bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modelling the inclusion of swelling pressure in a tissue level poroviscoelastic model of cartilage deformation
Authors: Whiteley Jonathan P , Gaffney Eamonn A 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSwelling pressure in the interstitial fluid within the pores of cartilage tissue is known to have a significant effect on the rheology of cartilage tissue. The swelling pressure varies rapidly within thin regions inside pores known as Debye layers, caused by the presence of fixed charge, as observed in cartilage. Tissue level calculation of cartilage deformation therefore requires resolution of three distinct spatial scales: the Debye lengthscale within individual pores; the lengthscale of an individual pore; and the tissue lengthscale. We use asymptotics to construct a leading order approximation to the swelling pressure within pores, allowing the swelling pressure to be systematically included within a fluid-solid interaction model at the level of pores in cartilage. We then use homogenization to derive tissue level equations for cartilage deformation that are very similar to those governing the finite deformation of a poroviscoelastic body. The equations derived permit the spatial variations in porosity and electric charge that occur in cartilage tissue. Example solutions are then used to confirm the plausibility of the model derived and to consider the impact of fixed charge heterogeneity, illustrating that local fixed charge loss is predicted to increase deformation gradients under confined compression away from, rather than at, the site of loss.
Effect of colistin-based antibiotic combinations on the eradication of persister cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Baek Mi Suk , Chung Eun Seon , Jung Dong Sik , Ko Kwan Soo 
Published: December 2019

AbstractObjectivesPersister cells are responsible for antibiotic treatment failure and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The synergistic lethal effects of antibiotic combinations on persister cells were investigated using Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates.MethodsPersister assays were performed on P. aeruginosa clinical isolates using colistin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin and cefepime, individually and in combination. ATP concentrations were measured and morphological changes in persister cells were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of relA, spoT and obg genes was evaluated and persister-cell formation was investigated in a relA and spoT double mutant (ΔrelAΔspoT).ResultsThe P. aeruginosa persister cells were eradicated upon exposure to the colistin-based antibiotic combination colistin + ciprofloxacin. Simultaneous treatment with both antibiotics, rather than sequential treatment, caused more effective eradication. The intracellular ATP concentration was most reduced in colistin persisters. While the spoT gene was only overexpressed in colistin-persister cells, the relA gene was overexpressed in all persister cells compared with untreated parent cells. TEM analysis suggested the possibility that persister cells might be formed by different mechanisms depending on the antibiotic. Cell elongation and cell wall or membrane damage in colistin persisters, DNA condensation in amikacin persisters and outer membrane vesicles in ciprofloxacin persisters were identified.ConclusionsIn P. aeruginosa, the colistin-based antibiotic combination (colistin + ciprofloxacin) was effective for the eradication of persister cells, probably due to the different persister cell-formation mechanisms between the two antibiotics. Simultaneous, rather than sequential, treatment with two antibiotics could be more effective for eradicating persister P. aeruginosa cells.
Separating and imaging diffractions of seismic waves in the full-azimuth dip-angle domain
Authors: Li Chuangjian , Zhao Jingtao , Peng Suping , Cui Xiaoqin , Lin Peng 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Seismic diffractions are ideal carriers of information on small-scale, discontinuous objects and can therefore be used to detect these geologic objects. However, recognizing diffractions is difficult because specular reflection with strong energy masks the weak diffraction. In this study, we propose a diffraction separation and imaging method based on a Mahalanobis-based and phase-based attenuation function used to modify the Kirchhoff migration formula in the full-azimuth dip-angle domain. In this domain, reflections are restricted to within the first Fresnel zone and are distributed in the vicinity of the stationary point, while diffractions are located across a wide range of azimuth and dip angles. Synthetic and field data applications suggest that this new method can effectively separate and image diffractions. The results also demonstrate the efficiency of the new method in clarifying subsurface small-scale objects, which can provide finer information about these structures for seismic interpretation.
INTERNAL DOSIMETRY TOOL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION AND USE OF NEW ICRP/OIR MODELS: A CAESIUM STUDY
Authors: Moraleda Montse , Sánchez-León Guillermo , López Maria Antoniá 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
In case of accidental intake of radioactive material, the dose assessment requires information on the radionuclide distribution in the body. Measurements of retention or excretion are compared with model’s predictions to estimate the intake. The reference models for internal dosimetry purposes are those proposed by ICRP and have been recently updated in the ‘Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides (OIR)’ series. This work focusses on the implementation of the new caesium model in a computer package, ICRP130Models (integrated in the toolbox BIOKMOD), together with new features aimed at estimating the intake and the dose from bioassay measurements. The software gives the best fitted intake and the committed effective dose, as well as the chi-squared test and the p-value as an indication of the goodness of the fit in the assessment process. The possibility to build the model as a function of a parameter allows the user to look for different options when fitting the bioassay measurements.
Advances in the diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Moore Erica , Huang Michelle W. , Putterman Chaim 
Published: December 2019

