bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Imperialism and nationalism
Authors: Rojek Paweł 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIs Russia a neoimperial or postimperial state? In this paper, I compare two interpretations proposed by political commentators Marcel Van Herpen and Dmitri Trenin. Van Herpen holds that the Russian empire is literally being rebuilt, whereas Trenin believes that Russia is just ceasing to be an empire. I argue that, contrary to popular belief, the current war against Ukraine cannot be interpreted as an attempt to restore the Russian empire. This is because being an empire requires a universalistic ideology that can be accepted by other nations. Meanwhile, the ideological foundation of the current war is an obviously nationalistic conception of the “Russian world.” Polish historians Andrzej Nowak and Włodzimierz Marciniak brilliantly argued that it was Russian nationalism that had previously led to the collapse of both Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union. Under this interpretation the current war in Ukraine can be seen not as the rebirth but rather as the dramatic end of Russian imperialism.
Adaptive random neighbourhood informed Markov chain Monte Carlo for high-dimensional Bayesian variable selection
Authors: Liang Xitong , Livingstone Samuel , Griffin Jim 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe introduce a framework for efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms targeting discrete-valued high-dimensional distributions, such as posterior distributions in Bayesian variable selection problems. We show that many recently introduced algorithms, such as the locally informed sampler of Zanella (J Am Stat Assoc 115(530):852–865, 2020), the locally informed with thresholded proposal of Zhou et al. (Dimension-free mixing for high-dimensional Bayesian variable selection, 2021) and the adaptively scaled individual adaptation sampler of Griffin et al. (Biometrika 108(1):53–69, 2021), can be viewed as particular cases within the framework. We then describe a novel algorithm, theadaptive random neighbourhood informedsampler, which combines ideas from these existing approaches. We show using several examples of both real and simulated data-sets that a computationally efficient point-wise implementation (PARNI) provides more reliable inferences on a range of variable selection problems, particularly in the very largepsetting.
Approximate Laplace importance sampling for the estimation of expected Shannon information gain in high-dimensional Bayesian design for nonlinear models
Authors: Englezou Yiolanda , Waite Timothy W. , Woods David C. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractOne of the major challenges in Bayesian optimal design is to approximate the expected utility function in an accurate and computationally efficient manner. We focus on Shannon information gain, one of the most widely used utilities when the experimental goal is parameter inference. We compare the performance of various methods for approximating expected Shannon information gain in common nonlinear models from the statistics literature, with a particular emphasis on Laplace importance sampling (LIS) and approximate Laplace importance sampling (ALIS), a new method that aims to reduce the computational cost of LIS. Specifically, in order to centre the importance distributions LIS requires computation of the posterior mode for each of a large number of simulated possibilities for the response vector. ALIS substantially reduces the amount of numerical optimization that is required, in some cases eliminating all optimization, by centering the importance distributions on the data-generating parameter values wherever possible. Both methods are thoroughly compared with existing approximations including Double Loop Monte Carlo, nested importance sampling, and Laplace approximation. It is found that LIS and ALIS both give an efficient trade-off between mean squared error and computational cost for utility estimation, and ALIS can be up to 70% cheaper than LIS. Usually ALIS gives an approximation that is cheaper but less accurate than LIS, while still being efficient, giving a useful addition to the suite of efficient methods. However, we observed one case where ALIS is both cheaper and more accurate. In addition, for the first time we show that LIS and ALIS yield superior designs to existing methods in problems with large numbers of model parameters when combined with the approximate co-ordinate exchange algorithm for design optimization.
Quantum median filter for total variation image denoising
Authors: De Santis Simone , Lazzaro Damiana , Mengoni Riccardo , Morigi Serena 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIn this new computing paradigm, named quantum computing, researchers from all over the world are taking their first steps in designing quantum circuits for image processing, through a difficult process of knowledge transfer. This effort is named quantum image processing, an emerging research field pushed by powerful parallel computing capabilities of quantum computers. This work goes in this direction and proposes the challenging development of a powerful method of image denoising, such as the total variation (TV) model, in a quantum environment. The proposed quantum TV is described and its sub-components are analysed. Despite the natural limitations of the current capabilities of quantum devices, the experimental results show a competitive denoising performance compared to the classical variational TV counterpart.
Automatic Cerebral Hemisphere Segmentation in Rat MRI with Ischemic Lesions via Attention-based Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Valverde Juan Miguel , Shatillo Artem , De Feo Riccardo , Tohka Jussi 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe present MedicDeepLabv3+, a convolutional neural network that is the first completely automatic method to segment cerebral hemispheres in magnetic resonance (MR) volumes of rats with ischemic lesions. MedicDeepLabv3+ improves the state-of-the-art DeepLabv3+ with an advanced decoder, incorporating spatial attention layers and additional skip connections that, as we show in our experiments, lead to more precise segmentations. MedicDeepLabv3+ requires no MR image preprocessing, such as bias-field correction or registration to a template, produces segmentations in less than a second, and its GPU memory requirements can be adjusted based on the available resources. We optimized MedicDeepLabv3+ and six other state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks (DeepLabv3+, UNet, HighRes3DNet, V-Net, VoxResNet, Demon) on a heterogeneous training set comprised by MR volumes from 11 cohorts acquired at different lesion stages. Then, we evaluated the trained models and two approaches specifically designed for rodent MRI skull stripping (RATS and RBET) on a large dataset of 655 MR rat brain volumes. In our experiments, MedicDeepLabv3+ outperformed the other methods, yielding an average Dice coefficient of 0.952 and 0.944 in the brain and contralateral hemisphere regions. Additionally, we show that despite limiting the GPU memory and the training data, our MedicDeepLabv3+ also provided satisfactory segmentations. In conclusion, our method, publicly available at https://github.com/jmlipman/MedicDeepLabv3Plus, yielded excellent results in multiple scenarios, demonstrating its capability to reduce human workload in rat neuroimaging studies.
Vitamin D deficiency leads to the abnormal activation of the complement system
Authors: Li Huan , Xie Xiaomin , Bai Guirong , Qiang Dan , Zhang Li , Liu Huili , He Yanting , Tang Yanpan , Li Ling 
Published: September 2022

