bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A physiologically-validated rat model of term birth asphyxia with seizure generation after, not during, brain hypoxia
Authors: Ala-Kurikka Tommi , Pospelov Alexey , Summanen Milla , Alafuzoff Aleksander , Kurki Samu , Voipio Juha , Kaila Kai 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTBirth asphyxia (BA) is often associated with seizures which emerge during the recovery and may exacerbate the ensuing hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. In rodent models of BA, exposure to hypoxia is used to evoke seizures, which commence already during the insult. Here, we introduce a term-equivalent model of BA, in which seizures are triggered after, not during, brain hypoxia. Postnatal day 11-12 rat pups were exposed either to steady asphyxia (15 min; 5 % O2+ 20 % CO2) or to intermittent asphyxia (30 min; three 5+5 min cycles of 9 % and 5 % O2at constant 20 % CO2). Cortical activity and seizures were recorded in freely-behaving animals. Simultaneous electrode measurements of cortical local field potentials (LFP) and intracortical pH andPo2were made under urethane-anesthesia. Both protocols decreased blood pH to <7.0 and base excess by 20 mmol/l, and evoked an increase in plasma copeptin (0.2 to 5 nM). Clonic and tonic convulsions were triggered after intermittent but not steady asphyxia, and they were tightly associated with electrographic seizures. During intermittent asphyxia LFP activity was suppressed as brain pH decreased from 7.3 to 6.7. BrainPo2fell below detection level in 5 % ambient O2but returned to the baseline level during steps to 9 % O2. Neuronal hyperexcitability and seizures were suppressed in all types of experiments when the post-asphyxia brain pH recovery was slowed down by 5 % CO2. Our data suggest that the recurring hypoxic episodes during intermittent asphyxia promote neuronal excitability, which becomes established as hyperexcitability and seizures only after the suppressing effect of the hypercapnic acidosis is relieved. The present rodent model of BA is to our knowledge the first one in which, consistent with clinical BA, robust behavioral and electrographic seizures are triggered after and not during the BA-mimicking insult.
Very high extinction risk for Welwitschia mirabilis in the northern Namib Desert
Authors: Bombi Pierluigi , Salvi Daniele , Shuuya Titus , Vignoli Leonardo , Wassenaar Theo 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOne of the most recognisable icon of the Namib Desert is the endemic gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis. Recent studies indicated that climate change may seriously affect populations in the northern Namibia subrange (Kunene region) but their extinction risk has not yet been assessed. In this study, we apply IUCN criteria to define the extinction risk of welwitschia populations in northern Namibia and assign them to a red list category. We collected field data in the field to estimate relevant parameters for this assessment. We observed 1330 plants clustered in 12 small and isolated stands. The extent of occurrence has a surface of 214.2 km2 (i.e. < 5000 km2) and the area of occupancy a surface of 56.0 km2 (i.e. < 500 km2). The quality of habitat is expected to face a reduction of 69.47 % (i.e. > 50 %) as a consequence of climate change predicted in the area. These data indicate a very high extinction risk for welwitschia in northern Kunene and classify these populations as endangered (EN) according to IUCN criteria. Similar assessments for other subranges are prevented by the lack of relevant data, an issue that deserves further research attention. Our results advocate the necessity of a management plan for the species, including measures for mitigating the impact of climate change on isolated populations across its fragmented range.
The Basolateral amygdala → Nucleus Accumbens core circuit mediates the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine-paired cues on cocaine seeking
Authors: Puaud Mickaël , Higuera-Matas Alejandro , Brunault Paul , Everitt Barry J. , Belin David 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIndividuals addicted to cocaine spend much of their time foraging for the drug. Pavlovian drug-associated conditioned stimuli exert a major influence on the initiation and maintenance of drug seeking often long into abstinence, especially when presented response-contingently, acting as conditioned reinforcers that bridge delays to drug use. The acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking has been shown to depend on functional interactions between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the core of the nucleus accumbens (NAcC). However, the precise neuronal circuits underlying the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking behaviour have not been elucidated. Here we used a projection-specific Cre-dependent DREADD-mediated causal approach to test the hypothesis that the direct projections from the BLA to the NAcC are required for the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking behaviour. In Sprague Dawley rats with cre-mediated expression of the inhibitory DREADD Hm4Di in the NAcC projecting BLA neurons, treatment with CNO, but not vehicle, selectively prevented the impact of cocaine-associated conditioned reinforcement on cocaine seeking under a second-order schedule of reinforcement. This effect was attributable to the chemogenetic inhibition of the NAcC projecting BLA neurons as it was reversible, and absent in CNO-treated rats expressing an empty control virus. In contrast, chemogenetic inhibition of the anterior insula, which receives collateral projections from NAcC projecting BLA neurons, was without effect. These data demonstrate that the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking that depends on the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine cues require activity in the direct projections from the basolateral amygdala to the nucleus accumbens core.
