bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Community responses on effective flood dissemination warnings—A case study of the December 2014 Kelantan Flood, Malaysia
Authors: Alias Nor Eliza , Salim Nurul Atika , Taib Shazwin Mat , Mohd Yusof Mohd Badruddin , Saari Radzuan , Adli Ramli Muhammad Wafiy , Othman Ilya K. , Annammala Kogila V. , Yusof Halimah M. , Ismail Norazlina , Yuzir Ali , Blenkinsop Stephen 
Published: May 2019

AbstractEarly flood warnings are important to allow sufficient time for evacuation. Although warning systems are now in place, key questions remain as to their effectiveness in sending information to the public, which may in part depend on the media used. This paper assesses the effectiveness of warnings disseminated to the public for the December 2014 Kelantan Flood, Malaysia. The flood was the worst in decades making it an appropriate case study with which to assess public awareness and perceptions associated with flood warnings and their dissemination. The effectiveness of warnings issued via different media was assessed by questionnaire. Results show that 56% of respondents received warnings prior to the flood, a majority of them through television and information shared among the public. While the preferred medium of warning is not dependent on age, assessment of peoples' response to warnings shows that with increasing age responsiveness to orders and readiness to evacuate decreases. To increase the number of people receiving the warnings, short message service (SMS) communications sent from the authorities to a wider audience may be considered, as information shared among the public is observed to be most effective in reaching the greatest number of people.
Physical Performance in Memory Clinic Patients: The Potential Role of the White Matter Network
Authors: Verwer Jurre H. , Reijmer Yael D. , Koek Huiberdina L. , Biessels Geert Jan ,   On Behalf of the Utrecht Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) Study Group
Published: May 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESMemory clinic patients commonly also have declined physical performance. This may be attributable to white matter injury, due to vascular damage or neurodegeneration. Quantifying white matter injury is made possible by new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, including diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) of network connectivity. We investigated whether physical performance in memory clinic patients is related to white matter network connectivity.DESIGNObservational cross‐sectional study.SETTINGMemory clinic.PARTICIPANTSPatients referred to a memory clinic with vascular brain injury on MRI (n = 90; average age = 72 years; 60% male; 34% with diagnosis Alzheimer disease).MEASUREMENTSWe reconstructed structural brain networks from DWI with fiber tractography and used graph theory to calculate global efficiency, fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) of the white matter, and nodal strength (mean FA or MD of all white matter tracts connected to a node). Assessment of physical performance included gait speed, chair stand time, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score.RESULTSLower global efficiency, lower FA, and higher MD correlated with poorer gait speed, SPPB scores, and chair stand times (R range = 0.23‐0.42). Global efficiency and FA explained 5% to 16% of the variance in gait speed, chair stand times, and SPPB scores, independent of age and sex. Moreover, global efficiency and FA explained an additional 4% to 5% of variance on top of lacunar infarcts and white matter hyperintensities. Regional analyses showed that, in particular, the connectivity strength of prefrontal, occipital, striatal, and thalamic nodes correlated with gait speed.CONCLUSIONPoorer physical performance is related to disrupted white matter network connectivity in memory clinic patients with vascular brain injury. The associations of these network abnormalities are partially independent of visible vascular injury. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1880–1887, 2019
Quantitative and qualitative investigation of the stress experiences of intensive care unit patients mechanically ventilated for more than 12 hr
Authors: Takashima Naomi , Yosihno Yasuyo , Sakaki Kosuke 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimThe aim was to qualitatively and quantitatively clarify the stress experiences of patients who were mechanically ventilated in an intensive care unit (ICU) for more than 12 hr.MethodsThe participants were adult patients without cognitive impairment who were mechanically ventilated in a general ICU for more than 12 hr. The Japanese version of the ICU Stressful Experiences Questionnaire (ICU‐SEQJ) survey was performed before subjects were discharged from the ICU to collect narratives about how they felt and what they thought during their ICU stay. The results were analyzed in a collective and complementary way by dividing ICU‐SEQJ scores into quartiles and comparing the first (low stress experience group) and third quartiles (high stress experience group).ResultsA total of 96 subjects were enrolled in the study, with 25 scoring in the high stress experience group and 24 in the low stress experience group. The high stress experience group had significantly longer duration of intubation, higher amounts of analgesics and sedative drugs, higher C‐reactive protein, lower level of deepest sedation and greater absence of medical history than the low stress experience group. Analysis of the subjects’ narratives revealed “Unbearable holistic discomfort”, “Pain of being unable to control myself as before” in the high stress experience group and “Responding by giving meaning” in the low stress experience group.ConclusionsNurses must recognize that long intubation hours and invasive procedures are subjective stress experiences that may cause patients to suffer holistic discomfort and lose their sense of control.