AbstractVitamin D deficiency can damage the human immune system, and the complement system is a key component of the immune system. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which vitamin D affects the immune system by analyzing the changes in the protein expression of the complement system under different vitamin D levels. We selected 40 participants and divided them into three groups according to their serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)VD): group A, 25(OH)VD ≥ 40 ng/mL; group B, 30 ng/mL ≤ 25(OH)VD < 40 ng/mL; and group C, 25(OH)VD < 30 ng/mL. Serum samples were subjected to biochemical analysis, followed by proteomic analysis using high-throughput untargeted proteomic techniques. Vitamin D deficiency increased the levels of fasting blood sugar, fasting serum insulin, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance and decreased the secretion of HOMA of β-cell function, which led to insulin resistance and glucose metabolism disorder. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency resulted in the abnormal expression of 56 differential proteins, among which the expression levels of complement factor B, complement component C9, inducible co-stimulator ligand, and peptidase inhibitor 16 significantly changed with the decrease in vitamin D content. Functional enrichment analysis of these differential proteins showed that they were mainly concentrated in functions and pathways related to insulin secretion and inflammation. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency not only contributes to insulin resistance and glucose metabolism disorder but also causes abnormal protein expression, resulting in the abnormal activation of the complement system. This study provides a novel theoretical basis for further studies on the relationship between vitamin D and the immune system.
Zur Herstellung von Selbsthilfe-Räumen
Authors: Dangel Vera , Baumann Lukas , Anderl-Doliwa Brigitte 
Published: September 2022

ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag diskutiert teilnehmend beobachtete Interaktionsdynamiken in Online-Selbsthilfegruppen zu Zeiten von Corona. Orientiert am Datenmaterial werden von den Teilnehmenden hervorgebrachte „Räume“ entlang der Thematiken „Atmosphäre“, „Gefühle“ und „strategische Aneignung“ vorgestellt. Die Analyse zeigt die Potenziale dialogisch ausgerichteter Begegnungsformate auf, welche eine von Solidarität geprägte Auseinandersetzung mit biographischen Verwundungen eröffnen und die Teilnehmenden als handelnde Subjekte in ihrer Begegnung mit als einschränkend wahrgenommenen sozialen Umweltbedingungen bestärken.
A prospective analysis of two studies that used the 5-mm interval slices and 5-mm margin-free method for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast-conserving surgery without radiotherapy
Authors: Ohsumi Shozo , Nishimura Reiki , Masuda Norikazu , Akashi-Tanaka Sadako , Suemasu Kimito , Yamauchi Hideko , Tokunaga Eriko , Ikeda Tadashi , Nishi Tsunehiro , Hayashi Hiroto , Iino Yuichi , Takatsuka Yuichi , Ohashi Yasuo , Inaji Hideo 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy is one of standard treatments for early breast cancer. However, it is regarded as an option to treat elderly patients with small hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with breast-conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy. We conducted two sequential prospective studies to examine the feasibility of breast-conserving surgery without radiotherapy since 2002 and present the results.

Patients and methods
Primary female breast cancer patients who fulfilled the strict eligibility criteria were prospectively enrolled in two sequential studies named WORTH 1 and 2. The surgical materials were sliced in 5-mm intervals and all slices were examined microscopically. Postoperative radiotherapy was not allowed, but tamoxifen or anastrozole was administered for 5 years. Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR)-free survival was the primary outcome.

Results
The data of the two studies were combined (N = 321). The median follow-up period for IBTR was 94 months (4–192 months). Only three patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5- and 10-year IBTR-free rates were 97.0% and 90.5%, respectively. The age at operation and PR status affected IBTR rates independently. When we calculated IBTR-free rates of patients who were 65 years of age or older at the time of surgery and had PR-positive tumors, the 5- and 10-year IBTR rates were both 98.4%.

Conclusions
Our “5-mm-thick slice and 5-mm free-margin” method may be effective to select patients who can be treated by breast-conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy.
Assuming accuracy, pretending influence? Risks of measuring, monitoring and reporting sustainable development goals
Authors: Lyytimäki Jari , Eckert Nicolas , Lepenies Robert , Mosoni Claire , Mustajoki Jyri , Pedersen Anders Branth 
Published: September 2022

