bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells: Bridging the gap between inflammation and pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Sharma Vinit , Aggarwal Anjali , Jacob Justin , Sahni Daisy 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPancreatic cancer has been identified as one of the deadliest malignancies because it remains asymptomatic and usually presents in the advanced stage. Tumour immune evasion is a well‐known mechanism of tumorigenesis in various forms of human malignancies. Chronic inflammation via complex networking of various inflammatory cytokines in the local tissue microenvironment dysregulates the immune system and support tumour development. Pro‐inflammatory mediators present in the tumour microenvironment increase the tumour burden by causing immune suppression through the generation of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and T regulatory cells. These cells, along‐with myofibroblasts, create a highly immunosuppressive and resistant tumour microenvironment and are thus considered as one of the culprits for the failure of anti‐cancer chemotherapies in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. Targeting these MDSCs using various combinatorial approaches might have the potential for abrogating the resistance and suppressive nature of the pancreatic tumour microenvironment. Therefore, there is more curiosity in studying the crosstalk of MDSCs with other immune cells during pathological conditions and the underlying mechanisms of immunosuppression in the current scenario. In this article, the possible role of MDSCs in inflammation‐mediated tumour progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been discussed.
The micro‐geography of academic research: How distinctive is economics?
Authors: Gibson John 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis study examines micro‐geographic clustering in the production and recognition of academic research. Three U.S. ZIP codes are associated with over 40 percent of articles in the top five economics journals and those articles garnered one‐half of all citations in these journals from 2000 to 2015. Such micro‐geographic concentration is not apparent in other disciplines, even those like chemistry that rely on specialized laboratories. Concentration of citations to economics articles whose authors are associated with a few key ZIP codes has strengthened over time, even as it has weakened for other disciplines. This micro‐geographic concentration may increase systemic risk by reducing the diversity of economics research that is published and cited and may lead to insufficient research attention to local context.
Swimming upstream throughout the turmoil: Evidence on firm growth during the great recession
Authors: Arrighetti Alessandro , Landini Fabio , Lasagni Andrea 
Published: January 2021

AbstractEconomic downturns significantly impact on industry and firm dynamics. During a slowdown, increased competitive pressure makes less efficient firms more likely to exit (the cleansing hypothesis). However, evidence on Italian manufacturing firms during the Great Recession contrasts with this view. In fact, a not negligible subset of firms grew considerably during the crisis, increasing intra‐industry heterogeneity. In this paper, we study these swimming upstream firms (SUFs) and we obtain two results. First, SUFs exhibit a high capability accumulation profile (innovation, intangibles investments and internationalization). Second, the impact of endogenous capability accumulation does not vanish after controlling for exogenous factors.
When “model minorities” become “yellow peril”—Othering and the racialization of Asian Americans in the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Li Yao , Nicholson Harvey L. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractUsing the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic as a case study, this paper engages with debates on the assimilation of Asian Americans into the US mainstream. While a burgeoning scholarship holds that Asians are “entering into the dominant group” or becoming “White,” the prevalent practices of othering Asians and surging anti‐Asian discrimination since the pandemic outbreak present a challenge to the assimilation thesis. This paper explains how anger against China quickly expands to Asian American population more broadly. Our explanation focuses on different forms of othering practices, deep‐seated stereotypes of Asians, and the role of politicians and media in activating or exacerbating anti‐Asian hatred. Through this scrutiny, this paper augments the theses that Asian Americans are still treated as “forever foreigners” and race is still a prominent factor in the assimilation of Asians in the United States. This paper also sheds light on the limitations of current measures of assimilation. More broadly, the paper questions the notion of color‐blindness or post‐racial America.
Colour Doppler ultrasound study in patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia
Authors: Porriño‐Bustamante María Librada , Fernández‐Pugnaire María Antonia , Castellote‐Caballero Luisa , Arias‐Santiago Salvador 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe sonographic characteristics of frontal fibrosing alopecia have been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to perform a colour Doppler ultrasound evaluation in frontal fibrosing alopecia.Materials and methodsA cross‐sectional study including 99 women with frontal fibrosing alopecia and 40 control subjects was performed using ultrasound equipment with a lineal 18 MHz probe. Three areas were evaluated per patient: the alopecic area (a), the hairline implantation area (b) and healthy scalp (c). The diameter (cm) and flow (m/s) of the two most significant vessels were recorded.ResultsWith regard to the hairline implantation area, patients presented higher vessel diameter (0.127 cm vs 0.103 cm, P = .03) and vessel flow (8.183 m/s vs 7.670 m/s, P = .05) than the control group. Vessel diameter was higher in the healthy scalp area in patients than in the control group (0.088 cm vs 0.078 cm, P = .03).ConclusionPatients presented higher vessel diameter and flow in the hairline implantation area compared to the control group.