A semi-supervised Bayesian approach for simultaneous protein sub-cellular localisation assignment and novelty detection
Authors: Crook Oliver M. , Geladaki Aikaterini , Nightingale Daniel J.H. , Vennard Owen , Lilley Kathryn S. , Gatto Laurent , Kirk Paul D.W. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe cell is compartmentalised into complex micro-environments allowing an array of specialised biological processes to be carried out in synchrony. Determining a protein’s sub-cellular localisation to one or more of these compartments can therefore be a first step in determining its function. High-throughput and high-accuracy mass spectrometry-based sub-cellular proteomic methods can now shed light on the localisation of thousands of proteins at once. Machine learning algorithms are then typically employed to make protein-organelle assignments. However, these algorithms are limited by insufficient and incomplete annotation. We propose a semi-supervised Bayesian approach to novelty detection, allowing the discovery of additional, previously unannotated sub-cellular niches. Inference in our model is performed in a Bayesian framework, allowing us to quantify uncertainty in the allocation of proteins to new sub-cellular niches, as well as in the number of newly discovered compartments. We apply our approach across 10 mass spectrometry based spatial proteomic datasets, representing a diverse range of experimental protocols. Application of our approach tohyperLOPIT datasets validates its utility by recovering enrichment with chromatin-associated proteins without annotation and uncovers sub-nuclear compartmentalisation which was not identified in the original analysis. Moreover, using sub-cellular proteomics data fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae, we uncover a novel group of proteins trafficking from the ER to the early Golgi apparatus. Overall, we demonstrate the potential for novelty detection to yield biologically relevant niches that are missed by current approaches.
Type I and III interferons disrupt lung epithelial repair during recovery from viral infection
Authors: Major J. , Crotta S. , Llorian M. , McCabe T. M. , Gad H. H. , Hartmann R. , Wack A. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractExcessive cytokine signalling frequently exacerbates lung tissue damage during respiratory viral infection. Type I and III interferons (IFN-α/β and IFN-λ) are host-produced antiviral cytokines and currently considered as COVID-19 therapy. Prolonged IFN-α/β responses can lead to harmful proinflammatory effects, whereas IFN-λ mainly signals in epithelia, inducing localised antiviral immunity. Here we show that IFN signalling interferes with lung repair during influenza recovery, with IFN-λ driving these effects most potently. IFN-induced p53 directly reduces epithelial proliferation and differentiation, increasing disease severity and susceptibility to bacterial superinfections. Hence, excessive or prolonged IFN-production aggravates viral infection by impairing lung epithelial regeneration. Therefore, timing and duration are critical parameters of endogenous IFN action, and should be considered carefully for IFN therapeutic strategies against viral infections like influenza and COVID-19.One Sentence SummaryA novel IFN-mediated mechanism of immunopathology during respiratory virus infection by interference with lung tissue repair.
Novel strategies of Raman imaging for monitoring intracellular retinoid metabolism in cancer cells
Authors: Abramczyk Halina , Imiela Anna , Surmacki Jakub 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe developed a label-free Raman method for whole-cell biochemical imaging to detect molecular processes that occur in normal and cancer brain cells due to retinol transport in human cancers at the level of isolated organelles. Our approach allows to create biochemical maps of retinoids localization in lipid droplets, mitochondria and nuclei in single cells. The maps were capable of discriminating triglycerides (TAG) from retinoids (RE) in lipid droplets (LD), and mitochondria providing an excellent tool to monitor intracellular retinoid metabolism. We detected spectral changes that arose in proteins and lipids due to retinoid metabolism in human cell lines of normal astrocytes and high-grade cancer cells of glioblastoma as well as in human medulloblastoma and glioblastoma tissue. Raman imaging is an effective tool for monitoring retinoids and retinol binding proteins involved in carcinogenesis by detecting unique spectral signatures of vibrations. We found two functionally distinct lipid droplets: TAG-LD, for energy storage, and RE-LD, for regulating mechanisms of signal transduction. Raman polarization measurements revealed the occurrence of conformational changes affecting discrete regions of proteins associated with retinol binding. Aberrant expression of retinoids and retinol binding proteins in human tumours were localized in lipid droplets, and mitochondria.