Real Estate Prices and Corporate Investment: Theory and Evidence of Heterogeneous Effects across Firms
Authors: FOUGÈRE DENIS , LECAT RÉMY , RAY SIMON 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the effect of real estate prices on productive investment. We build a theoretical framework of firms' investment with credit rationing and real estate collateral. We show that real estate prices affect firms' borrowing capacities through two channels. An increase in real estate prices raises the value of the firms' pledgeable assets and mitigates the agency problem characterizing the creditor–entrepreneur relationship. It simultaneously cuts the expected profit due to the increase in the cost of inputs. We test our theoretical predictions using a large French database. We do find heterogeneous effects of real estate prices on productive investment depending on the position of the firms in the sectoral distributions of real estate holdings.
Effects of salt‐loading on supraoptic vasopressin neurones assessed by ClopHensorN chloride imaging
Authors: Balapattabi Kirthikaa , Farmer George E. , Knapp Blayne A. , Little Joel T. , Bachelor Martha , Yuan Joseph P. , Cunningham J. Thomas 
Published: May 2019

AbstractSalt‐loading (SL) impairs GABAA inhibition of arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurones in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus. Based on previous studies, we hypothesised that SL activates tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB), down‐regulating the activity of K+/Cl− co‐transporter2 (KCC2) and up‐regulating Na+/K+/Cl− co‐transporter1 (NKCC1). These changes in chloride transport would result in increased [Cl−]i in SON AVP neurones. The study combined virally‐mediated chloride imaging with ClopHensorN with a single‐cell western blot analysis. An adeno‐associated virus with ClopHensorN and a vasopressin promoter (AAV2‐0VP1‐ClopHensorN) was bilaterally injected in the SON of adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats that were either euhydrated (Eu) or salt‐loaded (SL) for 7 days. Acutely dissociated SON neurones expressing ClopHensorN were tested for decreases or increases in [Cl−]i in response to focal application of the GABAA agonist muscimol (100 μmol L‐1). SON AVP neurones from Eu rats showed muscimol‐induced chloride influx (P < 0.05;23/35). SON AVP neurones from SL rats either significantly increased chloride efflux (P < 0.05;27/39) or did not change chloride flux (12/39). The SON AVP neurones that responded to muscimol appeared to be viable and expressed KCC2 and β‐actin. Neurones that did not respond during chloride imaging did not show KCC2 and β‐actin protein expression. The KCC2 antagonist (VU0240551,10 μmol L‐1) significantly blocked the chloride influx in cells from Eu rats but did not affect cells from SL rats. A NKCC1 antagonist (bumetanide,10 μmol L‐1) significantly blocked the chloride efflux in cells from SL rats but had no effect on cells from Eu rats. Blocking NKCC1 using bumetanide had less of an effect on the muscimol‐induced Cl− influx in Eu rat neurones compared to the KCC2 antagonist. The TrkB antagonist (AnA‐12) (50 μmol L‐1) and protein kinase inhibitor (K252a) (100 nmol L‐1) each significantly blocked chloride efflux in SON AVP neurones from SL rats. Salt‐loading increases [Cl−]i in SON AVP neurones via a TrKB‐KCC2‐NKCC1‐dependent mechanism in rats.