Power Signaling and Intergovernmental Transfers: Evidence from the Distribution of Center‐to‐Province Earmarked Transfers in China
Authors: Liu Zhikuo , Qian Tao , Zhang Qi 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveThis article analyzes how authoritarian leaders manipulate intergovernmental transfers to signal their superior status relative to their rivals in power competition.MethodsWe first discuss under what circumstances the leaders have the incentive to signal dominance over his or her rivals. We then hypothesize that, at equilibrium, those who showed loyalty to the more powerful receive more resources while those who demonstrated loyalty to the weak side receive far fewer resources. Empirically, we investigate how the power shuffle in China that began in late 2002—when Party Secretary General Jiang Zemin resigned his post to Hu Jintao, thus resulting in a power rivalry between them—affected the pattern of center‐to‐province earmarked transfers during 2004–2006.ResultsWe found robust evidence that the earmarked transfers were distributed in a way that signaled Jiang's dominant status in relation to Hu.ConclusionFor authoritarian leaders, a major goal of distributing economic resources, such as intergovernmental earmarked transfers, is to signal the power distribution at the top when revealing such information is urgent in fierce power competition.
Trade Layoffs and Hate in the United States
Authors: DiLorenzo Matthew 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveRecent events (e.g., Brexit) have highlighted how globalization may foster hostility toward out‐groups in developed democracies. Is trade competition systematically related to hate in the United States?MethodsI conduct a county‐level statistical analysis using data from the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, the FBI's Hate Crime Statistics database, and the Southern Poverty Law Center's hate group map over the period of 2003–2017.ResultsCounties with more trade‐related layoffs tend to have more hate groups, though not hate crimes, even after accounting for changes in unemployment rates. The relationship between trade layoffs and hate groups is strongest in counties that have recently experienced larger decreases in the share of the white population.ConclusionsAlthough existing studies on diffuse economic vulnerability and hate find a weak connection between economic factors and hate, trade layoffs can explain some variation in local hate group activity.
Which Townships Support Charter Schools? A Study of the 2016 Massachusetts Charter Referendum
Authors: Tran Bich Thi Ngoc 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveSchool choice controversies are not new, with cleavages in public opinion toward choice reflecting partisan, racial, and educational variables. Here, I examine factors predicting charter school support at the township level in the Massachusetts 2016 charter school expansion referendum.MethodsUsing ordinary least square regression models, I test hypotheses developed from rational choice theory, political culture, and perspective theory.ResultsAnalyses find partisan, education, township size, and income affecting support for charter schools. Democratic and more educated voters and those living in smaller towns are more likely to support charter school expansion.ConclusionThe findings resonate with the current literature on political support for charter schools and contribute to current understanding of theories of voting behavior about education issues.
Comentarios a la regulación del contrato de seguro en el proyecto de Código Civil de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Authors: Palacios Sánchez Fernando 
Published: January 2021

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto examinar algunos aspectos relevantes sobre la regulación del contrato de seguro que contempla el proyecto de un nuevo Código Civil, presentado por la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Entre los hallazgos del estudio, se encontró que el proyecto es unilineal en orden a la protección del asegurado, que contiene aspectos positivos, como las pautas para interpretar el contrato de seguro y la ampliación de los medios probatorios para demostrar su existencia, pero, a la vez, tiene otros temas que deben revisarse, como la definición del contrato de seguro y la eliminación de las características de dicho contrato. El trabajo identifica unos y otros y propone soluciones sobre los temas que causan inquietud.
Fabrication of Electrically Conductive Patterns on Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Polymer Using Low-Pressure Cold Spray and Electroless Plating
Authors: Akin Semih , Tsai Jung-Ting , Park Min Soo , Jeong Young Hun , Jun Martin Byung-Guk 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that metallic coatings can be successfully cold sprayed (CS) onto several polymer substrates. However, the electrical performance of the cold-sprayed polymers is not generally enough to utilize them as an electronic device. In this study, an environment-friendly metallization technique has been proposed to achieve highly electrically conductive metal patterns onto polymer substrates using cold spray deposition and subsequent electroless copper plating (ECP). Copper feedstock powder was CS onto the surface of the acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) parts. The as-CS powders then served as the activating agent for the selective ECP to modify the surface of the polymers to be electrically conductive. A series of characterizations were conducted to investigate the morphology, analyze the surface chemistry, evaluate the electrical performance, mechanical adhesion, and mechanical strength performance of the fabricated coatings. Moreover, simple electrical circuits were presented for the ABS parts through the described method. Findings demonstrated that low-pressure cold spray copper deposition followed by the ECP processes could be used as an environmental-friendly manufacturing method of electrically conductive patterns on ABS polymer.
