bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PCV chemotherapy alone for WHO grade 2 oligodendroglioma: prolonged disease control with low risk of malignant progression
Authors: Weller Jonathan , Katzendobler Sophie , Karschnia Philipp , Lietke Stefanie , Egensperger Rupert , Thon Niklas , Weller Michael , Suchorska Bogdana , Tonn Joerg-Christian 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Introduction
The role of chemotherapy alone in newly diagnosed WHO grade 2 oligodendroglioma after biopsy, incomplete or gross total resection remains controversial. We here analyze the clinical outcome of four patient cohorts being treated with either procarbazine, CCNU and vincristine (PCV) or temozolomide (TMZ) after biopsy, resection only, or wait-and-scan after biopsy.

Methods
Patients (n = 142) with molecularly defined oligodendroglioma (WHO 2016) were assigned to four cohorts: W&S, wait-and-scan after stereotactic biopsy (n = 59); RES, surgical resection only (n = 27); TMZ, temozolomide after biopsy (n = 26) or PCV (n = 30) after biopsy. Presurgical MRI T2 tumor volumes were obtained by manual segmentation. Progression-free survival (PFS), post-recurrence PFS (PR-PFS) and rate of histological progression to grade 3 were analyzed.

Results
PFS was longest after PCV (9.1 years), compared to 5.1 years after W&S, 4.4 years after RES and 3.6 years after TMZ. The rate of histological progression from grade 2 to 3 within 10 years was 9% for the PCV, 29% for the W&S, 67% for the RES and 75% for the TMZ group (p = 0.01). In the W&S group, patients treated with PCV at first relapse had a longer PFS from intervention than those treated with TMZ (7.2 vs 4.0 years, p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis identified smaller tumor volume prior to any intervention (p = 0.02) to be prognostic for PFS.

Conclusions
PCV chemotherapy alone is an effective treatment for WHO grade 2 oligodendroglioma, with long PFS and low rate of histological progression.
The effect of board composition and managerial pay on Saudi firm performance
Authors: Al-Faryan Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh 
Published: May 2021

AbstractUsing five empirical methodologies to account for endogeneity issues, this study investigates the effects of board independence and managerial pay on the performance of 169 Saudi listed firms between 2007 and the end of 2014. Studying board independence and managerial pay utilises the main internal governance mechanism in relation to firm performance; therefore, the effect of the 2009 exogenous regulatory shock on board independence was also examined to learn whether it impacted firm performance. The empirical results show that the board composition–performance relationship is endogenous. Strong evidence is found through the dynamic generalised method of moments estimation, which indicates that board composition has a positive relationship with return on assets, and poor past performance of listed firms has a negative impact on the current level of performance. The difference-in-differences approach results show a positive relationship between board composition, stock returns, and Tobin’s Q. The findings also reveal that managerial pay has a positive relationship with firm performance, although when endogeneity is considered, there is a smaller positive relationship and a decrease in significance levels. Thus, pay-for-performance in Saudi Arabia matters, and firms are not simply controlled by the government. The results of this study have implications for both policy makers and investors. In particular, policy makers and Saudi regulators can evaluate the impact of Saudi corporate governance arrangements and, in so doing, highlight changes in corporate governance arrangements that need to be made to achieve their economic objectives, such as Vision 2030. This study also contributes to the literature by showing the importance of considering endogeneity in studies.
The “All Lives Matter” response: QUD-shifting as epistemic injustice
Authors: Keiser Jessica 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDrawing on recent work in formal pragmatic theory, this paper shows that the manipulation of discourse structure—in particular, by way of shifting the Question Under Discussion mid-discourse—can constitute an act of epistemic injustice. I argue that the “All Lives Matter” response to the “Black Lives Matter” slogan is one such case; this response shifts the Question Under Discussion governing the overarching discourse from Do Black lives matter? to Which lives matter? This manipulation of the discourse structure systematically obscures the intended meaning of “Black lives matter” and disincentivizes future utterances of it.
Vitamin D protects glomerular mesangial cells from high glucose-induced injury by repressing JAK/STAT signaling
Authors: Yang Yiya , Lei Yuting , Liang Yumei , Fu Shuangshuang , Yang Congjun , Liu Kanghan , Chen Yinyin 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Aim
High glucose (HG) induces the production of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and reactive oxygen species, which further activates JAK/STAT signaling and promotes the synthesis of matrix proteins, contributes to the pathophysiological processes of diabetic nephropathy. This study aims to investigate the protection role of vitamin D (VD) in the kidney in high glucose condition.