Efficacy of bioactive peptides loaded on hyaluronic acid microneedle patches: A monocentric clinical study
Authors: Avcil Muhammet , Akman Gokhan , Klokkers Jens , Jeong Dohyeon , Çelik Ayhan 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundAging skin is a gradual physiological process associated with functional and structural changes of the skin. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence skin aging by the involvement of multiple pathways. Restoring natural skin conditions requires a multi‐targeted approach. Recent developments in both bioactive peptides and microneedle delivery system have presented an opportunity for tackling premature skin aging.AimsThis study was aimed at evaluating the dermal tolerability and efficacy of hyaluronic acid‐based microneedle patches loaded with bioactives for restoration of the skin properties including hydration, wrinkle reduction, density, and thickness.Patients/MethodsThe test product of HA‐MNs comprises arginine/lysine polypeptide, acetyl octapeptide‐3, palmitoyl tripeptide‐5, adenosine, and seaweed extracts. In the monocentric 12‐week clinical trial, the HA‐MNs patches were applied to the outer corner of the right and left eye and a defined area on the volar forearm on healthy subjects with aged skin. Instrumental analysis of skin properties was determined.ResultsThe product was tolerated excellently; none of the subjects reported any primary or cumulative skin reactions. Assessment of measurable skin properties provides insight into the general effectiveness: The fine lines/wrinkles showed 25.8% noticeable decrease; the skin hydration measurements demonstrated 15.4% improvement; the skin density and thickness in the dermis increased 14.2% and 12.9%, respectively.ConclusionsThe composition of the microneedle patches works in a multi‐targeted manner and all ingredients might possibly be acted synergistically for the improvement of skin structure, function, and appearance. The study has demonstrated the overall usefulness of the HA‐MNs with careful formulation for skin care applications.
Modified laparoscopic cervicoisthmic cerclage in early pregnancy for refractory cervical incompetence: A case report
Authors: Seo Kohei , Dohi Satoshi , Ishikawa Tetsuya , Ichizuka Kiyotake , Sekizawa Akihiko , Nagatsuka Masaaki 
Published: May 2019

AbstractModified laparoscopic cerclage was developed as an easy laparoscopic approach during pregnancy, with sutures placed lateral to the uterine vessels. To the best of our knowledge, its successful use in the first trimester has not been reported in Japan. Additionally, there are no published data on chronological assessment of feto‐placental circulation using Doppler. Here, we present the case of a 31‐year‐old Japanese woman (gravida 2, para 1) with refractory cervical incompetence who had a history of preterm birth at 32 weeks of gestation and cervical conization. Modified laparoscopic cervicoisthmic cerclage was performed. Doppler findings showed normal feto‐placental circulation before and after the procedure. Her pregnancy progressed uneventfully with no significant feto‐placental circulation or obstetric complications, and the baby showed normal growth. Elective cesarean section was performed at 37 + 0 weeks’ gestation. Modified laparoscopic cervicoisthmic cerclage is suggested as one of the treatment methods for pregnant women with refractory cervical incompetence.
Studies on patients establish Crohn's disease as a manifestation of impaired innate immunity
Authors: Segal A. W. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe fruitless search for the cause of Crohn's disease has been conducted for more than a century. Various theories, including autoimmunity, mycobacterial infection and aberrant response to food and other ingested materials, have been abandoned for lack of robust proof. This review will provide the evidence, obtained from patients with this condition, that the common predisposition to Crohn's is a failure of the acute inflammatory response to tissue damage. This acute inflammation normally attracts large numbers of neutrophil leucocytes which engulf and clear bacteria and autologous debris from the inflamed site. The underlying predisposition in Crohn's disease is unmasked by damage to the bowel mucosa, predominantly through infection, which allows faecal bowel contents access to the vulnerable tissues within. Consequent upon failure of the clearance of these infectious and antigenic intestinal contents, it becomes contained, leading to a chronic granulomatous inflammation, producing cytokine release, local tissue damage and systemic symptoms. Multiple molecular pathologies extending across the whole spectrum of the acute inflammatory and innate immune response lead to the common predisposition in which defective monocyte and macrophage function plays a central role. Family linkage and exome sequencing together with GWAS have identified some of the molecules involved, including receptors, molecules involved in vesicle trafficking, and effector cells. Current therapy is immunosuppressant, which controls the symptoms but accentuates the underlying problem, which can only logically be tackled by correcting the primary lesion/s by gene therapy or genome editing, or through the development of drugs that stimulate innate immunity.