Flow-Induced Acoustic Resonance of Finned Cylinders With Varying Fin Heights
Authors: Islam Md Rashidul , Mohany Atef 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The flow-excited acoustic resonance phenomenon, which is instigated by periodic flow perturbation, leads to the generation of acute sound pressure. In this work, we investigated the characteristics of the flow-excited acoustic resonance for circular finned cylinders with different fin heights. The fin height is expressed as a normalized form considering the ratio of the fin diameter to the root cylinder diameter. The experiments are performed with finned cylinders having a range of diameter ratios between 1.5&lt;Df/Dr&lt;2.5. The diameter ratios are varied by changing the root diameter and fin diameter separately as well as simultaneously while keeping the fin pitch and the fin thickness constant. The results show that the excitation of acoustic resonance has profound dependence on the diameter ratio. Increasing the diameter ratios of the finned cylinder results in strong acoustic resonance excitation. The lock-in width and the onset of the acoustic resonance excitation also depend on the diameter ratio of the cylinders. Moreover, the results show that using an effective diameter based on the geometrical flow blockage does not take into account the changes occurring in the source of resonance excitation due to the addition of fins.
Serpent and Monte Carlo Continuous Energy Burnup Code Comparison for Neutronics Calculations of the European Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor
Authors: Juárez L. C. , Torres J. I. , François J. L. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAs part of the generation IV reactors (GENIV), the European lead-cooled fast reactor (ELFR) is one of the most promising candidates to be part of the European energy framework in the near future. Alike most of the GENIV systems, the ELFR is still under development and having reliable computational tools that allow fast and accurate results become an important task in the modeling and simulation levels. In this work, the Serpent code is assessed. Serpent is a continuous-energy Monte Carlo (MC) code suitable for reactor physic calculations and is used for the modeling of the ELFR system. The results were compared with the reference data that were obtained with the Monte Carlo continuous energy burnup code (MCB). In order to verify the ELFR Serpent model, several neutronic parameters were compared to the reference results: the effective neutron multiplication factor (keff), the Doppler constant (KD), the reactivity effect of the coolant density, the effective delayed neutron fraction (βeff), and the effective prompt neutron lifetime (Λ). In addition, the axial and radial power distributions were also obtained and verified. A good approximation between Serpent and MCB values was obtained.
Numerical Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Supercritical CO2-Lubricated Hydrodynamic Journal Bearing
Authors: Colgan Nathan , Cragin Ken , Breedlove Jeffrey , Nellis Gregory , Anderson Mark 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycle is an attractive thermal cycle for compact power generation applications due to its high efficiency and power density. Hydrodynamic gas journal bearings are attractive for this application due to their simplicity. Lubricating the bearings with sCO2 from the primary loop would be ideal, as this would eliminate the need for a separate lubricant source or complex seals and pumps to reduce the bearing lubricant pressure below the operating pressure of the primary loop. However, few studies in the literature have examined the behavior of a hydrodynamic journal bearing lubricated with supercritical fluid and none have experimentally demonstrated the operation of such a bearing. This paper describes the development of a simple numerical model of a hydrodynamic journal bearing operating under laminar conditions. The model incorporates the real gas properties of sCO2 and therefore can be used to qualitatively investigate the impact of operation near the critical point and the scaling relationships between inlet pressure and the bearing drag and stiffness. The model predictions are compared to results that would be obtained by assuming constant fluid properties in order to assess the effects on bearing performance of the large gradients in properties that occur near the critical point and to determine over what range of inlet conditions the constant-property simplification is valid. The modeling results show that bearing drag and stiffness rise linearly throughout the subcritical regime, but sharply rise by approximately 50% at the critical pressure. However, the behavior predicted by the real gas model closely matches those obtained from the constant-property model (CPM) for all conditions that are more than 3 kPa away from the critical pressure. To validate the prediction that bearing operation follows the same scaling relationships near the critical pressure as at low pressure, a test assembly consisting of a turbomachine driven by a motor and supported on tilt-pad hydrodynamic gas journal bearing was operated in a CO2 environment at 35 °C with pressures up to 7.336 MPa. The bearing operated smoothly and did not exhibit signs of instability such as whirl. Coast down measurements were conducted to estimate the bearing drag at various pressures up to 5.612 MPa. The bearing coefficient of friction, f, inferred from these tests increased with system pressure from 0.359 at atmospheric pressure to 0.619 at 5.612 MPa. The peak bearing Reynolds number during operation was approximately 400. These results indicate that hydrodynamic bearing operation using sCO2 is possible without significant reduction in bearing performance; however, further testing should be carried out in order to validate the model results concerning bearing stiffness.
