bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elements of a sociolinguistic theory: The case of Breton
Authors: Manchec-German Gary 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis article is a synthesis of the major elements of a sociolinguistic theory presented by Jean Le Dû and Yves Le Berre in their recent book,Métamorphoses, Trente ans de sociolinguistique à Brest (1984–2014). Given that both authors come from native Breton-speaking families in Western Brittany and have experienced the language shift to French first-hand, they provide a unique, inside view of the process as well as the reasons Breton speakers opted in favour of French. The sociolinguistic concepts they have imagined provide highly useful tools that highlight the inseparable bond between language and the social, political and economic forces that govern our choices. More specifically, they point out that the “Breton language” is splintered into as many varieties as there are social and geographic entities in western Brittany. For this reason, it should not be viewed as a monolithic entity. Far from “reviving” or “saving” the language, the authors argue that the recent creation of a phonologically, grammatically and lexically unified Breton norm is often so distant from the vernacular language that it has provoked a new form of diglossia which failed to reverse the break in the transmission of the natural language.The book provides tremendous insight into the complex issues which lead people to shift to another language. Language planners and scholars working on similar endangered language situations and who want to understand the mechanisms at work (and thus hopefully have some success in their endeavours) would do well to take heed of their experience.
Measuring patient experience of diagnostic care and acceptability of testing
Authors: Forster Alice S. , Rubin Greg , Emery Jon D. , Thompson Matthew , Sutton Stephen , de Wit Niek , Walter Fiona M. , Lyratzopoulos Georgios 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
A positive patient experience has been long recognised as a key feature of a high-quality health service, however, often assessment of patient experience excludes diagnostic care. Experience of diagnostic services and the acceptability of diagnostic tests are often conflated, with lack of clarity about when and how either should be measured. These problems contrast with the growth in the development and marketing of new tests and investigation strategies. Building on the appraisal of current practice, we propose that the experience of diagnostic services and the acceptability of tests should be assessed separately, and describe distinct components of each. Such evaluations will enhance the delivery of patient-centred care, and facilitate patient choice.
Modeling of dense well block point bar architecture based on geological vector information: A case study of the third member of Quantou Formation in Songliao Basin
Authors: Luo Chao , Jia Ailin , Guo Jianlin , Liu Wei , Yin Nanxin , Chen Cen , Wang Junlei , Gao Xuanbo , Guo Zhiqiang 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Although stochastic modeling methods can achieve multiple implementations of sedimentary microfacies model in dense well blocks, it is difficult to realize continuous convergence of well spacing. Taking the small high-sinuosity meandering river sediments of the third member of Quantou Formation in Songliao Basin as an example, a deterministic modeling method based on geological vector information was explored in this article. Quantitative geological characteristics of point bar sediments were analyzed by field outcrops, modern sediments, and dense well block anatomy. The lateral extension distance, length, and spacing parameters of the point bar were used to quantitatively characterize the thickness, dip angle, and frequency of the lateral layer. In addition, the three-dimensional architecture modeling of the point bar was carried out in the study. The established three-dimensional architecture model of well X24-1 had continuous convergence near all wells, which conformed to the geological knowledge of small high-sinuosity meandering river, and verified the reliability of this method in the process of geological modeling in dense well blocks.
Relationship between the levels of serum fibroblast growth factor 19 and metabolic factors in obese and normal weight subjects with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case-control study
Authors: Razmi Hamidreza , Tarighat-Esfanjani Ali , Payahoo Laleh , Mobasseri Majid , Amirpour Mahdi , Mirzaei Elham , Ghoreishi Zohre 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF-19) is a metabolic regulating factor with an anti-diabetic effect. This study aimed to evaluate FGF-19 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its relationship with some metabolic risk factors.

Methods
In this case-control study, 80 diabetic patients and 80 non-diabetic individuals were divided into two subgroups based on body mass index (BMI): obese people (BMI≥30) and participants with normal weight (25>BMI≥18.5). Furthermore, stratified analysis by gender was also performed. The metabolic factors were measured and compared in all groups. The relationship between FGF-19 and the measured items was investigated in each group.