Methods
Rat glomerular mesangial cells were cultured in high glucose medium, with or without VD or VD receptor (VDR) siRNAs treatment. The levels of TGF-β and fibronectin were detected by qRT-PCR, immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of phosphorylated JAK2, STAT1 and STAT3, and JAK/STAT signaling downstream genes were examined by immunoblotting and qRT-PCR.

Results
In rat glomerular mesangial cells, VD treatment can repress the tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT1 and STAT3. VD inhibited TGF-β and fibronectin expression which was rescued by vitamin d receptor (VDR) siRNA and STATs inhibitor perficitinib. The JAK/STAT signaling downstream protein coding genes including SOCS1, SOCS3 and type IV collagen were repressed by VD. Meanwhile, the expression of non-coding RNAs such as miR-181a, miR-181b, was repressed by VD, and the expression of miR-34a and Let-7b was upregulated by VD.

Conclusion
Vitamin D (VD) treatment inhibits the function of HG on fibronectin production through regulating JAK/STAT pathway. These results provide direct evidences that VD protects glomerular mesangial cells from high glucose-induced injury through repressing JAK/STAT signaling, which has the potential for clinical DN treatment.
Influence of pitch size and goalkeepers on external and internal load during small-sided games in amateur soccer players
Authors: Modena Roberto , Togni Andrea , Fanchini Maurizio , Pellegrini Barbara , Schena Federico 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Purpose
To analyse the influence of goalkeepers during 4-a-side small-sided games, played in pitches of two different sizes (small: 30 × 20 m, large: 40 × 30 m).

Methods
Total distance covered (TD), distance covered at low- (LSD), moderate- (MSD), high- (HSD) and very high-speed (VHSD), average and maximal speed, Edwards’ training load (Edw-TL), time spent above 90% of maximal heart rate (T90%) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were monitored, in 18 amateur soccer players.

Results
Higher TD (mean difference: + 181 m, Hedge’s g: 0.93 and + 400 m, 3.37), MSD (+ 85 m, 0.79 and + 146 m, 1.64), HSD (+ 101 m, 1.41 and + 179 m, 3.26), VHSD (+ 30 m, 1.89 and + 35 m, 1.26), average speed (+ 0.65 km h−1, 0.88 and + 1.47 km h−1, 3.31) and maximal speed (+ 3.60 km h−1, 1.40 and + 3.58 km h−1, 1.40) were found in large than small pitch, without and with goalkeepers, respectively. Goalkeeper’s presence increased Edw-TL (+ 8.4 AU, 0.70) and reduced TD (− 141 m, 0.75), HSD (− 54 m, 0.75) and average speed (− 0.54 km h−1, 0.76) in small pitch and maximal speed (1.59 km h−1, 0.60 and 1.61 km h−1, 0.66) in both small and large pitches, respectively. RPE was higher (+ 20, 1.52) in the large than small pitch when the goalkeepers were present.

Conclusion
Implementing small-sided games, coaches should be aware that lower external load with similar internal load could be provided using small pitch with goalkeeper rather than either small goals or larger pitch. Furthermore, large small-sided games without goalkeeper may be the best choice for eliciting high training load.
A mobile augmented reality application for supporting real-time skin lesion analysis based on deep learning
Authors: Francese Rita , Frasca Maria , Risi Michele , Tortora Genoveffa 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMelanoma is considered the deadliest skin cancer and when it is in an advanced state it is difficult to treat. Diagnoses are visually performed by dermatologists, by naked-eye observation. This paper proposes an augmented reality smartphone application for supporting the dermatologist in the real-time analysis of a skin lesion. The app augments the camera view with information related to the lesion features generally measured by the dermatologist for formulating the diagnosis. The lesion is also classified by a deep learning approach for identifying melanoma. The real-time process adopted for generating the augmented content is described. The real-time performances are also evaluated and a user study is also conducted. Results revealed that the real-time process may be entirely executed on the Smartphone and that the support provided is well judged by the target users.
On the exact separation of cover inequalities of maximum-depth
Authors: Catanzaro Daniele , Coniglio Stefano , Furini Fabio 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe investigate the problem of separating cover inequalities of maximum-depth exactly. We propose a pseudopolynomial-time dynamic-programming algorithm for its solution, thanks to which we show that this problem is weakly $${\mathcal {N}}{\mathcal {P}}$$

