bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of physiological noise in quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance
Authors: Jao Terrence , Nayak Krishna 
Published: March 2019

AbstractPurposeTo determine the impact of imaging parameters on the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (TSNR) of quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) in humans, and to determine applicability of the physiological noise covariance (PNC) model for physiological noise (PN).MethodsWe conducted MRI experiments in four healthy volunteers, and obtained series of short-axis cardiac images acquired with snapshot balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) and snapshot gradient echo (GRE) using a broad range of spatial resolutions and parallel imaging acceleration factors commonly used in quantitative cardiac MR. We measured regional SNR and TSNR in these datasets and fit the measurements to the PNC model for PN, which assumes that PN scales with signal strength.ResultsThe relationship between SNR and TSNR in human cardiac MR without contrast preparation was well modeled by the PNC model. SNR consistently decreased as the spatial resolution (matrix size) and acceleration factor (R) increased for both GRE and bSSFP imaging. TSNR varied linearly with SNR using GRE imaging, when SNR was low (SNR < 20), and approached an asymptotic limit using bSSFP imaging, when SNR was high (SNR > 40).ConclusionsThe PNC model can be used to guide the choice of matrix size and acceleration factor to optimize TSNR in stable contrast cardiac MR, such as T2-prepared Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) and several variants of Arterial Spin Labeled (ASL) cardiac MR.
Predicted corrosion rate on outdoor exposed concrete structures
Authors: Pakkala Toni A. , Köliö Arto , Lahdensivu Jukka , Pentti Matti 
Published: March 2019

PurposeA significant part of Finnish concrete building stock is relatively young. Thus methods to adopt the existing building stock to climate change are needed. To plan and correctly timing the service actions there is a need to study the rates of different deterioration mechanisms. The reinforcement corrosion in Finnish outdoor exposed concrete structures is almost solely carbonation-induced corrosion. In former studies, it has been shown that active corrosion phase can also have a major effect on the total service life of the structure. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the effect of climate change on predicted corrosion rate of concrete reinforcement in projected 2050 and 2100 climates compared to present climate were studied to consider adaptation methods for the climate change. The calculations are based on a corrosion propagation model, which takes into account four different climatic factors: wind-driven rain, temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation.FindingsA significantly higher corrosion rates and thus faster corrosion-induced damage can be expected in the future climate. The increase in corrosion rate is the highest in the late autumn and winter because of the increasing amount of precipitation and weaker conditions for concrete structures to dry. In addition, the duration of high corrosion rate periods is increasing which may shorten the propagation phase. However, corrosion rate is highly dependent on the direction of the greatest climate load and the grade of sheltering which can be taken into account in service life calculations and while planning service actions.Research limitations/implicationsThere are different sources of error because of the uncertainties with both the used model and the climate change scenarios. That is why the results are discussed in more general way than comparing the actual numbers with each other.Originality/valueThe propagation model used in this study has not been used before in adaptation studies. The climate change effect on carbonation-induced corrosion has also been limited while the studies have focused on chloride-induced corrosion.
Should I stay or should I go? A study of IT professionals during a national crisis
Authors: Porto Bellini Carlo Gabriel , Palvia Prashant , Moreno Valter , Jacks Tim , Graeml Alexandre 
Published: March 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss two important behaviors related to job mobility in the IT profession, namely, changing jobs to move to another organization (turnover) and changing the profession entirely (turnaway), during a national crisis. Based on the theoretical foundation of the push–pull–mooring perspective, a research model is developed that includes professional self-efficacy (PSE), job insecurity (JI) and job satisfaction (JS) as important antecedents.Design/methodology/approachUsing a positivist approach and a survey method, the authors analyzed data from IT professionals from different economic segments in Brazil. Data collection occurred in two distinctive moments of the largest crisis in modern Brazilian history – a pre-awareness moment (first half of year 2015) and a crisis-conscious moment (first half of year 2016).FindingsThe findings reveal that PSE negatively influences JI and positively influences JS, JI positively influences turnaway intention, and JS negatively influences both turnover intention and turnaway intention. The effect of the national crisis was observed in that it further accentuated the intention of IT professionals to leave the profession. Another effect was related to age, as older professionals are less willing to turn over but more willing to turn away.Research limitations/implicationsBesides developing a parsimonious model to study both the intention to leave the organization and the intention to leave the profession, the study sheds light on how IT professionals react to economic crises and how the reaction varies by age.Practical implicationsThe study puts to question the common belief that IT professionals are secure in the job market due to high demand for their skills and investments made by organizations to keep them on the job. Employers must pay attention to JI and turnover/turnaway intentions.Originality/valueThis study is among the few to study JI and aspects of the theory of human migration in IT. It is also possibly the first to discuss the effects of a national crisis on the mobility patterns of IT professionals.
Institutionalisation of the Cash Basis International Public Sector Accounting Standard in the Central Government of Bangladesh
Authors: Rajib Salah Uddin , Adhikari Pawan , Hoque Mahfuzul , Akter Mahmuda 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine public sector accounting reforms, mainly the adoption and implementation of the Cash Basis International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) in the Central Government of Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the ideas of new institutionalism, the paper investigates the factors which have forced the country to accept the Cash Basis IPSAS but have delayed its implementation in practice.