Results
The FGF-19 levels did not show a significant difference between groups. The serum levels of FGF-19 were negatively associated with some metabolic items, such as BMI, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC) (p<0.01), and LDL/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (p=0.02) only in the healthy group with normal weight. According to the gender-based classification of individuals, FGF-19 showed a significant inverse relationship with BMI, weight (WT), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) (p<0.05) in diabetic men; besides, FGF-19 in non-diabetic women had a significant negative association with TC, LDL, and LDL/HDL ratio (p<0.05).

Conclusions
The levels of FGF-19 were negatively correlated to WT, BMI, WC and HC in diabetic males. More studies are needed to warrant these results.
Charge transport measurements in compressed bulk graphene oxide
Authors: Onwona-Agyeman Boateng , Sun Yong , Hattori Hayami 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Charge transport measurements in compressed bulk graphene oxide (GO) have been studied within the temperature range 15-450 K. Structural properties and surface morphologies of the bulk compressed GO were studied using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were also used to confirm the presence of graphitic phases and the various functional groups in the GO, respectively. Current-voltage characteristics of the GO measured with gold (Au) electrodes at different temperatures showed no Schottky barrier at the Au/GO interface. At low temperatures and low bias voltages, the electron transport through the compressed GO sample showed no significant voltage dependence, which is consistent with a direct tunneling mechanism at all the bias voltages (0.01 -1.0 V). It was also observed that no Fowler- Nordheim transport mechanism occurred within this bias voltage range.
Effect of TiC on coarsening and macrosegregation of Al–Bi alloys
Authors: Li Congmin , Yin Yanguo , Xu Ming , Cheng Jianfeng , Shen Lan , Zhang Guotao , Chen Qi , Yang Bingxun 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The microstructures of an Al-Bi immiscible alloy and the corresponding composites containing TiC (1 wt.% and 2 wt.%) were explored for melt temperatures of 800 °C, 850 °C, and 900°C. It was demonstrated that serious coarsening and macrosegregation of Bi-rich minority phase particles occurred, which was slightly alleviated by increasing the melt temperature from 800 °C to 900 °C. By adding TiC particles, the coarsening and macrosegregation of Bi-rich minority phase particles were significantly impeded. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that TiC particles were located inside and on the surface of Bi-rich minority phase particles, exhibiting heterogeneous nucleation and self-assembly behaviour. By properly increasing the holding time of the melt, finer and more uniform Bi-rich minority phase particles were obtained.
Zingerone improves the immune responses in an animal model of breast cancer
Authors: Kazemi Modje , Jafarzadeh Abdollah , Nemati Maryam , Taghipour Fereshteh , Oladpour Omolbanin , Rezayati Mohammad Taghi , Khorramdelazad Hossain , Hassan Zuhair Mohammad 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
The potent anti-tumorigenic effects were attributed to ginger and there are some reports regarding the anti-cancer and immunomodulatory properties ginger-derived components. This study aimed to investigate the effects of zingerone on some immune-related parameters in an animal model of breast cancer.

Methods
The breast cancer was established in female BALB/c mice using a carcinogenic 4T1 cell line. At day 10 after cancer induction, tumor-bearing mice were divided into five groups and treated intraperitoneal (daily from days 11–30) with saline or zingerone (at doses 10, 20, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day). The mice were sacrificed on day 31 and the number of splenic Th1- and Treg cells, the expression of IFN-γ and TGF-β in the blood mononuclear cells, the antibody production against sheep red blood cell (SRBC) were determined using flow cytometry, real time-PCR and a standard hemagglutination assay, respectively.

