bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental investigation on the tribological property of functionalized graphene lubricant against steel
Authors: Qian Yong , Gong Hongying , Zhao Xiaoyun , Cao Lei , Shi Weizhong , He Jianli
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to corroborate the advanced tribological properties of graphene as a lubricant additive.

Design/methodology/approach

Different concentrations of functionalized graphene were coated on the substrate surface. Tribological properties of the graphene lubricants were carried out by ball-on-disk tribology tests. Wear mechanism of functionalized graphene was studied by observing wear scars on the substrate surface. Finally, the wear resistance of modified graphene was calculated by calculating and analyzing the applied experimental conditions and the obtained experimental data.

Findings

The best concentration of graphene lubricant is 0.5 wt.% which shows the best tribological performance. And the coefficient of friction is 0.08. Compared with the dry friction condition, the coefficient of friction and wear rate of best graphene lubricant decreased by 80% and 82%.

Originality/value

The formula of graphene lubricant is independently developed and works very well. Graphene lubricant can prevent the substrate from oxidation. The thickness of the graphene lubricant is about 4-7µm. The concept of anti-wear strength was introduced in this paper. When 0.5 Vol.% graphene was added, the anti-wear strength was greatly improved from 115.3 kg·mm-2 to 657.6 kg·mm-2.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2019-0344
How important is CRM toward customer’s loyalty to conventional and Islamic bank marketing strategy?
Authors: Munandar Jono Mintarto , Oktaviani Dewi , Angraini Yenni
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to test the effect of customer relationship management (CRM) strategy on customer loyalty of bank customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaire derived from previous studies along with relevant literature was completed by 100 customers of conventional banks and 100 customers of Islamic banks. Structural equation modeling assessed the impact on customer loyalty on three key constructs of CRM programs (continuity marketing, one to one marketing and partnering).

Findings

Two out of three variables, which is continuity marketing and partnering, have significant effects on both banks. Continuity marketing is the dominant variable at conventional banks. Partnering is the dominant variable at Islamic banks.

Research limitations/implications

The effects of CRM programs on customer loyalty observed in this study required further research. The data used in this study were only gathered from the banking industry in Indonesia, and so more research studies are needed to support the conclusion.

Practical implications

It is reasonable to conclude that customer loyalty can be built, strengthened and retained by CRM programs, aimed at increasing security and building trust in each transaction, improving partnership, optimize another bank’s service product like internet banking and SMS banking and communicating with customers in a timely manner.

Originality/value

Advanced and specific knowledge relevant to CRM in banking service industries.
Improving maintenance management practices on green building projects
Authors: Ismail Zul-Atfi
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The improper maintenance affects the performance of management practices for Green Building (GB) in Malaysia. This is due to the issues of lack of GB knowledge and competency for maintenance activities in GB projects. However, only a few researchers have investigated maintenance within the GBs. This may be due to industry’s lack of awareness concerning the currently existing maintenance problems and their causes. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper intends to develop a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based approach for managing maintenance in GB schemes. As a precursor to this work, the current maintenance management activities, ICT tools and techniques are reviewed and explored in such projects to gather processes and information database of maintenance and management.

Findings

The findings reveal the need for more sophisticated maintenance management solutions that accord with the needs of GB schemes to manage quality and reduce associated defects.

Originality/value

The paper concludes by presenting a research framework for developing such a system in the future. It is also suggested that further research into maintenance of GB should consider issues in terms of concern for lifecycle assessment and sustainability.
A conceptual framework
Authors: Amoako George Kofi
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible effects of corporate environmental activities on sustainable competitive advantage through the mediation of leadership factors and effective implementation strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The work is essentially non-empirical review of the literature with the development of a conceptual model which can be tested in a later study.

Findings

The study proposes that corporate environmental activities can give firms competitive advantage. The studies also propose that stakeholders can act as pressure thereby moderating the relationship between corporate environmental activities and sustainable competitive advantage. Leadership factors and effective implementation affect competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a few limitations that must be considered and could provide guidance for future study; as this study does not address customers point of view, future study could help in the investigation in order to get a holistic view. Moreover, the study is based on the literature, and the conceptual model has not been tested.