Findings
Different approaches towards the Cash Basis IPSAS are now distinct in the Central Government of Bangladesh. Differences between Bangladesh and other emerging economies have been narrowed as the potency of institutional pressures has increased, and there is a risk, as experienced in other emerging economies, that the very adoption of the Cash Basis IPSAS may remain more a rhetoric than a reality in Bangladesh. The paper demonstrates that the extent to which professional accountants and their associations participate in reforms determines the public sector accounting reform trajectories in emerging economies.

Practical implications
The paper demonstrates that reforms driven by indigenous administrators can have the potential of becoming more instrumental in emerging economies than the externally propagated reforms, such as IPSASs and accrual accounting. What is important is to advance incrementally those public sector accounting reforms that local administrators have identified as important, that they could cope with their existing knowledge and capacity, and that they are interested in engaging with the reform process.

Originality/value
First, the study has contributed to extending neo-institutional theory by bringing out the responses of different stakeholders responsible for implementing public sector accounting reforms, mainly the Cash Basis IPSAS, in practice. Next, the paper has raised a question as to whether the Cash Basis IPSAS could be an appropriate reform measure for the central government of Bangladesh.
Active film incorporated with clove essential oil on storage of banana varieties
Authors: Alves de Figueiredo Sousa Heloísa , Gonçalves de Oliveira Filho Josemar , Egea Mariana Buranelo , Rosa da Silva Edilsa , Macagnan Dirceu , Pires Marcio , Peixoto José 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
Banana is an important tropical fruit with high demand in the market. The ripe fruits are less resistant to transport making logistics difficult. Moreover, as a climacteric fruit, it has a short post-harvest shelf life. Edible coatings/films, including active substances, have been used as an alternative for preserving fruits and vegetables during post-harvest period. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incorporating clove essential oil on the properties of cassava starch films and their effect on the post-harvest quality of different banana varieties.

Design/methodology/approach
Cassava starch films incorporating clove essential oil were developed and the films were characterized with respect to moisture, thickness, solubility, water vapor permeability (WVP), biodegradability, color and in vitro antifungal activity. Cultivars such as Prata-Anã, Grand Nine, BRS Tropical and BRS Conquista were coated with cassava starch, cassava starch film with clove essential oil (CSEO) and polyvinyl polychloride (PVC). The quality of fruits was monitored during eight storage days using mass loss, total soluble solids content (TSS) and titratable acidity (TTA).

Findings
Incorporation of clove essential oil significantly increased film thickness, reduced moisture content, solubility and WVP (p < 0.05) and did not affect the biodegradability and color of the films. The essential oil incorporated films showed antifungal activity against the fungi Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Colletotrichum musae, but not against the yeast Saccharomyces bourladii. CSEO and PVC coating were more efficient in reducing the mass loss, SS content and TTA of the coated fruits in all varieties studied. Both CSEO and PVC coatings improve the quality attributes such as TSS and TTA and reduced mass loss, of the banana varieties such as Prata-Anã, Grand Nine, BRS Tropical and BRS Conquista during storage.

Originality/value
The active film with essential oil showed antifungal activity and essential oil can be incorporated into other food systems. This study approaches a new possibility of film coating with essential oil for a banana that showed minimum weight loss and satisfactory quality and increased shelf life. This film coating demonstrates biodegradable characteristics that could be eco-friendly and sustainable to consumers.
Effects of increasing aridity and chronic anthropogenic disturbance on seed dispersal by ants in Brazilian Caatinga
Authors: Oliveira Fernanda M. P. , Andersen Alan N. , Arnan Xavier , Ribeiro‐Neto José D. , Arcoverde Gabriela B. , Leal Inara R. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Anthropogenic disturbance and climate change are the main drivers of biodiversity loss and ecological services around the globe. There is concern that climate change will exacerbate the impacts of disturbance and thereby promote biotic homogenization, but its consequences for ecological services are unknown.

We investigated the individual and interactive effects of increasing chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and aridity on seed dispersal services provided by ants in Caatinga vegetation of north‐eastern Brazil.