Purpose of review
Diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) remains challenging as the pathogenesis is still being debated. In this review, we discuss studies evaluating recent advances in diagnostic methods, pathogenic mediators and potential treatments.

Recent findings
Screening tools used for neurodegenerative diseases were found to be both sensitive and moderately specific for cognitive dysfunction in NPSLE. Neuroimaging can be used to distinguish systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients from healthy controls, but further refinement is needed to differentiate between lupus patients with and without neuropsychiatric manifestations. Elevated levels of specific molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid and/or serum, as well as the presence of certain autoantibodies, have been identified as potential biomarkers in attempts to facilitate a more accurate and objective diagnosis. Among such autoantibodies, anti-NR2 and anti-ribosomal P autoantibodies also have a pathogenic role, although newer studies demonstrate that blood–brain barrier damage may not always be required as previously believed. These and other observations, together with new evidence for disease attenuation after microglial modulation, suggest direct involvement of the central nervous system in NPSLE pathogenesis.

Summary
Neuropsychiatric involvement of SLE includes a variety of symptoms that impact quality of life and patient prognosis. There have been recent advances in improving the diagnosis of NPSLE as well as in dissecting the underlying pathogenesis. The attenuation of neuropsychiatric disease in mouse models demonstrates the potential for targeted therapies, which are based on a clearer understanding of the pathogenesis of NPSLE. Further assessment of these treatments is required in NPSLE patients, as well as the potential use of neuroimaging to distinguish between SLE patients with or without neuropsychiatric manifestations.
Design and psychometric analysis of a climacteric adjustment questionnaire for middle-aged women
Authors: Reyhani Mitra , Kazemi Ashraf , Farajzadegan Ziba , Keshvari Mahrokh 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

Objective:
The climacteric adjustment questionnaire (CAQ) was developed to assess the adjustment with fertility changes in middle-aged women. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CAQ in a sample of Iranian middle-aged women.

Method:
This study used the impact item method and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to evaluate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the developed questionnaire. The primary questionnaire was developed based on a qualitative study. A principal componential analysis (34 items) with Varimax rotation was conducted in a cross-sectional study on 277 middle-aged women.

Results:
In the qualitative section, of the 34 items extracted, those with an impact item index of over 1.5, a content validity ratio of over 0.42, and a content validity index of over 0.79 were considered as valid. EFA reduced the list of the items to 32 with six factors capable of predicting 58% of the variance. The Cronbach's α coefficient for CAQ was 0.863.