Clinical and Genetic Characteristics of Covid-19 Patients from UK Biobank
Authors: Kolin David A. , Kulm Scott , Elemento Olivier 
Published: May 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo explore both clinical and genetic risk factors for Covid-19 in a cohort from the United Kingdom.DesignProspective cohort study.Participants669 positive Covid-19 patients within a cohort of 502,536 UK Biobank participants, recruited between 2006 and 2010.Main Outcome MeasuresThe main outcome measure was Covid-19 positive status, determined by the presence of any positive test for a single individual. We also assessed risk factors for inpatient and outpatient status for Covid-19 positive individuals.ResultsWe found that black participants were at over three times increased risk of testing positive for Covid-19, relative to white participants, even after adjusting for confounders (adjusted relative risk [ARR] 3.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.28 to 4.31). Asian participants were also at higher risk of Covid-19 (ARR 2.03, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.95). Next, we analyzed the association of comorbidities with Covid-19. We found that participants were at increased risk of Covid-19 if they had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ARR 1.54, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.31) or ischemic heart disease (ARR 1.56, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.07). However, there was no evidence that either angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ARR 1.32, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.84) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARR 1.37, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.98) increased the risk of Covid-19. We confirmed that blood type A was associated with Covid-19 relative to blood type O individuals, and we also found that the HLA variant DQA1_509 was enriched in Covid-19 positive cases, even after Bonferroni correction (P = 1.0 x 10−5).ConclusionsIn this study, we found that black and Asian participants were at increased risk of Covid-19, even after adjusting for confounders. We also identified a novel genetic association with the HLA variant DQA1_509. Further investigations of genetic associations with Covid-19 may lead to important discoveries of genetic drivers of severe disease.
Problems encountered by elders in residential care services in Hong Kong
Authors: Lam Gigi 
Published: May 2020

PurposeHong Kong implements a policy for the aging population involving the core themes of “aging in place as the core,” “institutional care as backup” and “continuum of care.” Encouraging elders to live independently at home is a top priority, and elders who are not able to live at home independently are provided with various residential care services, namely Hostels for the Elderly, Homes for the Aged, Care and Attention (C&A) Homes for the Elderly and Nursing Homes (NHs). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the adoption of the publicly funded model of providing residential care services of elderly in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes the current conundrum encountered by elders in residential care services and makes recommendations. A comprehensive literature review was conducted covering relevant government reports, academics' journal papers and nongovernmental organizations’ reports concerning residential care service of elderly from 1965 to present.FindingsSubsidized residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) clearly outperform private RCHEs in terms of space and staff provisions, but the supply of subsidized RCHEs cannot meet the demand. Hence, between 2007 and 2018, the average waiting time was 33 months for NHs and that for C&A homes was 23 months. Several viable measures to meet the demand are purchasing Enhanced Bought Place Schemes (EBPSs) from private RCHEs, subsidizing elders who opt for living in private RCHEs by providing them with Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and residential care service voucher (RCSV) and subsidizing elderly applicants who opt for living in RCHEs in Guangdong. However, these viable measures are problematic because of the inadequate quality of EBPSs and private RCHEs, which is attributed to the costing arrangement of public and private RCHEs that were established in the colonial period. The brief history of RCHEs also indicates a deviation from the original policy aim, namely aging in place, which was introduced in the Green Paper on Services for the Elderly in 1977.Practical implicationsThe supply and quality of community and home care services should be thoroughly examined; effective community and home care services can prevent and even delay unnecessary institutionalization. Another complementary solution is to devise a long-term plan for residential care services. To address disparities in quality standards in different RCHEs, adopting the combination of punitive and compliance models such as conducting frequent inspections and implementing an accreditation system for private RCHEs is imperative.Originality/valueAlthough the principle of “aging in place” originated in 1977, the institutionalization rate 6.8% of elders was unexpectedly high in Hong Kong and even surpassed the Asian counterparts. It necessities to rethink how to implement policy concerning long-term care services of elders.
Who are farm animal welfare conscious consumers?
Authors: Boaitey Albert , Minegishi Kota 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to synthesize the literature on consumer preferences for farm animal welfare (FAW), with an emphasis on characterizing consumers based on their FAW preferences. The objective is to provide insights into the salient characteristics associated with animal welfare conscious consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a systematic review of the results of published research on consumer preferences for FAW. Approximately 350 papers were reviewed, and 52 were included in the analysis.FindingsThe authors’ review suggests that consumers are not homogenous in their preferences for FAW. The authors identify seven themes that enabled them to characterize consumers with higher FAW preferences. These themes (i.e. age, education and income, gender, country and cross-cultural differences, attitudes and consumer and citizen functions) are grouped under four main headings (socio-demographics, ethics and attitudes, product characteristics and public roles).Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ synthesis reflects the findings reported in the literature to this date; the identified characteristics may change with time as new evidence becomes available.Practical implicationsThe information collected in this article would be useful to farmers and food and non-food retailers interested in effective product differentiation and marketing strategies regarding FAW standards. It can also inform policymakers about the state of consumer concerns for FAW.Originality/valueTo the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first study that attempts to develop a systematic profile of consumers based on their FAW preferences.