Results
Zingerone at doses 50 and 100 mg/kg enhanced the number of splenic Th1 cells (p<0.03 and 0.007, respectively); at doses 10, 20, 50 and 100 mg/kg reduced the number of splenic Treg cells (p<0.02, 0.01, and 0.01, respectively), at doses 50 and 100 mg/kg enhanced the expression of IFN-γ (p<0.03), at doses 50 and 100 mg/kg reduced the expression of TGF-β, at doses 50 mg/kg reduced the titer of anti-SRBC antibody (p<0.05).

Conclusions
Zingerone improve the T cell-mediated and antibody responses in a mouse model of breast cancer. The immunotherapeutic potentials of zingerone in cancers need more considerations.
A fast multilevel iteration method for solving linear ill-posed integral equations
Authors: Yang Hongqi , Zhang Rong 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
We propose a new concept of noise level:

R
⁢

(

K
*

)

\mathcal{R}(K^{*})

-noise level for ill-posed linear integral equations in Tikhonov regularization, which extends the range of regularization parameter.
This noise level allows us to choose a more suitable regularization parameter.
Moreover, we also analyze error estimates of the approximate solution with respect to this noise level.
For ill-posed integral equations, finding fast and effective numerical methods is a challenging problem.
For this, we formulate a matrix truncated strategy based on multiscale Galerkin method to generate the linear system of Tikhonov regularization for ill-posed linear integral equations, which greatly reduce the computational complexity.
To further reduce the computational cost, a fast multilevel iteration method for solving the linear system is established.
At the same time, we also prove convergence rates of the approximate solution obtained by this fast method with respect to the

R
⁢

(

K
*

)

\mathcal{R}(K^{*})

-noise level under the balance principle.
By numerical results, we show that

R
⁢

(

K
*

)

\mathcal{R}(K^{*})

-noise level is very useful and the proposed method is a fast and effective method, respectively.
Simulative and analytical methods of bidirectional EDFA amplifiers in optical communication links in the optimum case
Authors: Eid Mahmoud M. A. , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
This study has demonstrated the simulative and analytical methods of bidirectional EDFA amplifiers in optical communication links in the optimum case. The output power, max. Q factor and light signal/noise ratio variations are clarified with pump power variations at the bidirectional amplification EDFA amplifier for the previous/proposed models at optimum EDFA length of 8 m. As well as the output power and max. Q factor variations with EDFA amplifier length variations are demonstrated at the bidirectional amplification EDFA amplifier for the previous/proposed models at various pump power levels. The optimum operation efficiency case is observed at 8 m EDFA amplifier length and 120 mW pumping power.
Pattern formation in clouds via Turing instabilities
Authors: Rosemeier Juliane , Spichtinger Peter 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPattern formation in clouds is a well-known feature, which can be observed almost every day. However, the guiding processes for structure formation are mostly unknown, and also theoretical investigations of cloud patterns are quite rare. From many scientific disciplines the occurrence of patterns in non-equilibrium systems due to Turing instabilities is known, i.e. unstable modes grow and form spatial structures. In this study we investigate a generic cloud model for the possibility of Turing instabilities. For this purpose, the model is extended by diffusion terms. We can show that for some cloud models, i.e special cases of the generic model, no Turing instabilities are possible. However, we also present a general class of cloud models, where Turing instabilities can occur. A key requisite is the occurrence of (weakly) nonlinear terms for accretion. Using numerical simulations for a special case of the general class of cloud models, we show spatial patterns of clouds in one and two spatial dimensions. From the numerical simulations we can see that the competition between collision terms and sedimentation is an important issue for the existence of pattern formation.
Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein as a biomarker for the diagnosis of strangulated intestinal obstruction: A meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Caihong , Zhu Xuehe , Ren Haipeng , Tan Fuyong , Liu Xudong 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objective
The purpose of this study was to clarify the value of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) for the early diagnosis of strangulated intestinal obstruction through a meta-analysis.

Methods
A search was performed on PubMed, EBSCO, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, and WanFang for studies on the diagnosis of strangulated intestinal obstruction based on I-FABP. Endnote X9 software and the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies 2 (QUADAS-2) were used to screen the studies and evaluate their quality, respectively. Meta-Disc 1.4 and Stata 15.1 software were used to perform the assessment of heterogeneity and meta-analysis.