Practical implications

The study proposes that good leadership and effectiveness in strategy implementation can make corporate environmental activities lead to sustainable competitive advantage. The findings of the study provide managers of firms with a possible tool in creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Originality/value

Despite the rapid growth in research on environmental issues in corporate world, limited studies have been conducted on how leadership factors and effectiveness of strategy implementation can influence how corporate environmental activities affect competitiveness of firms. This study makes an original contribution by proposing strategies for sustainable competitive advantage through the instrumentality of corporate environmental decisions.
Rubrics meeting quality assurance and improvement needs in the accreditation context
Authors: Wilkerson Judy R.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

K-20 accreditation is contingent on having policies and procedures that provide evidence of quality assurance (QA) and quality improvement (QI), viewed here as the first of two conflicting paradigms, requiring concurrent expressions of excellence and need. Standardized summative assessments using the traditional tabular rubric design (typically writing assessments) serve the QA purpose well while leaving QI difficult to achieve. This is the second-related pair of conflicting paradigms – formative vs summative assessment. The purpose of this study is to illuminate these conflicts, present a sample illustrative solution and suggest that both institutions and accreditation agencies implement policies resolving these conflicts.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint is based in part on an analysis of the content of many rubrics, with several selected for presentation herein. For K-12 settings, the AdvancED accreditation standards (used in 70 countries) and a multistate writing rubric are discussed. For postsecondary, a segment of the VALUE rubrics, used by a large number of postsecondary institutions across the USA, is presented. Examples of potential solutions for both levels are presented to clarify the problem and identify policy implications.

Findings

This specific aspect of the QA/QI challenge is a solvable problem, and a solution is proposed with the potential to improve learning in the USA and other countries.

Originality/value

Institutional personnel struggle with the conflicts often not realizing the source of their struggle. In this viewpoint, a new rubric format is suggested with the hope of initiating policy change discussions.
The art of the real: fact checking as information literacy instruction
Authors: Addy Jamie M.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how academic librarians tasked with research instruction can use connections between digital, civic and information literacy to combat polarization and misinformation through skill-based instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses a wealth of original data centered on first year students and their information literacy abilities. Discussion of two data sets (one pre/post scored by rubric and one mixed methods) is included to demonstrate the following: existing information literacy skills among a sample cohort of first year students and pre-/post-test assessments from the pilot program for a digital literacy curriculum, along with qualitative responses.

Findings

This paper outlines ways in which information literacy instruction with a fact checking curriculum can help students evaluate digital information more accurately.

Originality/value

This paper provides valuable insight into pedagogical practices that center information literacy as it relates to civic engagement, digital polarization, and the decline of trust and civility since the 2016 Election of President Trump.
De-biasing on university campuses in the age of misinformation
Authors: Krutkowski Sebastian , Taylor-Harman Sarah , Gupta Kat
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight that in today’s polarised information environment, freedom of speech should not be conflated with a freedom to spread demonstrable lies unchallenged. The authors argue for a review of information literacy instruction to focus on social justice and help participants understand the implications of the views they may hold on vulnerable minority groups.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors review and reflect upon the delivery of staff development training on the facts and myths surrounding transgender issues. The authors also encourage other library and information professionals to expand their information literacy instruction into polarised issues that are marked by considerable amounts of misinformation.

Findings

Training participants reported that being more aware of transphobic media coverage will help them reduce bias and better support trans students and staff. It also enabled further opportunities for colleagues across teams and a variety of roles to incorporate the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into their practice. The success of the sessions also contributed to wider institutional change.

Originality/value

Trans people are a vulnerable minority facing severe, persistent harassment and discrimination both in everyday life and potentially in educational settings. Offering staff effective tools to educate themselves about media transphobia is a step towards creating an environment where trans students and staff can flourish. The authors explore how the media coverage of trans issues allows misinformation to stick and spread. Through applying the concepts of critical thinking and information literacy to trans issues, the authors explain how unconscious bias towards the trans community can be challenged.
Ecosystem service multifunctionality of low‐productivity forests and implications for conservation and management
Authors: Jönsson Mari , Snäll Tord
Published: January 2020

Low‐productivity forests are often the last remaining pristine forests in managed forest landscapes and typically overrepresented among protected forests. However, the provisioning of individual and multiple ecosystem services (ES‐multifunctionality) by these forests remains poorly assessed, making it difficult to evaluate their importance in forest conservation and management.

Here, using nationwide data on ES from over 2,000 forest plots, we test whether levels of ES‐multifunctionality and individual ES differ between low‐productivity forested mires and rocky outcrops in relation to the levels of productive forests, and as a function of forest age, tree species richness and climate. We defined ES‐multifunctionality using different threshold values of the maximum levels (low, medium and high) and weighted these according to land‐use objectives (equal weight of all services, greater weight to cultural and supporting ES or greater weight to production).

We show that the ES‐multifunctionality of forested mires is consistently lower than those of productive forests. However, the ES‐multifunctionality increased with forest age in forested mires but not in productive forests. The ES‐multifunctionality of forested rocky outcrops, on the other hand, was higher or equivalent to that of productive forests under equal weight and supporting land‐use objectives, respectively. Our findings highlight that forested rocky outcrops can supply multiple ES, especially older forested stands with mixtures of coniferous and deciduous trees. Generally, we found no evidence for strong trade‐offs between the ES studied and our results highlight the importance of forest age for increasing the ES‐multifunctionality of low‐productivity forests.

