bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
National differences in implementation of minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer and the influence on short-term outcomes
Authors: Warps A. K. , Saraste D. , Westerterp M. , Detering R. , Sjövall A. , Martling A. , Dekker J. W. T. , Tollenaar R. A. E. M. , Matthiessen P. , Tanis P. J. ,   The Dutch ColoRectal Audit and Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
The timing and degree of implementation of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for colorectal cancer vary among countries. Insights in national differences regarding implementation of new surgical techniques and the effect on postoperative outcomes are important for quality assurance, can show potential areas for country-specific improvement, and might be illustrative and supportive for similar implementation programs in other countries. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate differences in patient selection, applied techniques, and results of minimal invasive surgery for colorectal cancer between the Netherlands and Sweden.

Methods
Patients who underwent elective minimally invasive surgery for T1-3 colon or rectal cancer (2012–2018) registered in the Dutch ColoRectal Audit or Swedish ColoRectal Cancer Registry were included. Time trends in the application of MIS were determined. Outcomes were compared for time periods with a similar level of MIS implementation (Netherlands 2012–2013 versus Sweden 2017–2018). Multilevel analyses were performed to identify factors associated with adverse short-term outcomes.

Results
A total of 46,095 Dutch and 8,819 Swedish patients undergoing MIS for colorectal cancer were included. In Sweden, MIS implementation was approximately 5 years later than in the Netherlands, with more robotic surgery and lower volumes per hospital. Although conversion rates were higher in Sweden, oncological and surgical outcomes were comparable. MIS in the Netherlands for the years 2012–2013 resulted in a higher reoperation rate for colon cancer and a higher readmission rate but lower non-surgical complication rates for rectal cancer if compared with MIS in Sweden during 2017–2018.

Conclusion
This study showed that the implementation of MIS for colorectal cancer occurred later in Sweden than the Netherlands, with comparable outcomes despite lower volumes. Our study demonstrates that new surgical techniques can be implemented at a national level in a controlled and safe way, with thorough quality assurance.
A Machian Reformulation of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Glampedakis Kostas 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe widely known but also somewhat esoteric Mach principle envisages a fully relational formulation of physical theories without any reference to a concept of ‘absolute space’. When applied to classical mechanics, under the guise of an extended symmetry group, this procedure is known to lead to an equation of motion with inertial-like forces that are sourced by the mass distribution of the system itself. In this paper we follow a similar procedure and reformulate the Schrödinger equation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics in a fully Machian way. Just like its classical counterpart, the resulting quantum theory is fully relational in the positions and momenta of the bodies comprising a given physical system, leaving no room for the notion of absolute space.
Genetically based adaptive trait shifts at an expanding mangrove range margin
Authors: Kennedy John Paul , Johnson Giles N. , Preziosi Richard F. , Rowntree Jennifer K. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractNeotropical black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) is expanding poleward into temperate salt marsh along Atlantic Florida, USA, with field evidence of trait shifts consistent with greater cold tolerance within range margin populations. However, whether these shifts have a genetic basis remains unanswered. To address this gap, we measured multiple phenotypic traits of twentyA. germinansmaternal cohorts from areas in both the Atlantic Florida range core and margin in a 2-year greenhouse common garden with annual temperatures analogous to range margin conditions. Compared to those from the range core, range margin cohorts survived in greater numbers, established (i.e., produced first true leaves) more quickly, and were less stressed under winter temperatures. Range margin cohorts were not taller, but invested more into lateral growth and biomass accumulation that presumably reflects adaptation to their colder and open-canopy environment. Range margin cohorts also exhibited leaf traits consistent with greater resource acquisition that may compensate for a shorter growing season and reduced light quality at higher latitude. Our results suggest that genetically based phenotypic differences better enable these range margin mangroves to thrive within their stressful environment and may facilitate further poleward expansion. An improved understanding of adaptive trait variation within ecologically important mangrove foundation species should also help inform coastal restoration initiatives.
Bias Versus Non-Convexity in Compressed Sensing
Authors: Gerosa Daniele , Carlsson Marcus , Olsson Carl 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCardinality and rank functions are ideal ways of regularizing under-determined linear systems, but optimization of the resulting formulations is made difficult since both these penalties are non-convex and discontinuous. The most common remedy is to instead use the $$\ell ^1$$