AbstractFrom the local to global level, indicators and reports are produced and published to support the transition towards sustainable development. Building from two European-level science–policy workshops, this perspective essay discusses the types of risks involved with such sustainability reporting. The analysis is rooted in the framework of the UN 2030 Agenda and sustainable development goals (SDG). As a globally adopted framework, it provides an example of how risks are either recognised and framed, or non-recognised. Well recognised risks include data availability for SDGs and siloed preparation of indicators, while risks receiving less attention are ritualistic reporting lacking a critical evaluation of the limitations of the SDG framework itself. These different risks are likely to reinforce each other. A specific risk is a too narrow focus on one-way communication aiming to inform individual policy decisions. Risks related to SDGs are best managed with iterative, integrative and interactive knowledge production fostering holistic understanding.
Unique sandwich design of high-efficiency heat-conducting phosphor-in-glass film for high-quality laser-driven white lighting
Authors: Peng Yang , Yu Zikang , Zhao Jiuzhou , Wang Qing , Liu Jiaxin , Sun Bo , Mou Yun , Chen Mingxiang 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMulti-color phosphor-in-glass (PiG) film has been considered as a promising color converter in high-quality laser lighting owing to its outstanding merits of phosphor versatility, tunable luminescence, and simple preparation. However, the opto-thermal properties of PiG film are severely affected by the photon reabsorption and backward scattering of phosphor structure and the heat conduction of substrate. Herein, a unique sandwich design of phosphor structure was introduced in the multi-color PiG film for high-quality laser lighting. By elaborately synthesizing the borosilicate glass with low glass transition temperature (Tg), similar expansion coefficient, and high refractive index (RI), the sandwiched PiGs were prepared by sintering (~600 °C) broadband green and red phosphor glass films on the double sides of sapphire. The green and red PiG films were tightly coated on the sapphire with no delamination and maintained higher luminescence intensity than raw phosphors at high temperatures. By simultaneously coupling photon reabsorption and backward scattering, the sandwiched green PiG film—sapphire—red PiG film (G—S—R PiG) yields a high-quality white light with a high luminous efficacy of 163 lm/W and an excellent color rendering index (CRI) of 85.4 under a laser power of 2.4 W, which are the best comprehensive results yet reported. Benefiting from the ingenious sandwich design with heat-conducting sapphire and thin PiG films, the G—S—R PiG displays low working temperatures (< 200 °C) under high-power laser excitation. This work reveals the role of sandwiched phosphor structure in photon loss and heat dissipation, which provides a new strategy to design PiG films for high-quality laser lighting.
Australian Clinicians’ Considerations When Choosing an Assessment of Functioning Tool for Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Authors: D’Arcy Emily , Evans Kiah , Afsharnejad Bahareh , Milbourn Benjamin , Whitehouse Andrew J. O. , Bölte Sven , Girdler Sonya 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Objectives
In the Australian disability context, the assessment of children with neurodevelopmental conditions’ functioning (across all domains) is of increasing importance, particularly since the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Currently, there is wide variability across assessment of functioning practices, including the choice and use of published tools for assessment. Therefore, we sought to identify the tool characteristics and other factors clinicians consider when selecting an assessment of functioning tool for use with children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Methods
Using workshops and an online survey, 45 Australian medical and allied health clinicians (predominantly occupational therapists and psychologists) identified what they thought was ‘most important’ when selecting assessment of functioning tools for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. These qualitative responses were analysed using template analysis.

Results
Five main themes relating to a tool’s characteristics were identified: easy, feasible, fair, holistic, and useful. Within these themes, considerations relating to the measure itself, the clinician administering the tool and the individual being assessed were identified.