Synthesis and applications. Low‐productivity forests should not be exempt of forestry or protected purely based on low productivity or low land‐use conflict if the goal is to conserve multiple ecosystem services (ES). Inclusion grounds for protecting low‐productivity forests should instead carefully consider the site type (dry vs. wet), forest age and tree species richness. To maintain higher ES‐multifunctionality in low‐productivity forests, older or deciduous trees should also not be harvested. This will require changes in current conservation or management policies of low‐productivity forests of some countries.
Tent City: Patterns of Informality and the Partitioning of Sacramento
Authors: Parker Cory
Published: January 2020

Unsanctioned tent cities are increasing in number in cities throughout the western United States. Scholars explain the phenomenon as homeless people asserting their ‘right to the city’ or as ‘managed marginality’. These explanations capture much of the socio‐political relationship between local government and homeless populations, but do not explain the long‐term persistence of tent cities and the fluctuating nature of their visibility. A spatial history of informal encampments in Sacramento at three key moments—the founding of the city, the Great Depression and the Great Recession—reveals a long‐term ebb and flow of tent cities occupying close‐to‐the‐center, urban vacancies. Urban vacancies arise from the partitioning of the city into specific purposes, places and people, a taken‐for‐granted perception of how cities should be. The visibility of tent cities disrupts this aesthetic notion of stability and growth as homeless people use the tent to protest their isolation and exclusion.
Effect of thermosonication in a batch system on the survival of spore‐forming bacteria
Authors: Deshpande Vidita K , Walsh Marie K
Published: January 2020

Thermosonication may help reduce bacteria counts responsible for spoilage in dairy products. Vegetative cells and spores of Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Anoxybacillus flavithermus and Bacillus subtilis (spores only) were treated with either heat alone or thermosonication in a batch system from 0 to 120 s in tryptic soy broth and 2% fat milk at 72 and 73 °C. D‐values for vegetative cells were calculated and were reduced after thermosonication. Maximum reduction in vegetative cells after thermosonication was 1 log after 30–45 s and for spores was ≤0.2 log after 120 s, which may not influence dairy product quality in scale‐up systems.
Therapeutic plasma exchange in pediatric intensive care: Indications, results and complications
Authors: Sık Guntulu , Demirbuga Asuman , Annayev Agageldi , Akcay Arzu , Çıtak Agop , Öztürk Gülyüz
Published: January 2020

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an effective treatment method in selective indications. Secondary to access and technical features, it is more difficult to apply in pediatric population than adults. The aim of this study is investigate safety, clinical indications, and results of this method in critically ill pediatric patients who need TPE treatment. All of the TPE procedures performed in a pediatric intensive care unit providing tertiary care during 4 years (2015–2019) were evaluated retrospectively. TPE procedures (635) were performed for 135 patients. Median age was 34 months (10‐108). Ninety‐seven patients had mechanical ventilation support. Sepsis with multiple organ failure was the most frequent indication and accounted for 44.4% (n = 60) of the indications followed by hematological and neurological diseases (19.2% and 9.6% respectively). TPE was performed alone in 469 cases (73.9%), in combination with continuous renal replacement therapy in 154 cases (24.2%), and additional to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in 12 cases (1.9%). Hematological disease and sepsis subgroups had the highest intubation rate, mechanical ventilation period, PRISM score, organ failure count, and mortality. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) was the most frequently used replacement fluid in 90.4% of the procedures. The most frequent anticoagulant used in TPE was acid citrate dextrose solution (79.3%). Procedural complications were detected in 104 cases (16.3%) and occurred during TPE sessions. Overall survival rate was 78.5%. We found that the non‐survivor group had significantly higher rates of organ failures (P = 0.0001), higher PRISM scores on admission (P = 0.0001), and higher rates of invasive ventilation support needed (P = 0.012). TPE is a treatment method which can be safely provided in healthcare facilities with necessary medical and technical requirements. Although it is riskier to provide such treatment to critically ill children, complications can be minimized in experienced healthcare facilities. Overall results are good and can vary depending on indication.
The psychologisation of employment relations, alternative models of the employment relationship, and the OB turn
Authors: Budd John W.
Published: January 2020

As part of this journal's provocation series, John Godard criticised the psychologisation of human resource management and expressed concern with the psychologisation of employment relations. This article uses four explicit frames of reference on the employment relationship to further explicate Godard's concern with the distancing of the field from questions about the structural nature of the employment relationship. This discussion is then extended to consider the magnifying implications of the turn within the field toward organisational behaviour research. Ultimately, the complexity of work and employment means that the field needs to be vigilant in embracing not only multidisciplinary but also multiperspective approaches rather than letting the field become excessively unitary.
Lasting alterations induced in glial cell phenotypes by short exposure to alcohol during embryonic development in zebrafish
Authors: Chatterjee Dipashree , Mahabir Samantha , Chatterjee Diptendu , Gerlai Robert
Published: January 2020