ℓ
1

- and nuclear norms. While these are convex and can therefore be reliably optimized, they suffer from a shrinking bias that degrades the solution quality in the presence of noise. This well-known drawback has given rise to a fauna of non-convex alternatives, which usually features better global minima at the price of maybe getting stuck in undesired local minima. We focus in particular penalties based on the quadratic envelope, which have been shown to have global minima which even coincide with the “oracle solution,” i.e., there is no bias at all. So, which one do we choose, convex with a definite bias, or non-convex with no bias but less predictability? In this article, we develop a framework which allows us to interpolate between these alternatives; that is, we construct sparsity inducing penalties where the degree of non-convexity/bias can be chosen according to the specifics of the particular problem.
Effects of Si and Sr elements on solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity of Al–Si-based alloys
Authors: Zhang Xun , Zhou Yuli , Zhong Gu , Zhang Junchao , Chen Yunan , Jie Wanqi , Schumacher Peter , Li Jiehua 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEffects of Si and Sr on solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity of Al–Si binary alloys and Al–9Si–Sr ternary were investigated, respectively, with a special focus on the relationship between solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity. It was found that (i) in Al–Si binary alloys, with increasing Si content, α-Al grain size increases and then decreases when Si content is over 7 wt%, while the percentage of eutectic Si continuously increases, which significantly decreases the thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, and (ii) in Al–9Si–Sr ternary alloys, the presence of Sr has no significant effect on α-Al grain, but effectively modifies eutectic Si and significantly improves the thermal and electrical conductivity. On this basis, two theoretical calculation models [the Maxwell model and the Hashin–Shtrikman (H–S) model] were used to elucidate the relationship between solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity. Compared with the Maxwell model, the H–S model fits better with the measured values. The obtained results are very helpful to the precise composition control during alloy design and recycling of Al–Si-based alloys with the aim to further improve the thermal conductivity of Al–Si-based alloys.
Graphical abstract
Vocalisation Repertoire at the End of the First Year of Life: An Exploratory Comparison of Rett Syndrome and Typical Development
Authors: Bartl-Pokorny Katrin D. , Pokorny Florian B. , Garrido Dunia , Schuller Björn W. , Zhang Dajie , Marschik Peter B. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRett syndrome (RTT) is a rare, late detected developmental disorder associated with severe deficits in the speech-language domain. Despite a few reports about atypicalities in the speech-language development of infants and toddlers with RTT, a detailed analysis of the pre-linguistic vocalisation repertoire of infants with RTT is yet missing. Based on home video recordings, we analysed the vocalisations between 9 and 11 months of age of three female infants with typical RTT and compared them to three age-matched typically developing (TD) female controls. The video material of the infants had a total duration of 424 min with 1655 infant vocalisations. For each month, we (1) calculated the infants’ canonical babbling ratios with CBRUTTER, i.e., the ratio of number of utterances containing canonical syllables to total number of utterances, and (2) classified their pre-linguistic vocalisations in three non-canonical and four canonical vocalisation subtypes. All infants achieved the milestone of canonical babbling at 9 months of age according to their canonical babbling ratios, i.e. CBRUTTER ≥ 0.15. We revealed overall lower CBRsUTTER and a lower proportion of canonical pre-linguistic vocalisations consisting of well-formed sounds that could serve as parts of target-language words for the RTT group compared to the TD group. Further studies with more data from individuals with RTT are needed to study the atypicalities in the pre-linguistic vocalisation repertoire which may portend the later deficits in spoken language that are characteristic features of RTT.
Chemical Attraction of Gall Midge Pollinators (Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) to Anthurium acutangulum (Araceae)
Authors: Etl Florian , Francke Wittko , Schönenberger Jürg , Dötterl Stefan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractFlowering plants often use chemical signals to attract their pollinators, and compounds that elicit attraction are known for several groups of pollinators. For other pollinators such as gall midges, however, compounds responsible for their attraction to flowers are largely unknown. Here, we describe the pollination biology of Anthurium acutangulum, a Neotropical aroid species found to be attractive to gall midges. We collected and analyzed its floral scent by dynamic headspace collections and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and identified compounds responsible for pollinator attraction. The inflorescences were almost exclusively visited by gall midges (females; Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) and released a strong scent reminiscent of freshly cut cucumber, mainly (5S,7S)-trans-conophthorin, (E2,Z6)-2,6-nonadienal, and cis-conophthorin. Behavioral assays with the two most abundant compounds identified (E2,Z6)-2,6-nonadienal as being highly attractive to the female gall midge pollinators, whereas (5S,7S)-trans-conophthorin was not attractive. Overall, we introduce a new specialized gall midge pollination system and identify the chemical mediating communication between the pollinators and their host plants.
Suppressing chaos in damped driven systems by non-harmonic excitations: experimental robustness against potential’s mismatches
Authors: Palmero Faustino , Chacón Ricardo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe robustness of a chaos-suppressing scenario against potential mismatches is experimentally studied through the universal model of a damped, harmonically driven two-well Duffing oscillator subject to non-harmonic chaos-suppressing excitations. We consider a second order analogous electrical circuit having an extremely simple two-well potential that differs from that of the standard two-well Duffing model, and compare the main theoretical predictions regarding the chaos-suppressing scenario from the latter with experimental results from the former. Our experimental results prove the high robustness of the chaos-suppressing scenario against potential mismatches regardless of the (constant) values of the remaining parameters. Specifically, the predictions of an inverse dependence of the regularization area in the control parameter plane on the impulse of the chaos-suppressing excitation as well as of a minimal effective amplitude of the chaos-suppressing excitation when the impulse transmitted is maximum were experimentally confirmed.
Mapping design activities and methods of public sector innovation units through the policy cycle model
Authors: Villa Alvarez Diana Pamela , Auricchio Valentina , Mortati Marzia 
Published: March 2022