Result
A total of eight studies were included, Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.703 (P = 0.078), suggesting that there was no threshold effect. The pooled results of the meta-analysis were as follows: sensitivity: 0.75 (95% CI: 0.66–0.81), specificity: 0.83 (95% CI: 0.71–0.91), positive likelihood ratio (PLR): 4.35 (95% CI: 2.57–7.36), negative likelihood ratio (NLR): 0.31 (95% CI: 0.24–0.39), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR): 14.19 (95% CI: 8.08–24.92). The area under the curve was 0.83. There was obvious heterogeneity among the studies.

Conclusion
I-FABP is very valuable for the early diagnosis of strangulated intestinal obstruction and can be used to distinguish strangulated intestinal obstruction from intestinal obstruction in a timely manner, enabling accurate planning of the timing of surgery.
Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung: An analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database
Authors: Lei Lei , Yang Liu , Xu Yang-yang , Chen Hua-fei , Zhan Ping , Wang Wen-xian , Xu Chun-wei 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung (HAL) is a rare malignant tumor that is defined as a primary alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing lung carcinoma. We aimed to identify prognostic factors associated with the survival of patients with HAL using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We collected data from patients diagnosed with HAL, adenocarcinoma (ADC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung between 1975 and 2016 from the SEER database. The clinical features of patients with ADC and SCC of the lung were also analyzed. The clinical features of HALs were compared to ADCs and SCCs. A chi-square test was used to calculate the correlations between categorical variables, and a t test or Mann–Whitney U test was used for continuous variables. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to identify the prognostic factors for the overall survival (OS) of HALs. Two-tailed p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Sixty-five patients with HAL, 2,84,379 patients with ADC, and 1,86,494 with SCC were identified from the SEER database. Fewer males, advanced stages, and more chemotherapy-treated HALs were found. Compared to patients with SCC, patients with HAL were less likely to be male, more likely to be in an advanced stage, and more likely to receive chemotherapy (p < 0.05). The American Joint Committee on Cancer staging was the only prognostic factor for OS in patients with HAL, and stage IV was significantly different from other stages (hazard ratio = 0.045, 95% confidence interval: 0.005–0.398, p = 0.005). Males with HAL were more likely to receive radiotherapy compared to females with HAL (61.8 vs 31.5%, p = 0.034). Younger patients with HAL were more likely to receive chemotherapy (59.4 + 10.2 years vs 69 + 11.3 years, p = 0.001). The primary tumor size of HAL was associated with the location of the primary lesion (p = 0.012). No conventional antitumor therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, were shown to have a significant survival benefit in patients with HAL (p > 0.05). This study showed that stage IV was the only prognostic factor for OS in HALs compared to other clinicopathologic factors. Conventional antitumor therapies failed to show survival benefit; thus, a more effective method by which to treat HAL is needed. Interestingly, the clinical features and the location of the primary lesion were shown to be associated with primary tumor size and treatment in patients with HAL, which have not been reported before.
The influence of smoking in minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery
Authors: Senker Wolfgang , Stefanits Harald , Gmeiner Matthias , Trutschnig Wolfgang , Radl Christian , Gruber Andreas 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Background
The impact of smoking on spinal surgery has been studied extensively, but few investigations have focused on minimally invasive surgery (MIS) of the spine and the difference between complication rates in smokers and non-smokers. We evaluated whether a history of at least one pack-year preoperatively could be used to predict adverse peri- and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing minimally invasive fusion procedures of the lumbar spine. In a prospective study, we assessed the clinical effectiveness of MIS in an unselected population of 187 patients.

Methods
We evaluated perioperative and postoperative complication rates in MIS fusion techniques of the lumbar spine in smoking and non-smoking patients. MIS fusion was performed using interbody fusion procedures and/or posterolateral fusion alone.