Despite the known teratogenic effects of alcohol (ethanol) on the developing human fetus, the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is not decreasing. Appropriate treatment for this life‐long disease has not been developed, and even diagnostic biomarkers are unavailable. FASD remains a large unmet medical need. Numerous animal models have been developed to mimic FASD and study potential underlying biological mechanisms. However, most of these models focused on neuronal phenotypes. Given that glial cells represent the majority of cells in the vertebrate brain, and given the increasingly appreciated roles they play in a myriad of neuronal functions as well as CNS disorders, we decided to investigate potential embryonic alcohol exposure induced changes in them. Building upon a previously introduced zebrafish model of milder and most prevalent forms of FASD, we investigated the effect of a 2‐hour‐long exposure to alcohol (1% vol/vol bath concentration) employed at the 24th hour postfertilization stage of development of zebrafish on a number of glial cell‐related phenotypes. We studied oligodendrocyte, astrocyte as well as microglia‐related phenotypes using immunohistochemistry, lipid, and enzyme activity analyses. We report significant changes in wide‐spread glial cell phenotypes induced by embryonic alcohol exposure in the zebrafish brain and conclude that the zebrafish will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of this devastating disorder.
Description of the fourth‐instar larva of Coquillettidia linealis (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Johnson Petrina H , Russell Richard C
Published: January 2020

Coquillettidia linealis (Skuse, 1889) is a common mosquito species, widespread in south‐east Australia. It is associated with permanent freshwater habitats where it can be very abundant and the cause of significant nuisance biting. Additionally, Cq. linealis is thought to be a significant vector of some arboviruses, such as Ross River virus, because numerous isolates have been recovered from the species. Although recognition of the species in 1889 was based on adult females, the larval stage has never been described. This lack of description has been primarily because the larvae are cryptic; all larval stages have modified respiratory siphons that pierce and remain attached to subsurface tissues of aquatic plants, from which they gain oxygen. Similarly, pupae have modified respiratory trumpets to attach to plants below the water surface. In this study, adult host‐seeking females were field collected and blood fed for oviposition, and the resulting larvae were reared to adults to establish a sustainable colony, from which fourth‐instar larvae were selected to provide the first formal description of this life stage of Cq. linealis. This description allows differentiation of Cq. linealis from larvae of its local congener Coquillettidia xanthogaster (Edwards) as well as local Mansonia species but not the larvae of the other Coquillettidia species in Australia that are still undescribed.
The effect of home care package allocation reforms on service uptake, use and cessation at a large Australian aged care provider
Authors: Jorgensen Mikaela , Siette Joyce , Georgiou Andrew , Westbrook Johanna I.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To utilise routinely collected data to examine changes in the client profile of a large aged care provider before and after commencement of the 2017 policy reforms, whereby home care packages were allocated to individuals rather than providers.

Methods

Interrupted time series analysis was used to measure changes in service uptake and cessation. Chi‐square and t tests were used to compare client profiles in the 12 months before and after policy changes.

Results

A total of 4132 people used home care services with the provider between March 2016 and March 2018. Fewer people commenced services post‐reforms, and they were more likely to be younger and have a partner. There was no change in the number choosing to terminate services post‐reforms.

Conclusion

Vulnerable older Australians may experience greater difficulty accessing services under the new system, suggesting greater scrutiny of the reforms in achieving policy objectives is required. Analyses of routinely collected data sets can support this evaluation process.
Machine Sky: Social and Terrestrial Engineering in a Chinese Weather System
Authors: Zee Jerry C.
Published: January 2020

This article explores Chinese environmental politics as a complex strategy for engineering weather and climate at national and then planetary scales. It argues that in times of meteorological insecurity, we can explore diverse sites in China's state environmental political apparatus as attempts at coordinating diverse physical, natural, and social processes into components of manipulable weather systems. Through considering two programs of state environmental intervention, the article explores “infrastructure” as a political practice and opportunity. First, in considering aerial seeding and ecological migration programs in the context of anti‐dust storm programs spearheaded by state forestry agencies, I show how environmental engineering involves the continual retooling of wind flows, local ecologies, and ex‐herder precarity into a variegated strategy of atmospheric control for downwind places in the path of dust storms. Then, I explore how the recent ascendance of the Chinese state in international climate accords builds on a decade‐long theorization of “socialist ecological civilization” by Party theorists. In aligning the longevity of state socialism with the sustaining of planetary climate systems, I argue that Chinese international politics increasingly rely on a vision of China as infrastructural to the political and climatic apparatus of the planet as such. [climate change, environment, infrastructure, dust storms, China]
Making of the mind
Authors: Padilla Nelly , Lagercrantz Hugo
Published: January 2020