AbstractOver the last two decades, the design practice has been expanding to the public sphere to generate solutions for public challenges. In particular, the reflections on the design practice of public sector innovation (PSI) units, working in or with governments, are increasingly contributing to a growing body of literature attempting to characterise the practice in policy making. Although scholars conclude that design’s significant contribution in policy refers to the implementation of public services and programs, there is also an urgent advocacy for a deeper study of the nature of design practices within earlier stages of policy processes addressing more specifically policy proposals and reforms. As part of a broader investigation, this paper seeks to shed light to this matter by identifying design-led activities and methods of PSI units in the policy making process and positioning them in the stages of the policy cycle. This research examines academic, grey literature and web content to uncover and position design activities of 46 PSI units from different continents in a policy cycle model based on Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009). Our work confirms that most design activities develop in the implementation stage rather than in early stages of the policy process. While design interventions are growing within policy formulation and agenda-setting stages, few of them were identified in the stage of policy evaluation. Decision-making stage remains purely political. This research may serve to a further understanding of the design practice and its potential contribution to policy making in the future.
The Extension of the LeiCNS-PK3.0 Model in Combination with the “Handshake” Approach to Understand Brain Tumor Pathophysiology
Authors: Hirasawa Makoto , Saleh Mohammed A. A. , de Lange Elizabeth C. M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMicrometastatic brain tumor cells, which cause recurrence of malignant brain tumors, are often protected by the intact blood–brain barrier (BBB). Therefore, it is essential to deliver effective drugs across not only the disrupted blood-tumor barrier (BTB) but also the intact BBB to effectively treat malignant brain tumors. Our aim is to predict pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles in brain tumor regions with the disrupted BTB and the intact BBB to support the successful drug development for malignant brain tumors. LeiCNS-PK3.0, a comprehensive central nervous system (CNS) physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, was extended to incorporate brain tumor compartments. Most pathophysiological parameters of brain tumors were obtained from literature and two missing parameters of the BTB, paracellular pore size and expression level of active transporters, were estimated by fitting existing data, like a “handshake”. Simultaneous predictions were made for PK profiles in extracellular fluids (ECF) of brain tumors and normal-appearing brain and validated on existing data for six small molecule anticancer drugs. The LeiCNS-tumor model predicted ECF PK profiles in brain tumor as well as normal-appearing brain in rat brain tumor models and high-grade glioma patients within twofold error for most data points, in combination with estimated paracellular pore size of the BTB and active efflux clearance at the BTB. Our model demonstrated a potential to predict PK profiles of small molecule drugs in brain tumors, for which quantitative information on pathophysiological alterations is available, and contribute to the efficient and successful drug development for malignant brain tumors.
Speaking Truth to Power and Power to Truth: Reflections from the Pandemic
Authors: Donadelli Flavia , Gregory Robert 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe complex relationship between science and politics has been a perennial issue in public administration. In this debate it is important to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ politics, and between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ science. The Covid-19 pandemic has valorised the importance of science in shaping governmental responses, and has tended to contrast politics negatively with science. However, technocratic approaches to policymaking downplay the importance of politics in policymaking. Two case studies, of countries where there have been markedly different pandemic outcomes are used to illustrate the relationship between science and politics during this public health crisis – New Zealand and Brazil. In New Zealand there has been a positive and effective, if technocratic, relationship between science and politics, while in Brazil the relationship between the two domains has been fraught.
EU Citizens’ Access to Welfare Rights: How (not) to Think About Unreasonable Burdens?
Authors: Efthymiou Dimitrios E. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDefenders of current restrictions on EU immigrants’ access to welfare rights in host member states often invoke a principle of reciprocity among member states to justify these policies. The argument is that membership of a system of social cooperation triggers duties of reciprocity characteristic of welfare rights. Newly arriving EU immigrants who look for work do not meet the relevant criteria of membership, the argument goes, because they have not yet contributed enough to qualify as members on the grounds of reciprocity. Therefore, current restrictions on their access to welfare rights are justified. In this article, I challenge this argument by showing how restrictions on EU immigrants’ access to welfare rights are inconsistent with duties of international reciprocity. There are different variations of this challenge, but my focus here will be on one that uses a veil of ignorance device to support this claim. What matters from a perspective concerned with international reciprocity, I will argue, is what kind of welfare policy EU member states would choose were they not to know whether those receiving EU migrants were net contributors or net beneficiaries to the relevant scheme of international cooperation made possible by the four freedoms, and freedom of movement in particular. I argue that framing the requirement of reciprocity in this way provides a more comprehensive understanding of what should count as an ‘unreasonable burden’ on the welfare systems of host member states. The paper also examines alternative accounts of ‘unreasonable burdens’. It shows when and how the current institutional structure of the EU could take steps to deal with such burdens by preventing member states from gaming a comprehensive system of welfare rights protections across member states and by recognising the achievements of those member states that best serve them.
Swimming performance of sharks and rays under climate change
Authors: Vilmar Matilda , Di Santo Valentina 
Published: March 2022