The study was conducted in Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil. Within an area of 214 km2, we established nineteen 50 × 20 m plots that encompassed gradients of both CAD and aridity. We offered diaspores of six plant species, three myrmecochorous diaspores and three fleshy fruits that are secondarily dispersed by ants. We then quantified the number of interactions, seed removal rate and dispersal distances, and noted the identities of interacting ant species. Finally, we used pitfall trap data to quantify the abundances of ant disperser species in each plot.

Our results show that overall composition of ant disperser species varied along the gradients of CAD and aridity, but the composition of high‐quality dispersers varied only with aridity. The total number of interactions, rates of removal and mean distance of removal all declined with increasing aridity, but they were not related to CAD. These same patterns were found when considering only high‐quality disperser species, driven by the responses of the dominant disperser Dinoponera quadriceps. We found little evidence of interactive effects of CAD and aridity on seed dispersal services by ants.

Our study indicates that CAD and aridity act independently on ant‐mediated seed dispersal services in Caatinga, such that the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance are unlikely to change under the forecast climate of increased aridity. However, our findings highlight the vulnerability of seed dispersal services provided by ants in Caatinga under an increasingly arid climate due to low functional redundancy in high‐quality disperser species. Given the large number of plant species dependent on ants for seed dispersal, this has important implications for future plant recruitment and, consequently, for the composition of Caatinga plant communities.
The regulatory network of Vibrio parahaemolyticus type VI secretion system 1
Authors: Ben‐Yaakov Rotem , Salomon Dor 
Published: March 2019

SummaryType VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are widespread, tightly regulated, protein delivery apparatuses used by Gram‐negative bacteria to outcompete their neighbours. The pathogen, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, encodes two T6SSs. These T6SSs are differentially regulated by external conditions. T6SS1, an antibacterial system predominantly found in pathogenic isolates, requires warm marine‐like conditions and surface sensing for activation. The regulatory network that governs this activation is not well understood. In this work, we devised a screening methodology that allows us to easily monitor the outcome of bacterial competitions and thus to identify mutants that are defective in T6SS1‐mediated bacterial killing. The methodology, termed Bacterial Competition Fluorescence (BaCoF), relies on detection of a fluorescent signal as an indicator of the survival and growth of a T6SS‐sensitive, GFP‐expressing prey that has been co‐cultured with mutants derived from a T6SS+ attacker of interest. Using BaCoF, we screened a random transposon insertion mutant library and identified genes required for V. parahaemolyticus T6SS1 activation, among them TfoY and Tmk. We used epistasis experiments to determine the relationships between the newly identified components and other regulators that were previously described. Thus, we present here a detailed biological understanding of the T6SS1 regulatory network.
Antitoxin HigA inhibits virulence gene mvfR expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Guo Yunxue , Sun Chenglong , Li Yangmei , Tang Kaihao , Ni Songwei , Wang Xiaoxue 
Published: March 2019

SummaryToxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous in bacteria and archaea and participate in biofilm formation and stress responses. The higBA locus of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a type II TA system. Previous work found that the higBA operon is cotranscribed and that HigB toxin regulates biofilm formation and virulence expression. In this study, we demonstrate that HigA antitoxin is produced at a higher level than HigB and that higA mRNA is expressed separately from a promoter inside higB during the late stationary phase. Critically, HigA represses the expression of mvfR, which is an important virulence‐related regulator, by binding to a conserved HigA palindrome (5′‐TTAAC GTTAA‐3′) in the mvfR promoter, and the binding of HigB to HigA derepresses this process. During the late stationary phase, excess HigA represses the expression of mvfR and higBA. However, in the presence of aminoglycoside antibiotics where Lon protease is activated, the degradation of HigA by Lon increases P. aeruginosa virulence by simultaneously derepressing mvfR and higB transcription. Therefore, this study reveals that the antitoxin of the P. aeruginosa TA system is integrated into the key virulence regulatory network of the host and functions as a transcriptional repressor to control the production of virulence factors.
Dairy Intensification and Quota Abolition: A Comparative Study of Production in Ireland and the Netherlands
Authors: Läpple Doris , Sirr Gordon 
Published: March 2019