The essence of the mind is consciousness. It emerged early during evolution and ontogeny appears to follow the same process as phylogeny. Consciousness comes from multiple sources, including visual, auditory, sensorimotor and proprioceptive senses. These gradually combine during development to build a unified consciousness, due to the constant interactions between the brain, body, and environment. In the human the emergence of consciousness depends on the activation of the cortex by thalamocortical connections around 24 weeks after conception. Then, the human foetus can be potentially conscious, as it is aware of its body and reacts to touch, smell and sound and shows social expressions in response to external stimuli. However, it is mainly asleep and probably not aware of itself and its environment. In contrast, the newborn infant is awake after its first breaths of air and can be aware of its own self and others, express emotions and share feelings. The development of consciousness is a progressive, stepwise, structural and functional evolution of multiple intricate components. The infant fulfils some of the more basic criteria for consciousness. However, there are some important missing pieces at this stage, as it cannot remember the past and anticipate the future.
Building Forcello: Etruscan wattle‐and‐daub technique in the Po Plain (Bagnolo San Vito, Mantua, northern Italy)
Authors: Amicone S. , Croce E. , Castellano L. , Vezzoli G.
Published: January 2020

The study analyses through an interdisciplinary approach the wattle‐and‐daub building technique used on the Po Plain of northern Italy, focusing on the archaeological evidence from the Etruscan site of Forcello, near Bagnolo San Vito (Mantua) (540–375 bce). Wattle and daub is widespread across different times and periods, and is particularly common in regions such as the Po Plain, where stone sources for construction are not immediately available. Thanks to a combined archaeometric, geological and anthracological study, the paper provides new insights on a fifth‐century bce building structure from Forcello. The findings reveal information on the life history of this feature, including its construction, maintenance and final destruction. The research also sheds a new light on the wattle‐and‐daub technique and on the interaction between people and the Po Plain Etruscan palaeoenvironment.
Firms' intellectual property ownership aggressiveness in university–industry collaboration projects: Choosing the right governance mode
Authors: Gretsch Oliver , Tietze Frank , Kock Alexander
Published: January 2020

Intellectual property (IP) ownership aggressiveness constitutes an organization's strategic stance that prioritizes its IP protection. An organization thus pursues a rigid approach to protect its background IP and strives for exclusive ownership of the foreground IP that results from collaborative projects. This paper investigates how firms' IP ownership aggressiveness influences university–industry collaboration (UIC) project success and examines if the relationship is contingent on the governance modes that firms employ in UICs, especially the intensity of contract formality and shared governance. Analysing survey data from UIC projects of medium‐sized to large firms covering four industries, we find that the levels of contract formality and shared governance moderate the effect of firms' IP ownership aggressiveness on project success. Strong contract formality leads to a negative relationship between firms' IP ownership aggressiveness and UIC project success. Conversely, if firms apply strong shared governance, the relationship between IP ownership aggressiveness and UIC project success is positive. Given firms' strategic approach to protect background IP and claim ownership of foreground IP, these results have implications for UIC managers when selecting governance modes to best support UIC project success.
Dual antivascular function of human fibulin‐3 variant, a potential new drug discovery strategy for glioblastoma
Authors: Ke Chao , Luo Jun‐ran , Cen Zi‐wen , Li Yanyan , Cai Hai‐ping , Wang Jing , Chen Fu‐rong , Siegel Eric R. , Le Kody N. , Winokan Jesica R. , Gibson Grace J. , McSwain Asia E. , Afrasiabi Kambiz , Linskey Mark E. , Zhou You‐Xin , Chen Zhong‐ping , Zhou Yi‐Hong
Published: January 2020

The ECM protein EFEMP1 (fibulin‐3) is associated with all types of solid tumor through its cell context‐dependent dual function. A variant of fibulin‐3 was engineered by truncation and mutation to alleviate its oncogenic function, specifically the proinvasive role in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells at stem‐like state. ZR30 is an in vitro synthesized 39‐kDa protein of human fibulin‐3 variant. It has a therapeutic effect in intracranial xenograft models of human GBM, through suppression of epidermal growth factor receptor/AKT and NOTCH1/AKT signaling in GBM cells and extracellular MMP2 activation. Glioblastoma multiforme is highly vascular, with leaky blood vessels formed by tumor cells expressing endothelial cell markers, including CD31. Here we studied GBM intracranial xenografts, 2 weeks after intratumoral injection of ZR30 or PBS, by CD31 immunohistochemistry. We found a 70% reduction of blood vessel density in ZR30‐treated xenografts compared with that of PBS‐treated ones. Matrigel plug assays showed the effect of ZR30 on suppressing angiogenesis. We further studied the effect of ZR30 on genes involved in endothelial transdifferentiation (ETD), in 7 primary cultures derived from 3 GBMs under different culture conditions. Two GBM cultures formed mesh structures with upregulation of ETD genes shortly after culture in Matrigel Matrix, and ZR30 suppressed both. ZR30 also downregulated ETD genes in two GBM cultures with high expression of these genes. In conclusion, multifaceted tumor suppression effects of human fibulin‐3 variant include both suppression of angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry in GBM.
Business risk management programs under review
Authors: Slade Peter
Published: January 2020

The Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments recently enacted a new 5‐year agricultural policy framework, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. While the framework contained few changes to existing policies, the governments also committed to a full review of Canadian business risk management (BRM) programs. In this article, I provide an overview of the existing suite of BRM programs and summarize the BRM program review. I conclude by making recommendations for future policy frameworks.
Density and Distinctiveness in Early Word Learning: Evidence From Neural Network Simulations
Authors: Jones Samuel David , Brandt Silke
Published: January 2020

High phonological neighborhood density has been associated with both advantages and disadvantages in early word learning. High density may support the formation and fine‐tuning of new word sound memories—a process termed lexical configuration (e.g., Storkel, 2004). However, new high‐density words are also more likely to be misunderstood as instances of known words, and may therefore fail to trigger the learning process (e.g., Swingley & Aslin, 2007). To examine these apparently contradictory effects, we trained an autoencoder neural network on 587,954 word tokens (5,497 types, including mono‐ and multisyllabic words of all grammatical classes) spoken by 279 caregivers to English‐speaking children aged 18–24 months. We then simulated a communicative development inventory administration and compared network performance to that of 2,292 children aged 18–24 months. We argue that autoencoder performance illustrates concurrent density advantages and disadvantages, in contrast to prior behavioral and computational literature treating such effects independently. Low network error rates signal a configuration advantage for high‐density words, while high network error rates signal a triggering advantage for low‐density words. This interpretation is consistent with the application of autoencoders in academic research and industry, for simultaneous feature extraction (i.e., configuration) and anomaly detection (i.e., triggering). Autoencoder simulation therefore illustrates how apparently contradictory density and distinctiveness effects can emerge from a common learning mechanism.

Open Research Badges

This article has earned an Open Data badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://osf.io/2qk5j/. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.
Assessment of Turkish dentists’ knowledge about managing avulsed teeth
Authors: Duruk Gulsum , Erel Zehra Beyza
Published: January 2020

Background/Aim

The first intervention and clinical experience are important in the treatment of dental avulsions. The aim of this study was to evaluate general dentists’ and specialists’ knowledge about the management of avulsed teeth.

Materials Methods

A total of 400 participants were evaluated. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: The first part inquired about personal information. The second part evaluated dentists’ knowledge of emergency and clinical management in case of tooth avulsion. The third part was about dentists' perspective on dental trauma education and self‐evaluation on dental trauma knowledge. The survey data obtained were analyzed using the Kruskal‐Wallis test, Chi‐square test, and multiple regression analysis.

Results

The questionnaires were answered by 155 dental practitioners, 80 pediatric dentists, and 165 other specialists. Pediatric dentists who have seen more trauma cases during their education are more knowledgeable about the management of tooth avulsion (P < .01).

More than half of the dentists who participated in this study (58%) had less than 5 years of experience, 21% had between 6 and 10 years, 6.3% had between 11 and 15 years, 6% had between 16 and 20 years, and 8.8% had more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice. Dentists with fewer years of experience were more knowledgeable than dentists with more years of experience (P < .01).

Conclusion

The knowledge of dentists about the management of dental avulsion was acceptable but inadequate. While the knowledge of dentists was moderate, the knowledge of pediatric dentists was good.
Conformational flexibility of GRASPs and their constituent PDZ subdomains reveals structural basis of their promiscuous interactome
Authors: Mendes Luis Felipe S. , Batista Mariana R. B. , Judge Peter J. , Watts Anthony , Redfield Christina , Costa‐Filho Antonio J.
Published: January 2020

The Golgi complex is a central component of the secretory pathway, responsible for several critical cellular functions in eukaryotes. The complex is organized by the Golgi matrix that includes the Golgi reassembly and stacking protein (GRASP), which was shown to be involved in cisternae stacking and lateral linkage in metazoan. GRASPs also have critical roles in other processes, with an unusual ability to interact with several different binding partners. The conserved N terminus of the GRASP family includes two PSD‐95, DLG, and ZO‐1 (PDZ) domains. Previous crystallographic studies of orthologues suggest that PDZ1 and PDZ2 have similar conformations and secondary structure content. However, PDZ1 alone mediates nearly all interactions between GRASPs and their partners. In this work, NMR, synchrotron radiation CD, and molecular dynamics (MD) were used to examine the structure, flexibility, and stability of the two constituent PDZ domains. GRASP PDZs are structured in an unusual β3α1β4β5α2β6β1β2 secondary structural arrangement and NMR data indicate that the PDZ1 binding pocket is formed by a stable β2‐strand and a more flexible and unstable α2‐helix, suggesting an explanation for the higher PDZ1 promiscuity. The conformational free energy profiles of the two PDZ domains were calculated using MD simulations. The data suggest that, after binding, the protein partner significantly reduces the conformational space that GRASPs can access by stabilizing one particular conformation, in a partner‐dependent fashion. The structural flexibility of PDZ1, modulated by PDZ2, and the coupled, coordinated movement between the two PDZs enable GRASPs to interact with multiple partners, allowing them to function as promiscuous, multitasking proteins.
Evaluation of artificial intelligence for detecting periapical pathosis on cone‐beam computed tomography scans
Authors: Orhan K. , Bayrakdar I. S. , Ezhov M. , Kravtsov A. , Özyürek T.
Published: January 2020