AbstractClimate change stressors (e.g., warming and ocean acidification) are an imminent challenge to the physiological performance of marine organisms. Several studies spanning the last decade have reported widespread effects of warming and acidification on marine fishes, especially teleosts, but more work is needed to elucidate the responses in marine elasmobranchs, i.e., sharks and rays. Dispersal capacity, as a result of locomotor performance, is a crucial trait that will determine which group of elasmobranchs will be more or less vulnerable to changes in the environment. In fact, efficient and high locomotor performance may determine the capacity for elasmobranchs to relocate to a more favorable area. In this review we integrate findings from work on locomotion of marine sharks and rays to identify characteristics that outline potential vulnerabilities and strength of sharks and rays under climate change. Traits such as intraspecific variability in response to climatic stressors, wide geographic range, thermotaxis, fast swimming or low energetic costs of locomotion are likely to enhance the capacity to disperse. Future studies may focus on understanding the interacting effect of climatic stressors on morphology, biomechanics and energetics of steady and unsteady swimming, across ontogeny and species.
The Psyche Topography and Geomorphology Investigation
Authors: Jaumann Ralf , Bell James F. , Polanskey Carol A. , Raymond Carol A. , Aspaugh Erik , Bercovici David , Bills Bruce R. , Binzel Richard , Bottke William , Christoph John M. , Marchi Simone , Neesemann Alicia , Otto Katharina , Park Ryan S. , Preusker Frank , Roatsch Thomas , Williams David A. , Wieczorek Mark A. , Zuber Maria T. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDetailed mapping of topography is crucial for the understanding of processes shaping the surfaces of planetary bodies. In particular, stereoscopic imagery makes a major contribution to topographic mapping and especially supports the geologic characterization of planetary surfaces. Image data provide the basis for extensive studies of the surface structure and morphology on local, regional and global scales using photogeologic information from images, the topographic information from stereo-derived digital terrain models and co-registered spectral terrain information from color images. The objective of the Psyche topography and geomorphology investigation is to derive the detailed shape of (16) Psyche to generate orthorectified image mosaics, which are needed to study the asteroids’ landforms, interior structure, and the processes that have modified the surface over geologic time. In this paper we describe our approaches for producing shape models, and our plans for acquiring requested image data to quantify the expected accuracy of the results. Multi-angle images obtained by Psyche’s camera will be used to create topographic models with about 15 m/pixel horizontal resolution and better than 10 m height accuracy on a global scale. This is slightly better as global imaging obtained during the Dawn mission, however, both missions yield resolutions of a few m/pixel locally. Two different techniques, stereophotogrammetry and stereophotoclinometry, are used to model the shape; these models will be merged with the gravity fields obtained by the Psyche spacecraft to produce geodetically controlled topographic models. The resulting digital topography models, together with the gravity data, will reveal the tectonic, volcanic, impact, and gradational history of Psyche, and enable co-registration of data sets to determine Psyche’s geologic history.