SummaryThe milk quota abolition in 2015 set in motion major adjustments in the EU dairy sector and considerable differences in expansion and contraction of milk production are observed across Member States. Despite significant differences in production methods, Ireland and the Netherlands are among the EU countries that achieved the largest dairy production growth rates. This article compares and contrasts Irish and Dutch dairy farms that intensified and expanded production. To this end, Farm Accountancy Data Network data of specialised dairy farms are used and Principal Component Analysis was performed with a view to assessing common themes and differences in intensification efforts. In both countries, farms that intensified their production have higher gross investments and larger dairy herds, when compared to the average dairy farm in their country. The Principal Component Analysis revealed farm size variables, dairy specialisation and direct payments, as well as investments and financial leverage as common themes of intensification, with differing importance in the two countries. Implications of intensification for policies to ensure longer‐term sustainability are discussed.
Delanzomib, a novel proteasome inhibitor, sensitizes breast cancer cells to doxorubicin‐induced apoptosis
Authors: Wang Mopei , Liang Li , Lu Jiaxiong , Yu Yang , Zhao Yanling , Shi Zhenfeng , Li Hui , Xu Xin , Yan Yuxian , Niu Yan , Liu Zhentao , Shen Lin , Zhang Hong 
Published: March 2019

BackgroundDelanzomib, a novel proteasome inhibitor, has demonstrated promising efficacy and antitumor ability in human multiple myeloma cell lines and patient‐derived cells. However, the potential therapeutic effects of delanzomib on breast cancer remain unknown. In this study, we show that delanzomib has antitumor effects and synergizes with doxorubicin (Dox) in human breast cancer cell lines.MethodsCell proliferation assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis in eight human breast cancer cell lines after treatment with delanzomib or Dox. Essential molecules of the p53, MAPK, and apoptosis signaling pathways were analyzed by Western blotting.ResultsDelanzomib induced cell death and demonstrated synergism with Dox in all tested breast cancer cell lines. In addition, delanzomib enhanced the Dox‐induced phosphorylation of p38/JNK and the expression of transcriptional target proteins of p53, such as p21, p27, NOXA, and PUMA.ConclusionThe combined regimen of the proteasome inhibitor delanzomib with Dox chemotherapy may become an effective strategy for breast cancer therapy.
Treatment and re/habilitation of children with cerebral palsy in India: a scoping review
Authors: Jindal Pranay , Macdermid Joy C , Rosenbaum Peter , Direzze Briano , Narayan Amitesh , Nayak Sharada L 
Published: March 2019

AimTo describe the nature and extent of the literature addressing the medical and its re/habilitative management of cerebral palsy (CP) in India.MethodOnline worldwide scholarly databases, research hosting directories, Indian publishing houses, and grey literature were used to identify papers published between 2005 and 2016. We retrieved 144 English language papers that described the medical and rehabilitative management of Indian children with CP.ResultsQuantitative, qualitative, and mixed research designs are published by a variety of health care professionals in India. Intervention (45%) and observational studies (30%) predominate. Outcomes were categorized using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, with body structure and function most reported and activity/participation least reported; 57% described its re/habilitation interventions and 43% were medical interventions.InterpretationThere is a substantial body of CP research in India that focuses on interventions to reduce impairments, with minimal attention given to activities and participation, environmental, and personal factors. Twenty‐six per cent of studies are published in what appear to be ‘predatory journals’. This paper serves as an alert about the presence of ‘predatory journals’ in medicine that may introduce publication bias, which can distort results reported in those studies individually, or from conclusions drawn in reviews that contain those studies.What this paper adds

Cerebral palsy research in India focuses on interventions to reduce impairment.

Activities, participation, and environmental factors are minimally addressed.

Quantitative studies are more common than qualitative studies.

Many Indian studies are published in journals that are not indexed in worldwide databases of scholarly journals.
Modulatory effects of cannabinoids on brain neurotransmission
Authors: Cohen Koby , Weizman Abraham , Weinstein Aviv 
Published: March 2019

AbstractRecreational and chronic cannabis use has been associated with a range of acute and chronic effects including; anti‐nociceptive actions, anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms and neurocognitive impairments. The mechanisms underlying cannabinoid‐based drugs effects are not fully known but given the neuro‐modulatory functions of the endocannabinoid system, it seems likely that agonistic activity at the cannabinoid type‐1 receptors (CB1) might modulate the functions of other neurotransmitter systems. The present review has summarized the currently available pre‐clinical and clinical data on the interactions of CB1 and cannabinoid type‐2 receptors (CB2) with the central neurotransmitters; dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate and opioids. Acute and chronic exposures to cannabinoids exert pharmacological alterations in the mammalian brain that have profound implications for our understanding of the neuropharmacology of cannabinoid‐based drugs and their effects on mental health and the brain. A recent emergence uses of cannabis for medical purpose together with legalization and decriminalization of cannabis and increasing use of highly potent synthetic cannabinoids raise a growing concern over the effects of cannabinoids and their interaction with other neurotransmitters on physical and mental health.