Aim

To verify the diagnostic performance of an artificial intelligence system based on the deep convolutional neural network method to detect periapical pathosis on cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.

Methodology

images of 153 periapical lesions obtained from 109 patients were included. The specific area of the jaw and teeth associated with the periapical lesions were then determined by a human observer. Lesion volumes were calculated using the manual segmentation methods using Fujifilm‐Synapse 3D software (Fujifilm Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan). The neural network was then used to determine (i) whether the lesion could be detected; (ii) if the lesion was detected, where it was localized (maxilla, mandible or specific tooth); and (iii) lesion volume. Manual segmentation and artificial intelligence (AI) (Diagnocat Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA) methods were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Bland–Altman analysis.

Results

The deep convolutional neural network system was successful in detecting teeth and numbering specific teeth. Only one tooth was incorrectly identified. The AI system was able to detect 142 of a total of 153 periapical lesions. The reliability of correctly detecting a periapical lesion was 92.8%. The deep convolutional neural network volumetric measurements of the lesions were similar to those with manual segmentation. There was no significant difference between the two measurement methods (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Volume measurements performed by humans and by AI systems were comparable to each other. AI systems based on deep learning methods can be useful for detecting periapical pathosis on CBCT images for clinical application.
Effect of a hybrid process, high hydrostatic pressure treatment combined with mixed‐strain fermentation, on the quality of the dietary fibre in pickled vegetables
Authors: Li Wenhui , Jin Quan , Wu Qiaoyu , Zhang Wei , Luo Yiqing , Gu Sihao , Wu Jinhong , Wang Zhengwu
Published: January 2020

A new hybrid processing technology, mixed‐strain (Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici; mixed‐LAB) fermentation combined with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment, was used to modify the dietary fibre (DF) in Sichuan pickled vegetables. This process significantly improved the swelling and water holding capacities of the DF, while the oil holding capacities first increased and then decreased sharply with elevated pressure. Physio‐functional properties of DF, including heavy metal adsorption, cholate adsorption and α‐amylase inhibitory activity, were also enhanced, and antioxidant activity assays revealed an increase in the free radical scavenging ability and the ferric reducing adsorption capacity. The DF structure analysis showed that the hybrid process increased the contents of soluble dietary fibre and monosaccharides of the DF. Moreover, the microstructure is loosened and the surface pore size is expanded. These results indicate that combining mixed‐LAB fermentation with HHP treatment is a potential tool that would enable the production of a better quality of DF.
Efficacy of benzyl isothiocyanate for controlling Salmonella on alfalfa seeds and sprouts
Authors: Yin Hsin‐Bai , Boomer Ashley , Chen Chi‐Hung , Patel Jitendra
Published: January 2020

The efficacy of benzyl isothiocyanate (BIT), a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, for controlling Salmonella on alfalfa seeds and sprouts was investigated. Alfalfa seeds were inoculated by individual Salmonella enterica serotypes Newport, Typhimurium, Tennessee, Montevideo, or Braenderup at two inoculation levels of 3 or 5 log CFU g−1, followed by treatment with BIT (0.5–2%) or chlorine (2%) for 15 min. Treated seeds were sprouted in seed sprouters. Surviving Salmonella populations on the seeds and sprouts were determined. At both inoculum levels, 1.5% and 2% of BIT significantly reduced populations S. Typhimurium and S. Braenderup on seeds to a level comparable to the chlorine‐treated seeds. Salmonella populations recovered from the sprouts germinated from 1.5% or 2% BIT‐treated seeds were significantly lower than the control and chlorine‐treated seeds at both inoculum levels (P < 0.05). The results of the study indicate that BIT can be used to control Salmonella contamination on alfalfa seeds and subsequent sprouting process.
Lean mass index is positively associated with white matter volumes in several brain regions in children with overweight/obesity
Authors: Gracia‐Marco Luis , Esteban‐Cornejo Irene , Ubago‐Guisado Esther , Rodriguez‐Ayllon Maria , Mora‐Gonzalez Jose , Solis‐Urra Patricio , Cadenas‐Sanchez Cristina , Verdejo‐Roman Juan , Catena Andres , Erickson Kirk I. , Ortega Francisco B.
Published: January 2020

Background

The relationship of obesity with grey and white matter volumes has been examined in several studies, and the results are decidedly mixed.