Randomized controlled clinical trial on the effect of oral immunoglobulin supplementation on neonatal dairy calves with diarrhea
Authors: Chung James J. , Rayburn Maire C. , Chigerwe Munashe 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundNonantibiotic alternatives providing local gut immunity have been recommended for managing calf diarrhea.AnimalsOne hundred and two calves with diarrhea.HypothesisOral supplementation with immunoglobulins in calves with diarrhea will reduce time to resolution of diarrhea, number of treatment events, and mortality rate.MethodsRandomized controlled trial. Calves were assigned into 1 of 3 groups. The treatment group was supplemented with 20 g of immunoglobulins in milk twice daily for 14 days. The placebo group was supplemented with 20 g of a product with similar nutritional value as the treatment group, but without immunoglobulins, in milk, twice daily for 14 days. The control group received no supplements. Medical treatments, time to resolution of diarrhea, and case fatality rates were compared.ResultsThere was no difference in the proportion of treatment events (treatment, 79% versus placebo, 77% versus control, 71%) among groups (P = .69). The median time to resolution of diarrhea was not different between the treatment (10.5 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7, 13) and control (8 days; 95% CI, 5, 10) groups (P = .08) or between the placebo (6.5 days; 95% CI, 3, 9) and control groups (P = .89). Median time to resolution was shorter (P = .008) in the placebo compared to the treatment group (6.5 versus 10.5 days). Case fatality rates among groups (treatment, 12% versus placebo, 3% versus control, 3%) were not different (P = .36).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceExpected benefits of conferring local gut immunity by immunoglobulin supplementation in calves with diarrhea were not evident.
Exploring the effects of pasture trees on plant community patterns
Authors: Jakobsson Simon , Plue Jan , Cousins Sara A. O. , Lindborg Regina 
Published: May 2019

AbstractQuestionsWe aim to answer three questions: (a) what are the effects of canopy shading of different tree species on seed germination of eight understorey grassland species? (b) how is plant species’ occurrence in understorey communities affected by differences in canopy cover and does that depend on tree species composition? and (c) are there mechanistic links between the effects of trees on species’ germination and their occurrence in the understorey plant community?LocationSemi‐natural wooded pastures in the biosphere reserve Östra Vätterbranterna, southern Sweden.MethodsIn this study, we examined the germination of eight grassland plant species in a seed sowing experiment under natural conditions in the field. Seeds were sown beneath and outside the canopy of two tree species within 48 plots split up by four wooded pasture sites. We combined observed germination responses with a plant community survey to assess the effects of canopy cover in relation to tree species composition on plant community responses. We analysed these data in relation to species’ seed mass and vegetative shade tolerance.ResultsShade‐tolerant species germinated better beneath compared to outside tree canopies, without any clear advantage of large‐seeded over small‐seeded species. As expected, species’ shade tolerance was also positively related to canopy cover within the understorey plant community. Importantly, we found strong tree species‐specific effects of canopy shading on the species’ germination response, but not on their presence within the plant community. However, optimal canopy cover conditions for germination and for the mature plants differed across grassland species and depended on tree species.ConclusionsOur results show that different tree species play key ecosystem engineering roles in shaping wooded grassland plant community composition at the germination stage. Management practices favouring specific tree species may therefore be highly relevant for targeted biodiversity conservation of wooded semi‐natural grasslands.
Into the Machine: Economic Tools, Sovereignty, and Joy in a Global Health Institution
Authors: Walker Alexis 
Published: May 2019

AbstractSince the early 1990s, the World Bank and Inter‐American Development Bank have led efforts advocating the use of economic tools in setting priorities for health spending in poor countries. But while these powerful global health institutions present economic management as the key to improving health, they often fail to implement even their own policies requiring the use of economic tools for health project planning. In these institutions, economic tools operate beyond application for decision‐making, becoming simultaneously a site of tensions regarding sovereignty and sites of enjoyment for economists at development bank headquarters. This article traces the ways that economic tools are both deployed and left aside across development bank networks, and in the process are productive of both affect and power. Attention to frictions in the use of economic tools ought to help motivate more just global health governance, taking into account political considerations that are built into expert practice.