Results
Smokers were significantly younger than non-smokers. We did not encounter infection at the site of surgery or severe wound healing disorder in smokers. We registered no difference between the smoking and non-smoking groups with regard to peri- or postoperative complication rate, blood loss, or length of stay in hospital. We found a significant influence of smoking (p = 0.049) on the overall perioperative complication rate.

Conclusion
MIS fusion techniques seem to be a suitable tool for treating degenerative spinal disorders in smokers.
Sequence selection properties in Cp
(X) with the double ideals
Authors: Singh Sumit , Tyagi Brij K. , Bhardwaj Manoj 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Recently Bukovský, Das and Šupina [Ideal quasi-normal convergence and related notions, Colloq. Math. 146 (2017), 265–281] started the study of sequence selection properties (𝓘, 𝓙-α
1) and (𝓘, 𝓙-α
4) of Cp
(X) using the double ideals, where 𝓘 and 𝓙 are the proper admissible ideals of ω, which are motivated by Arkhangeľskii local αi
-properties [The frequency spectrum of a topological space and the classification of spaces, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 13 (1972), 1185–1189]. In this paper, we obtain some characterizations of (𝓘, 𝓙-α
1) and (𝓘, 𝓙-α
4) properties of Cp
(X) in the terms of covering properties and selection principles. Under certain conditions on ideals 𝓘 and 𝓙, we identify the minimal cardinalities of a space X for which Cp
(X) does not have (𝓘, 𝓙-α
1) and (𝓘, 𝓙-α
4) properties.
Mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of spent black tea doped concrete
Authors: Kaygusuz Hakan , Hanbay Serap 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The use of waste materials in concrete has been accelerated around the world recently. In this study, thermal and compressive strength properties of concrete doped with black tea waste are studied to assess the availability of using this type of waste in concrete. Black tea waste with 0.3 and 0.5 vol.-% were added to concrete mixtures. Thermal conductivity and effusivity of concrete with black tea waste were evaluated firstly, and load-bearing capacity of this biomass doped concrete were also investigated by the compressive test and Schmidt hammer test. The results showed that using black tea waste with 0.3 vol.-% slightly decreased the compressive strength of concrete whereas there was a considerable decrease in thermal conductivity. However, using black tea waste with 0.5 vol.-% causes an obvious decrease in compressive strength and a decrease in thermal conductivity of concrete which is not directly proportional with the amount of black tea. Therefore, with a small toleration of loss of compressive strength, black tea waste doped concrete can be produced with high volume fractions in order to have concrete samples with good thermal insulation for research purposes.
Rubber-to-steel adhesives based on natural rubber grafted with poly(acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate)
Authors: Ninjan Rattanawadee , Thongnuanchan Bencha , Lopattananon Natinee , Thitithammawong Anoma , Nakason Charoen 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The present study aimed to develop adhesives for bonding natural rubber (NR) to steel based on modified NR bearing grafted poly(acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate), NR-g-PAAEM. Graft copolymers of NR-g-PAAEMs were prepared by emulsion polymerization at 50 °C. A significant increase in the polar component of NR from 1.62 to 6.84 mN/m was observed after grafting modification, indicating an increase in its hydrophilicity. After that, both one-coat and two-coat adhesives (or adhesive/cover-coat system) were then prepared, using polyisocyanate (poly‐HDI) as a bonding agent. The NR/steel joints were made by vulcanization bonding, using the NR-g-PAAEM adhesive in the presence or absence of cover-coat layer. The results reveal that the NR/steel joint bonded using the two-coat system exhibited higher peel strength than that bonded using the one-coat system. For the two-coat system, the peel strength of 874 N/m was attained when the NR-g-PAAEM adhesive was used in combination with the NR cover-coat. The replacement of the NR cover-coat by the NR-g-PAAEM20 cover-coat led to 49% increase in peel strength of the NR/steel joint. Moreover, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis also indicated the formation of urethane-like bonding in this adhesive system, as a result of the reaction between the poly‐HDI and metal oxides on the steel surface.