Objective

To investigate the associations of body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI) and lean mass index (LMI) with total and regional grey and white matter volumes.

Methods

This is a cross‐sectional study involving 100 children (60% boys) with overweight/obesity. T1‐weighted images were acquired using magnetic resonance imaging. Dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry was used to measure body composition. Separate hierarchical regression analyses were performed between predictor variables (BMI, FMI and LMI) and the total brain volumes including sex, years from peak height velocity and parental education as covariates. In addition, FMI was added as a covariate when LMI was the predictor and vice versa. Statistical analyses of imaging data were performed using three whole‐brain voxel‐wise multiple regression models and adjusted by the same covariates.

Results

LMI was positively associated with white matter in numerous regions and to a lower extent, with grey matter regions. Further, the relationship between LMI, and grey and white matter regions was independent of FMI levels.

Conclusions

LMI seems to be a positive predictor of regional white matter volumes in children with overweight/obesity.
Persistent atrial fibrillation over 3 years is associated with higher recurrence after catheter ablation
Authors: Yu Hee Tae , Kim In‐Soo , Kim Tae‐Hoon , Uhm Jae‐Sun , Kim Jong‐Youn , Joung Boyoung , Lee Moon‐Hyoung , Pak Hui‐Nam
Published: January 2020

Instruction

Longer atrial fibrillation (AF) durations have higher recurrence rates after rhythm control. However, there is limited data on the effect of the AF duration on recurrence after atrial fibrillation catheter ablation (AFCA). In the present study, we investigated the rhythm outcome of AFCA according to the AF duration based on the first electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis.

Methods and Results

We included 1005 patients with AF (75% male, 59 ± 11 years old) who underwent AFCA and whose first ECG diagnosis time point was evident. The clinical characteristics and rhythm outcomes were compared based on the AF duration (≤3 years, n = 537; >3 years, n = 468) and AF burden (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation [PAF], n = 387; persistent atrial fibrillation [PeAF], n = 618). Longer AF durations were associated with older age (P = .020), larger left atrial size (P = .009) and a higher number of patients with hypertension (P < .001) or PeAF (P < .001). During 24 ± 22 months of follow‐up, the postablation clinical recurrence rate was higher in patients with a longer AF duration (logrank P = .002). The AF recurrence rate was significantly higher in PeAF patients with an AF duration >3 years (logrank P = 0.009), but not in subjects with PAF (logrank P = .939). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, a longer AF duration was significantly associated with a higher clinical recurrence rate after AFCA in PeAF patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.06; range, 1.03‐0.10; P = 0.001), but not PAF.

Conclusion

Although longer AF duration was associated with higher clinical recurrence rates after AFCA, the rate was significant in patients with PeAF lasting >3 years, but not in PAF patients.
Extracellular nanovesicles‐transmitted circular RNA has_circ_0000190 suppresses osteosarcoma progression
Authors: Li Shenglong , Pei Yi , Wang Wei , Liu Fei , Zheng Ke , Zhang Xiaojing
Published: January 2020

Under the microenvironment, tumour progression is substantially affected by cell‐cell communication. In spite of the mediating effect of extracellular nanovesicles (EVs) on cell‐cell communication by packaging into circRNAs, the effect of EVs circRNA hsa_circ_0000190 (circ‐0000190) in osteosarcoma is still not clear. Circ‐0000190 expressions in tissues and EVs from plasma were compared between osteosarcoma patients and controls. Thereafter, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn and area under the curve was calculated to examine whether the diagnostic results were accurate, and the effect of EVs circ‐0000190 was dug out via the determination of cell phenotypes and animal assays. Results showed circ‐0000190 exhibited an obvious reduction in EVs and tissues of osteosarcoma patients (P < .05). It was also discovered that EVs encapsulated the majority of circ‐0000190, and EVs‐encapsulated circ‐0000190 could be applied to make a distinction between osteosarcoma patients and controls. Besides, EVs circ‐0000190 in osteosarcoma cells transported from normal cells weakened the capacities of osteosarcoma cells to migrate, proliferate and invade, so as to block their biological malignant behaviours (P < .05). In addition, under the action of EVs circ‐0000190, tumour growth was impeded and the expression of TET1 was inhibited via the competitive binding to miR‐767‐5p. In all, EVs circ‐0000190 has a good prospect as it can be regarded as a new biomarker for detecting osteosarcoma. EVs circ‐0000190 transported from normal cells to osteosarcoma cells impeded the in vitro and in vivo development of osteosarcoma, implying that EVs circ‐0000190 exerts an effect on communication between normal cells and osteosarcoma cells in the carcinogenesis process of osteosarcoma.