Conclusion:
The findings of the present study indicated that the validity and reliability of the questionnaire designed to measure the adjustment to the climacteric period in middle-aged women could be used in related studies.
Exploiting the Reverse Vaccinology Approach to Design Novel Subunit Vaccine against Ebola Virus
Authors: Ullah Md. Asad , Sarkar Bishajit , Islam Syed Sajidul 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEbola virus is a highly pathogenic RNA virus that causes haemorrhagic fever in human. With very high mortality rate, Ebola virus is considered as one of the dangerous viruses in the world. Although, the Ebola outbreaks claimed many lives in the past, no satisfactory treatment or vaccine have been discovered yet to fight against Ebola. For this reason, in this study, various tools of bioinformatics and immunoinformatics were used to design possible vaccines against Zaire Ebola virus strain Mayinga-76. To construct the vaccine, three potential antigenic proteins of the virus, matrix protein VP40, envelope glycoprotein and nucleoprotein were selected against which the vaccines would be designed. The MHC class-I, MHC class-II and B-cell epitopes were determined and after robust analysis through various tools and molecular docking analysis, three vaccine candidates, designated as EV-1, EV-2 and EV-3, were constructed. Since the highly conserved epitopes were used for vaccine construction, these vaccine constructs are also expected to be effective on other strains of Ebola virus like strain Gabon-94 and Kikwit-95. Next, the molecular docking study on these vaccine constructs were analyzed by molecular docking study and EV-1 emerged as the best vaccine construct. Later, molecular dynamics simulation study revealed the good performances as well as good stability of the vaccine protein. Finally, codon adaptation and in silico cloning were conducted to design a possible plasmid (pET-19b plasmid vector was used) for large scale, industrial production of the EV-1 vaccine.
Late-life restoration of mitochondrial function reverses cardiac dysfunction in old mice
Authors: Chiao Ying Ann , Zhang Huiliang , Sweetwyne Mariya , Whitson Jeremy , Ting Ying Sonia , Basisty Nathan , Pino Lindsay , Quarles Ellen , Nguyen Ngoc-Han , Campbell Matthew D. , Zhang Tong , Gaffrey Matthew J. , Merrihew Gennifer , Wang Lu , Yue Yongping , Duan Dongsheng , Granzier Henk , Szeto Hazel H. , Qian Wei-Jun , Marcinek David , MacCoss Michael J. , Rabinovitch Peter S. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractDiastolic dysfunction is a prominent feature of cardiac aging in both mice and humans. We show here that 8-week treatment of old mice with the mitochondrial targeted peptide SS-31 (elamipretide) can substantially reverse this deficit. SS-31 normalized the increase in proton leak and reduced mitochondrial ROS in cardiomyocytes from old mice, accompanied by reduced protein oxidation and a shift towards a more reduced protein thiol redox state in old hearts. Improved diastolic function was concordant with increased phosphorylation of cMyBP-C Ser282 but was independent of titin isoform shift. Late-life viral expression of mitochondrial-targeted catalase (mCAT) produced similar functional benefits in old mice and SS-31 did not improve cardiac function of old mCAT mice, implicating normalizing mitochondrial oxidative stress as an overlapping mechanism. These results demonstrate that pre-existing cardiac aging phenotypes can be reversed by targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and implicate mitochondrial energetics and redox signaling as therapeutic targets for cardiac aging.
A general role of zinc binding domain revealed by structures of σ28-dependent transcribing complexes
Authors: Shi Wei , Zhou Wei , Zhang Baoyue , Huang Shaojia , Jiang Yanan , Schammel Abigail , Hu Yangbo , Liu Bin 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn bacteria, σ28is the flagella-specific sigma factor that controls the expression of flagella-related genes involving bacterial motility and chemotaxis. However, its transcriptional mechanism remains largely unclear. Here we report cryo-EM structures of σ28-dependent transcribing complexes on a complete flagella-specific DNA promoter. The structures reveal how σ28-RNA polymerase (RNAP) recognizes promoter DNA through strong interaction with −10 element but weak contact with −35 element to initiate transcription. In addition, we observed a distinct architecture in which the β′ zinc binding domain (ZBD) of RNAP stretches out from its canonical position to interact with the upstream non-template strand. Furtherin vitroandin vivoassays demonstrate that this interaction facilitates the isomerization of RNAP-promoter closed to open complex due to compensating the weak interaction between σ4/−35 element, and suggest that ZBD-relocation is a general mechanism employed by the σ70-family factors to enhance transcription from promoters with weak σ4/−35 element interactions.
Signed Reward Prediction Errors in the Ventral Striatum Drive Episodic Memory
Authors: Calderon Cristian Buc , De Loof Esther , Ergo Kate , Snoeck Anna , Boehler Carsten Nico , Verguts Tom 
Published: January 2020

AbstractA growing body of behavioral evidence implicates reward prediction errors (RPEs) as a key factor in the acquisition of episodic memory. Yet, important neural predictions related to the role of RPE in declarative memory acquisition remain to be tested. Using a novel variable-choice task, we experimentally manipulated RPEs and found support for key predictions on the neural level with fMRI. Specifically, we demonstrate that trial-specific RPE responses in the ventral striatum (during learning) predict the strength of subsequent episodic memory (during recollection). Furthermore, functional connectivity between task-relevant processing areas (e.g., face-selective areas) and hippocampus, ventral tegmental area, and ventral striatum increased as a function of RPE value (during learning), suggesting a central role of these areas in episodic memory formation. Our results consolidate reinforcement learning theory and striatal RPEs as key operations subtending the formation of episodic memory.
Business events at a spa destination: an insight into senior participant motivation
Authors: Dimitrovski Darko , Seočanac Marijana , Luković Maja 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivation of the attendees of the Annual Meeting of the Serbian Association of Seniors. The research aims to segment the senior participants according to their push and pull motivations for attending association meetings, by using cluster analysis to understand the role of destination personality in the segmentation process.