N
P

-hard (similarly to the problem of separating cover inequalities of maximum violation). We carry out extensive computational experiments on instances of the knapsack and the multi-dimensional knapsack problems with and without conflict constraints. The results show that, with a cutting-plane generation method based on the maximum-depth criterion, we can optimize over the cover-inequality closure by generating a number of cuts smaller than when adopting the standard maximum-violation criterion. We also introduce the Point-to-Hyperplane Distance Knapsack Problem (PHD-KP), a problem closely related to the separation problem for maximum-depth cover inequalities, and show how the proposed dynamic programming algorithm can be adapted for effectively solving the PHD-KP as well.
Covariation between plant biodiversity and soil systems in a European beech forest and a black pine plantation: the case of Mount Faito, (Campania, Southern Italy)
Authors: Danise Tiziana , Innangi Michele , Curcio Elena , Fioretto Antonietta 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBoth climate and land-use changes, including the introduction and spread of allochthonous species, are forecast to affect forest ecosystems. Accordingly, forests will be affected in terms of species composition as well as their soil chemical and biological characteristics. The possible changes in both tree cover and soil system might impact the amount of carbon that is stored in living plants and dead biomass and within the soil itself. Additionally, such alterations can have a strong impact on the detrital food web that is linked to litter decomposition. Although there are studies on the influence of plant diversity on soil physical and chemical characteristics, the effects on soil biological activity and carbon storage processes remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare chemical and biological variables in covariation with plant communities in an autochthonous beech forest (Fagus sylvaticaL.) and a black pine plantation (Pinus nigraJ.F. Arnold subsp.nigra). Our results confirmed that the two communities were considerably different, with the old-growth beech community having a lower number of plant species and the pine community was in development as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. These aspects of the two communities were also reflected in the soil, with the beech soil having higher nitrogen levels and a more specialized microbial community compared to the pine soil, with most extracellular enzymes (such as peroxidase and chitinase) showing lower activity in the pine soil.
Insights Into the Correspondence Between Land Use Pattern and Spatial Distribution of Rail Transit Services
Authors: Wang Zhongqi , Han Qi , de Vries Bauke , Dai Li 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe identification of the relationship between land use and transport lays the foundation for integrated land use and transport planning and management. This work aims to investigate how rail transit is linked to land use. The research on the relationship between land use and rail-based transport is dominated by the impacts of rail projects on land use, without an in-depth understanding of the reverse. However, it is important to note that issues of operation management rather than new constructions deserve greater attention for regions with established rail networks. Given that there is a correspondence between land use patterns and spatial distribution of heavy railway transit (HRT) services at such regions, the study area (i.e., the Netherlands) is partitioned by the Voronoi diagram of HRT stations and the causal relationship between land use and HRT services is examined by structural equation modeling (SEM). The case study of Helmond (a Dutch city) shows the potential of the SEM model for discussing the rail station selection problem in a multiple transit station region (MTSR). Furthermore, in this study, the node place model is adapted with the derivatives of the SEM model (i.e., the latent variable scores for rail service levels and land use characteristics), which are assigned as node and place indexes respectively, to analyze and differentiate the integration of land use and HRT services at the regional level. The answer to whether and how land use affects rail transit services from this study strengthens the scientific basis for rail transit operations management. The SEM model and the modified node place model are complementary to be used as analytical and decision-making tools for rail transit-oriented regional development.