Influence of genetic drift on patterns of genetic variation: The footprint of aquaculture practices in Sparus aurata (Teleostei: Sparidae)
Authors: Cossu Piero , Scarpa Fabio , Sanna Daria , Lai Tiziana , Dedola Gian Luca , Curini‐Galletti Marco , Mura Laura , Fois Nicola , Casu Marco 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAquaculture finfish production based on floating cage technology has raised increasing concerns regarding the genetic integrity of natural populations. Accidental mass escapes can induce the loss of genetic diversity in wild populations by increasing genetic drift and inbreeding. Farm escapes probably represent an important issue in the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), which accounted for 76.4% of total escapees recorded in Europe during a 3‐year survey. Here, we investigated patterns of genetic variation in farmed and wild populations of gilthead sea bream from the Western Mediterranean, a region of long gilthead sea bream farming. We focused on the role that genetic drift may play in shaping these patterns. Results based on microsatellite markers matched those observed in previous studies. Farmed populations showed lower levels of genetic diversity than wild populations and were genetically divergent from their wild counterparts. Overall, farmed populations showed the smallest effective population size and increased levels of relatedness compared to wild populations. The small broodstock size coupled with breeding practices that may favour the variance in individual reproductive success probably boosted genetic drift. This factor appeared to be a major driver of the genetic patterns observed in the gilthead sea bream populations analysed in the present study. These results further stress the importance of recommendations aimed at maintaining broodstock sizes as large as possible and equal sex‐ratios among breeders, as well as avoiding unequal contributions among parents.
Genetic modification to improve disease resistance in crops
Authors: van Esse H. Peter , Reuber T. Lynne , van der Does Dieuwertje 
Published: May 2019

SummaryPlant pathogens are a significant challenge in agriculture despite our best efforts to combat them. One of the most effective and sustainable ways to manage plant pathogens is to use genetic modification (GM) and genome editing, expanding the breeder's toolkit. For use in the field, these solutions must be efficacious, with no negative effect on plant agronomy, and deployed thoughtfully. They must also not introduce a potential allergen or toxin. Expensive regulation of biotech crops is prohibitive for local solutions. With 11–30% average global yield losses and greater local impacts, tackling plant pathogens is an ethical imperative. We need to increase world food production by at least 60% using the same amount of land, by 2050. The time to act is now and we cannot afford to ignore the new solutions that GM provides to manage plant pathogens.
Replacing iron‐folic acid with multiple micronutrient supplements among pregnant women in Bangladesh and Burkina Faso: costs, impacts, and cost‐effectiveness
Authors: Engle‐Stone Reina , Kumordzie Sika M. , Meinzen‐Dick Laura , Vosti Stephen A. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractConsumption of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) during pregnancy offers additional benefits compared with iron‐folic acid (IFA) supplementation, but the tablets are more expensive. We estimated the effects, costs, and cost‐effectiveness of hypothetically replacing IFA supplements with MMS for 1 year in Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Using baseline demographic characteristics from LiST and effect sizes from a meta‐analysis, we estimated the marginal effects of replacing IFA with MMS on mortality, adverse birth outcomes, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. We calculated the marginal tablet costs of completely replacing MMS with IFA (assuming 180 tablets per covered pregnancy). Replacing IFA with MMS could avert over 15,000 deaths and 30,000 cases of preterm birth annually in Bangladesh and over 5000 deaths and 5000 cases of preterm birth in Burkina Faso, assuming 100% coverage and adherence. We estimated the cost per death averted to be US$175–185 in Bangladesh and $112–125 in Burkina Faso. Cost per DALY averted ranged from $3 to $15, depending on the country and consideration of subgroup effects. Our estimates suggest that this policy change would cost‐effectively save lives and reduce life‐long disabilities. Improvements in program delivery and supplement adherence would be expected to improve the cost‐effectiveness of replacing IFA with MMS.