Design/methodology/approach
The questionnaire, based on a seven-point Likert scale, was distributed among representatives and members of the Association of Pensioners of Serbia. The data collected were assessed with the use of SPSS 21 statistical software.

Findings
The results of the study reveal the most important push and pull motives that drive senior citizens to take part in this type of event. It has also provided a better understanding of senior business event participants in relation to destination personality.

Research limitations/implications
The data were collected from 124 questionnaires. In order to provide a more detailed insight into the senior citizens’ motivation to participate in events, a larger sample would be required.

Practical implications
The research findings provide valuable information about senior business event visitor behaviour, which is of high importance for destination marketers and managers.

Originality/value
Nowadays, business events motivation research is generally focussed on middle-aged and young attendees, so insight into the perception of senior citizens related to business event motivation provides a further understanding of this specific consumer segment. Additionally, gaining insight into seniors’ perspectives related to participation in association meetings after retiring from work assists in comprehending the complex nature of their motivation to participate in these types of business events, as well as underlining the fact that senior business event attendees have been, up until this point, largely neglected as a group in terms of similar research.
Scale development and modeling of intellectual property creation capability in higher education
Authors: Kashyap Ankur , Agrawal Rajat 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
At present, the contribution of higher educational institutes (HEIs) to economic development and society at large is under constant evaluation. One important parameter that is counted in their performance is generating intellectual capital. To maximize intellectual property (IP) (specifically patents which are considered to have maximum economic value) pool, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize IP creation capability (IPCC) relevant to higher education. Furthermore, a scale is developed and validated to measure IPCC in Indian HEIs.

Design/methodology/approach
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted for multi-dimensional scale development. The use of pragmatic approach also complemented exploratory design of the study for exploring relationship and developing a new instrument. The study further maps the connection between constructs of IPCC by proposing a structural model using the partial least squares path modeling method.

Findings
A significant positive relationship was seen among policy, incentives, research facility, working culture and IPCC subjected to Indian conditions. The findings based on data analysis suggest that incentive has a mediating effect between policy and IPCC.

Practical implications
Findings of the study could be used for formulating strategies to improve the current state of IP creation in HEIs. The results of the study could also be applied for a better understanding of the IP creation scenario in HEIs of India and similar developing countries.

Originality/value
This study presents the first endeavor to develop a well-structured scale for measuring IPCC especially in the context of the Indian higher education system. It contributes to research on higher education studies, innovation and IP creation.
Millennial travel: tourism micro-trends of European Generation Y
Authors: Ketter Eran 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
Millennials travel more than any other generation and they account now for some 40 percent of Europe’s outbound travel. As Millennials travel peaks, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on European Millennials, their characteristics and travel behaviors, and how their travel trends are shaping the present – and future – of the tourism industry.

Design/methodology/approach
The current study is based on content analysis of up-to-date academic publications and tourism industry reports.

Findings
The common characteristics and travel behaviors of Millennials drive four key tourism micro-trends: creative tourism, off-the-beaten-track tourism, alternative accommodation and fully digital tourism. Based on the growing importance of Millennials in global travel, these micro-trends are re-shaping supply and demand and transform the tourism and hospitality industries.

Originality/value
The study provides a novel understanding of Millennial travel, their characteristics and travel behaviors. The micro-trends identified are affecting destinations, hotels, attractions and other tourism businesses, as they re-define what tourists want and how they want it. Furthermore, these change drivers are expected to increase as Millennial travel continues to grow.
Statistical and bibliometric analysis of financial innovation
Authors: Chen Ting-Hsuan , Peng Jin-Lung 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the characteristics of the literature related to financial innovation, because financial technology (fintech) has been appropriately applied in academic circles as well as in the policy-making arena. The authors further estimate the implications of financial innovations for bank performance and liquidity risk.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a sample of commercial banks operating in Taiwan over the period 2010–2017 and utilize three proxies for financial innovation including R&D expenditures, financial patents (i.e. innovation applications) and financial news such as that concerning fintech (i.e. innovation intentions).

Findings
The effects of financial innovation on bank performance are mixed, with too much of R&D expenditures having the worst bank performance, whereas innovation intentions benefit their performance. The paper concludes that financial innovation does increase banks’ liquidity risk, thus supporting the innovation-fragility hypothesis.

Originality/value
It is an important issue in academic circles as well as in the policy-making arena to ensure that financial innovation has been appropriately applied.