Existence of (Dirac-)harmonic Maps from Degenerating (Spin) Surfaces
Authors: Jost Jürgen , Zhu Jingyong 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe study the existence of harmonic maps and Dirac-harmonic maps from degenerating surfaces to a nonpositive curved manifold via the scheme of Sacks and Uhlenbeck. By choosing a suitable sequence of$$\alpha $$α-(Dirac-)harmonic maps from a sequence of suitable closed surfaces degenerating to a hyperbolic surface, we get the convergence and a cleaner energy identity under the uniformly bounded energy assumption. In this energy identity, there is no energy loss near the punctures. As an application, we obtain an existence result about (Dirac-)harmonic maps from degenerating (spin) surfaces. If the energies of the map parts also stay away from zero, which is a necessary condition, both the limiting harmonic map and Dirac-harmonic map are nontrivial.
Augmenting robot intelligence via EEG signals to avoid trajectory planning mistakes of a smart wheelchair
Authors: Ferracuti Francesco , Freddi Alessandro , Iarlori Sabrina , Longhi Sauro , Monteriù Andrea , Porcaro Camillo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAssistive robots operate in complex environments and in presence of human beings, but the interaction between them can be affected by several factors, which may lead to undesired outcomes: wrong sensor readings, unexpected environmental conditions, or algorithmic errors represent just a few examples of the possible scenarios. When the safety of the user is not only an option but must be guaranteed, a feasible solution is to rely on a human-in-the-loop approach, e.g., to monitor if the robot performs a wrong action during a task execution or environmental conditions affect safety during the human-robot interaction, and provide a feedback accordingly. The present paper proposes a human-in-the-loop framework to enable safe autonomous navigation of an electric powered and sensorized (smart) wheelchair. During the wheelchair navigation towards a desired destination in an indoor scenario, possible problems (e.g. obstacles) along the trajectory cause the generation of electroencephalography (EEG) potentials when noticed by the user. These potentials can be used as additional inputs to the navigation algorithm in order to modify the trajectory planning and preserve safety. The framework has been preliminarily tested by using a wheelchair simulator implemented in ROS and Gazebo environments: EEG signals from a benchmark known in the literature were classified, passed to a custom simulation node, and made available to the navigation stack to perform obstacle avoidance.
Wetland Conservation: Challenges Related to Water Law and Farm Policy
Authors: King Sammy L. , Laubhan Murray K. , Tashjian Paul , Vradenburg John , Fredrickson Leigh 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWater is essential for wetland function and sustaining migratory networks for wetland wildlife across broad landscapes. Groundwater declines and surface flow reductions that impact aquatic and wetland organisms are common in the western U.S. and increasingly in the eastern U.S. Agriculture is the largest consumptive water use in the U.S. and understanding economic incentives of water-use practices and the legal context of water rights is foundational to identifying meaningful water solutions that benefit all sectors of society. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of water rights in the U.S. and synthesize the literature to provide a broad overview of how federal farm policy influences water-use decisions. We conclude that the ultimate cause of many water-use conflicts is an inefficient farm economy that is driven by several proximate factors, of which outdated water laws and subsidies that encourage increased water use are among the most important. Development of multi-scale water budgets to assess project impacts and by working more intensively at local watershed and aquifer scales may improve conservation efforts. Finally, detailed analyses to understand the impacts of specific federal policies on agricultural water use may enhance water conservation efforts, facilitate long-term food and water security, and provide greater protection for wetland and aquatic resources.
Hoe staan urologische zorgverleners en huisartsen tegenover het gebruik van een moleculaire biomarkertest voor prostaatkanker in de huisartsenpraktijk?
Authors: Wendrich Karine , Krabbenborg Lotte 
Published: May 2021