Conclusions
Characteristics raised by the clinicians align with frameworks described in the literature, pointing to the potential utility of these frameworks in guiding the development and evaluation of future assessment of functioning tools.
Comparisons of soil organic carbon enrichment and loss in sediments among red soil, black soil, and loess in China
Authors: Cao Zhongxuan , Chen Zhijun , Gao Junmei , Liu Lin , Zhu Hui , Yang Shuyan , Shao Yu , Wen Taoyi 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWater erosion could cause wide and serious soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, but differences in SOC loss and enrichment in sediments among red soil, black soil, and loess in China have received less attention. This study investigates the transport of sediments and generation regulation of runoffs during the erosion process by collecting data from indoor or outdoor artificial simulated rainfall experiments and selecting typical regional rainfall intensity and slope gradient for bare cultivate soil slopes as well as 5–8 m length and 1.5–2 m width runoff plots or soil pans. Then, the change in SOC loss for the three widely distributed and seriously eroded soils, from south to north in China, is clarified. Results show that the stable value and growth rate of soil and SOC loss rates followed the following order: black soil < red soil < loess. The SOC loss rate of loess was more sensitive to rainfall intensity and slope gradient than those of the two other soils. The SOC enrichment ratio (ERocs) of the sediments of the red soil and loess soil is higher than that of the black soil, and this difference increases as the soil loss rate decreases. ERocs generally has a negative exponential relationship with soil loss, but it has a negative logarithmic relationship with soil loss for the loess soil with high aggregate and clay contents. SOC and clay content determine the SOC enrichment in sediments for different soils. In addition, this study provides recommendations for improving SOC dynamic models for soil under water erosion.
NSUN2-Mediated mRNA m5C Modification Regulates the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Song Dan , An Ke , Zhai Wenlong , Feng Luyao , Xu Yingjie , Sun Ran , Wang Yueqin , Yang Yun-Gui , Kan Quancheng , Tian Xin 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
RNA modifications affect many biological processes and physiological diseases. The 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification regulates the progression of multiple tumors. However, its characteristics and functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that HCC tissues had a higher m5C methylation level than the adjacent normal tissues. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the hypermethylated genes mainly participated in the phosphokinase signaling pathways, such as the Ras and PI3K-Akt pathways. The m5C methyltransferase NSUN2 was highly expressed in HCC tissues. Interestingly, the expression of many genes was positively correlated with the expression of NSUN2, including GRB2, RNF115, AATF, ADAM15, RTN3, and HDGF. Real-time PCR assays further revealed that the expression of the mRNAs of GRB2, RNF115, and AATF decreased significantly with the down-regulation of NSUN2 expression in HCC cells. Furthermore, NSUN2 could regulate the cellular sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib via modulating the Ras signaling pathway. Moreover, knocking down NSUN2 caused cell cycle arrest. Taken together, our study demonstrates the vital role of NSUN2 in the progression of HCC.
Bureaucratic valves: paperwork as a contested tool in the international transfer of the franc CFA in Congo-Brazzaville
Authors: Ning Rundong 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAfricanists have written much about interactions between multiple currencies in Africa, yet paperwork-based regulations that apply to these interactions remain less studied. Meanwhile, ethnographic studies of paperwork examine the roles of documents more in state administration than in commercial transactions. Based on ethnographic research with individuals and institutions involved in the international transfer of the franc CFA in Congo-Brazzaville during a severe foreign exchange (forex) shortage from 2016 to 2021, this article argues that the participants in forex transactions manoeuvre paperwork to regulate the speed of the forex outflow – where paperwork functions as what I term ‘bureaucratic valves’. Responding to the outflow of forex caused by the oil price slump since 2015, the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) required numerous documents from buyers of forex to justify their demand. This policy slowed down international money transfers because it took more effort to meet the paperwork requirements. Yet banks, money-transfer agencies and individuals in Congo subsequently developed their own paperwork-based mechanisms to cope with this change. These manoeuvres show that paperwork is a flexible and essential tool for adjusting transactions for different participants, especially in the money markets and in (central) banking in Africa.
The meaning and uses of privatization: the case of the Ethiopian developmental state
Authors: Collins Christina Tekie 
Published: September 2022

AbstractNot long after his election as prime minister of Ethiopia, Dr Abiy Ahmed declared that the country would privatize state-owned enterprises (SOEs) such as Ethiopian Airlines and Ethio Telcom, opening up sectors once considered off limits to foreign capital as part of hismedemerreforms. On the surface, it might appear as if the Ethiopian leader was signalling a greater embrace of neoliberal (or market liberalizing) policies through his advocacy of privatization. However, this article interprets the call not as an ‘opening up’ to the demands of global capitalism, but as a calculated policy decision existing within the logics of the state’s developmentalist ideology. Through an analysis of the intellectual foundations and institutional evolution of the country’s privatization programme, I argue that the Ethiopian government privatizes SOEs as a revenue-generating strategy that augments state economic power by capitalizing on incomes gained through development investments – using the case of the domestic beer industry as my ethnographic example. By doing this, I unsettle assumptions about the meaning and uses of privatization within a developmentalist framework, demonstrating how Ethiopian leaders contend with global ideas, producing innovative strategies of resource mobilization to promote economic growth while protecting local sovereignty – a distinct form of African state capitalism.