
Authors: Pulford Ed 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRelations between states are usually framed in human terms, from partners to rivals, enemies or allies, polities and persons appear to engage in cognate relationships. Yet whether or not official ties and relationships among people from those states actually correspond remains less clear. “Friendship,” a term first applied to states in eighteenth-century Europe and mobilized in the (post)socialist world since the 1930s, articulates with particular clarity both the promise and the limitations of harmonized personal and state ties. Understandings of friendship vary interculturally, and invocations of state-state friendship may be accompanied by a distinct lack of amity among populations. Such is the case between China and Russia today, and this situation therefore raises wider questions over how we should understand interstate and interpersonal relationships together. Existing social scientific work has generally failed to locate either the everyday in the international or the international in the everyday. Focusing on both Chinese and Russian approaches to daily interactions in a border town and the official Sino-Russian Friendship, I thus suggest a newscalarapproach. Applying this to the Sino-Russian case in turn reveals how specific contours of “difference” form a pivot around which relationships at both scales operate. This study thus offers both comparison between Chinese and Russian friendships, and a lens for wider comparative work in a global era of shifting geopolitics and cross-border encounters.