SamenvattingMoleculaire biomarkertests die momenteel hun intrede doen binnen de urologie zouden wellicht kunnen bijdragen aan het terugdringen van de huidige overdiagnostiek en overbehandeling van prostaatkanker. Deze tests zouden eventueel ook toegepast kunnen worden in de huisartsenpraktijk, om onnodige doorverwijzingen naar de uroloog te voorkomen. Om beter inzicht te krijgen in bevorderende en belemmerende factoren voor de acceptatie van nieuwe moleculaire biomarkertests voor prostaatkanker in de huisartsenzorg, zijn 20 urologische zorgverleners en 12 huisartsen geïnterviewd, waarbij de focus op de SelectMDx-test lag. De geïnterviewde zorgverleners erkenden de mogelijke voordelen van deze tests. Er waren echter ook twijfels, bijvoorbeeld ten aanzien van meerwaarde en praktische haalbaarheid. Ook is het niet vanzelfsprekend dat er draagvlak onder huisartsen en urologen is om deze biomarkertests in de huisartsenpraktijk toe te gaan passen. Dit artikel sluit af met enkele overwegingen rond een betere afstemming tussen de ontwikkeling van biomarkertests enerzijds en de wensen en behoeften van zorgverleners anderzijds.
Is Relationality Always Other-Oriented? Adam Smith, Catholic Social Teaching, and Civil Economy
Authors: Santori Paolo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractRecent studies have investigated connections between Adam Smith’s economic and philosophical ideas and Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Scholars argue that their common background lies in their respective anthropologies, both endorsing a relational view of human beings. I raise one main concern regarding these analyses. I suggest that the relationality endorsed by Smith lacks a central element present in CST—the other-oriented perspective which is the intentional concern for promoting the good of others. Some key elements of CST, such as love, gift, gratuitousness, and fraternity, find a very different space in Smith’s social view and very little space in his economic view. Moreover, I show how CST relationality is more in accordance with a civil economy view of the market as a place of fraternity and mutual assistance.
Optimal feeder reconfiguration in distributed generation environment under time-varying loading condition
Authors: Odyuo Yanrenthung , Sarkar Dipu , Sumi Lilika 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe development and planning of optimal network reconfiguration strategies for electrical networks is greatly improved with proper application of graph theory techniques. This paper investigates the application of Kruskal's maximal spanning tree algorithm in finding the optimal radial networks for different loading scenarios from an interconnected meshed electrical network integrated with distributed generation (DG). The work is done with an objective to assess the prowess of Kruskal's algorithm to compute, obtain or derive an optimal radial network (optimal maximal spanning tree) that gives improved voltage stability and highest loss minimization from among all the possible radial networks obtainable from the DG-integrated mesh network for different time-varying loading scenarios. The proposed technique has been demonstrated on a multiple test systems considering time-varying load levels to investigate the performance and effectiveness of the suggested method. For interconnected electrical networks with the presence of distributed generation, it was found that application of Kruskal's algorithm quickly computes optimal radial configurations that gives the least amount of power losses and better voltage stability even under varying load conditions.Article HighlightsInvestigated network reconfiguration strategies for electrical networks with the presence of Distributed Generation for time-varying loading conditions.Investigated the application of graph theory techniques in electrical networks for developing and planning reconfiguration strategies.Applied Kruskal’s maximal spanning tree algorithm to obtain the optimal radial electrical networks for different loading scenarios from DG-integrated meshed electrical network.
Homogeneous and re-circulatory gas–liquid flow in a bubble column: A numerical investigation using OpenFOAM
Authors: Panda Saroj K. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis work presents the influence of the sparger opening area, gas velocity, and bubble size on hydrodynamics and transition of the flow regime from uniform to re-circulatory in a rectangular bubble column using OpenFOAM. In the course of development of the model, the effect of several drag closures and lift on the predictability of the CFD model was studied by comparing the predictions with published experimental results. Reynolds number-based drag closure was found to be suitable for uniform sparger whereas Tsuchiya drag (Tsuchiya et al. in Chem Eng Sci 52:3053–3066, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2509(97)00127-9) was used to simulate gas–liquid flow for other spargers. Simulations were performed for seven different spargers with opening area 18–100% (superficial gas velocity of 2.9–5.8 cm/s) and bubble size of 2–8 mm. The smaller opening area and higher gas velocity promote the re-circulatory flow in the bubble column. Change in bubble size affects the hydrodynamics due to change in lift and drag forces.