The potential problem of picky eating: a pilot study among university students of food and nutrition
Authors: Kim So-young , Lee EunJu 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis pilot study is aimed to explore the potential problem of picky eating (PE) among university students majoring in food and nutrition as prospective nutrition professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe current pilot study included a total of 87 South Korean students majoring in food and nutrition. The self-designed Food Bridge program was applied to identify the underlying causes of PE and examine the possibility of overcoming it. The program included planning and practicing stepwise exposures to target foods that were the subject of PE. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and distributive differences between the success and failure groups in the program were analyzed using a chi-squared test.FindingsVegetables were the most commonly disliked foods (74.7%). About 46% of all students mentioned negative experiences as a reason for food dislikes. Almost half (45%) of these negative experiences were due to external coercion: forced eating (30.0%) and vomiting after forced eating (15.0%). About 66% of the students achieved relatively positive results in overcoming PE. The proportion of failures tended to be higher when the reasons for food dislike included negative experiences.Originality/valueAs the current study implied, students majoring in food and nutrition can be subject to PE. Despite study limitations, this study is meaningful in that it raises concerns over the potential problem of PE and its treatment among prospective nutrition professionals. This study is also expected to serve as a basis for further research on adult PE.
The evolution of MNCs' R&D foreign units: the case of Swedish MNCs in India
Authors: Schweizer Roger , Lagerström Katarina , Jakobsson Johan 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe article aims to explain how the drivers of subsidiary evolution influence a multinational company's (MNC) research and development (R&D) subsidiary's evolution over time.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on insights from a longitudinal comparative case study of three Swedish MNCs' Indian R&D units.FindingsThe study shows that the evolution of R&D units is a triangular showdown among headquarter assignments, local market constraints, and opportunities, and that subsidiary choice is an important driver of both mandated extension and stagnation. We summarize our findings in various propositions that emphasize different drivers over time and that highlight the strong impact of a subsidiary's understanding of the corporate immune system on the evolution of that subsidiary's R&D mandate.Research limitations/implicationsDrawing on the common limitations of a case study approach, further research is needed to test the suggested propositions with larger samples, ideally with subsidiaries in other emerging and developed markets.Practical implicationsThe study illustrates the risks involved for subsidiary managers when pushing an R&D mandate-related initiative too far and provoking the corporate immune system. For headquarters management, the study highlights the importance of understanding that the development of R&D competence and capability at a subsidiary cannot be guided solely by headquarter assignments and local market characteristics; rather, the subsidiary's initiatives also need to be considered.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on R&D internationalization by showing how the drivers of subsidiary evolution influence a subsidiary's R&D mandates over time and that subsidiary choice is an important driver of both mandated extension and stagnation.
Understanding and visualizing schedule deviations in construction projects using fault tree analysis
Authors: Hsu Pei-Yuan , Aurisicchio Marco , Angeloudis Panagiotis , Whyte Jennifer 
Published: May 2020

PurposeDelays in construction projects are both disruptive and expensive. Thus, potential causes of schedule deviation need to be identified and mitigated. In previous research, delay factors were predominantly identified through surveys administered to stakeholders in construction projects. Such delay factors are typically considered individually and presented at the same level without explicitly examining their sequence of occurrence and inter-relationships. In reality, owing to the complex structure of construction projects and long execution time, non-conformance to schedule occurs by a chain of cascading events. An understanding of these linkages is important not only for minimising the delays but also for revealing the liability of stakeholders. To explicitly illustrate the cause–effect and logical relationship between delay factors and further identify the primary factors which possess the highest significance toward the overall project schedule delay, the fault tree analysis (FTA) method, a widely implemented approach to root cause problems in safety-critical systems, has been systematically and rigorously executed.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study, the in-depth analysis for identifying the most fundamental delay factors has been fulfilled through FTA's tree structure. The logical deduction for mapping and visualising the chronological and cause–effect relationships between various delay factors has been conducted through the logical gate functions of FTA based on the data collected from the site event log, pre-fabricated structural component manufacturing log and face-to-face interview with project stakeholders.FindingsThe analysis identified multiple delay factors and showed how they are linked logically and chronologically from the primary causes to the ultimate undesired event in a rigorous manner. A comparison was performed between the proposed FTA model and the conventional investigation method for revealing the responsibility employed in the construction industry, consisting of event logs and problem reports. The results indicate that the FTA model provides richer information and a clearer picture of the network of delay factors. Importantly, the ability of FTA in revealing the causal connection between the events leading to the undesired delays and in comprehending their prominence in the real-world construction project has been clearly displayed.Originality/ valueThis study demonstrates a new application of FTA in the construction sector allowing the delay factors to be understood and visualised from a new perspective. The new approach has practical use in finding and removing root causes of the delay, as well as clarifying the attribution of responsibility that causes the delay.