The Application of Silicon-Filtered Beam in the Validation of Iron Cross Sections by Deep Penetration Experiments
Authors: Juříček Vlastimil , Košťál Michal , Losa Evžen , Czakoj Tomáš , Matěj Zdeněk , Cvachovec František , Schulc Martin , Šimon Jan , Mravec Filip , Přenosil Václav , Rypar Vojtěch 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This paper summarizes the issue of the validation of the silicon-filtered neutron beam transport in the deep neutron transport penetration experiment in iron. Iron is an essential structural material important for nuclear technology. The use of a silicon-filtered beam is a very interesting method because some significant peaks occur in the spectrum, helping to study selected wide energy regions during the deep neutron transport in the iron. The detailed characterization of the silicon-filtered beam has been performed in the past as well. Therefore, the input spectrum for the penetration experiments is well-known. The character of the input spectrum is reflecting the fine structure of the silicon cross section in region 1–8 MeV. Based on the agreement between calculated and measured attenuation in groups located within the neutron flux peaks, one can reveal possible problems in neutron transport description. The results are confirming satisfactory agreement of neutron transport description in ENDF/B-VII.1 in the majority of energy regions, while in the interval 4.7–6 MeV, underprediction in attenuation can be observed. This seems to be a consequence of discrepancies in the angular distribution of scattered neutrons. These results constitute an advance to previously performed integral experiments characterizing the neutron transport in iron using 252Cf(s.f) and 235U(nth;fiss).
Statistics of Voltage Processes in Random Environment
Authors: Grigoriu Mircea 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
A method is developed to characterize the performance of voltage processes X(t) harvested from primary-absorber dynamical systems subjected to Gaussian forcing functions. The method is based on properties of the Slepian model of X(t) and Monte Carlo simulation. Statistics are calculated for excursions of X(t) above levels which can be related to energy demand. The duration and the area of these excursions are used as metrics for the voltage process. Their statistics depend on the topology and the parameters of primary-absorber dynamical systems, which can be optimized to maximize the output voltage.
The Influence of Axial Compression on the Cellular and Mechanical Function of Spinal Tissues; Emphasis on the Nucleus Pulposus and Annulus Fibrosus: A Review
Authors: McMorran John G. , Gregory Diane E. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In light of the correlation between chronic back pain and intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, this literature review seeks to illustrate the importance of the hydraulic response across the nucleus pulposus (NP)-annulus fibrosus (AF) interface, by synthesizing current information regarding injurious biomechanics of the spine, stemming from axial compression. Damage to vertebrae, endplates (EPs), the NP, and the AF, can all arise from axial compression, depending on the segment's posture, the manner in which it is loaded, and the physiological state of tissue. Therefore, this movement pattern was selected to illustrate the importance of the bracing effect of a pressurized NP on the AF, and how injuries interrupting support to the AF may contribute to IVD degeneration.
Performance Degradation Due to Fouling and Recovery After Washing in a Multistage Test Compressor
Authors: Casari Nicola , Pinelli Michele , Spina Pier Ruggero , Suman Alessio , Vulpio Alessandro 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Land-based power units have to fulfill even more high levels of production and reliability. In harsh environments (desert and tropical installations, typically), the power unit ingests high amounts of dust that might deposit inside the compressor. In this paper, the analysis of a multistage compressor performance that operates under sandy and humid conditions has been assessed. The compressor units, which equips the Allison 250 C18 compressor, has been subjected to multiple runs under severe conditions of soil dust ingestion. The compressor has been operated according to subsequent runs, and at the end of each run, the performance curve was recorded; the performance losses, in terms of pressure ratio, have been measured during the operations. The characteristic curve of each run is representative of the level of contamination of the unit. Finally, the compressor has been washed, and the performance curve, in the recovered conditions, has been recorded. The results show the modification and the downward shift of the characteristic curves which lead to a gradual loss of the compressor performance. The curves realized after dust ingestion have been compared with the recovered curve after online washing. The measurement shows a promising recovery of the performances, even if the compressor flow path appears affected by localized deposits able to resist to the droplet removal action. Detailed photographic reports of the inlet guide vane (IGV) and the first compressor stages have been included in this analysis. After each run, the IGV, the rotor blade and stator vane of the first stage, and the hub and the shroud surfaces have been photographed. The pictures show the deposition patterns on the blades and the compressor surfaces. The comparison of the pictures of the internal surfaces, before and after the washing, highlights the parts that are more critical to clean and needy of attention during offline washing and overhaul.