bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Composition and Genetic Diversity of the Nicotiana tabacum Microbiome in Different Topographic Areas and Growth Periods
Authors: Yuan Xiao-Long , Cao Min , Liu Xin-Min , Du Yong-Mei , Shen Guo-Ming , Zhang Zhong-Feng , Li Jin-Hai , Zhang Peng
Published: October 2018

Fungal endophytes are the most ubiquitous plant symbionts on earth and are phylogenetically diverse. Studies on the fungal endophytes in tobacco have shown that they are widely distributed in the leaves, stems, and roots, and play important roles in the composition of the microbial ecosystem of tobacco. Herein, we analyzed and quantified the endophytic fungi of healthy tobacco leaves at the seedling stage (SS), resettling growth stage (RGS), fast-growing stage (FGS), and maturing stage (MS) at three altitudes (600, 1000, and 1300 m). We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of fungal samples to delimit operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and phylogenetically characterize the communities. The results showed that the numbers of clustering OTUs at SS, RGS, FGS, and MS were 516, 709, 469, and 428, respectively. At the phylum level, species in Ascomycota and Basidiomycota had absolute predominance, representing 97.8% and 2.0% of the total number of species, respectively. We also found the number of fungi at the RGS and FGS stages was higher than those at the other two stages. Additionally, OTU richness was determined by calculating the Observed Species, Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE), Good’s coverage and phylogenetic distance (PD)_whole_tree indices based on the total number of species. Our results showed RGS samples had the highest diversity indices. Furthermore, we found that the diversity of fungal communities tended to decrease with increasing altitude. The results from this study indicated that tobacco harbors an abundant and diverse endophytic fungal community, which provides new opportunities for exploring their potential utilization.
Angiopoietin-2: A Potential Mediator of the Glycocalyx Injury in Adult Nephrotic Patients
Authors: Chaves Maria Moura Santana , Mendes Matheus de Souza , Schwermann Maximilian Pinho , Queiroz Raquel , Coelho Regina Freitas , Salmito Francisco Thiago Santos , Meneses Gdayllon Cavalcante , Martins Alice Maria Costa , Moreira Ana Cristina de Oliveira Monteiro , Libório Alexandre Braga
Published: October 2018

Introduction: Glomerulopathy is a group of diseases that affect mainly young adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Recently, it has been demonstrated that syndecan-1, a biomarker of endothelial glycocalyx damage, is increased in nephrotic patients with near-normal renal function and it is important to endothelial dysfunction in these patients. Angiopoietin-2 (AGPT2) is an endothelial growth factor that promotes cell derangement. Here we evaluated AGPT2 levels in patients with nephrotic syndrome, near-normal renal function and the possible interaction of AGPT2 with endothelial glycocalyx derangement. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed from January through November 2017. Adult patients (age > 18 years) with nephrotic syndrome and without immunosuppression were included. Blood samples were drawn after a 12 h fast for later measurement of syndecan-1 and AGPT2. Mediation analyses were performed to assess the hypothesized associations of nephrotic syndrome features and AGPT2 with syndecan-1. Results: We included 65 patients, 37 (56.9%) of them female, with primary glomerular disease. Syndecan-1 in nephrotic patients was higher than in control individuals (102.8 ± 36.2 vs. 28.2 ± 9.8 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Correlation of syndecan-1 with the main features of nephrotic syndrome after adjustment for age and estmmated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) demonstrated that syndecan-1 was significantly associated with 24-h urinary protein excretion, total cholesterol, LDL (low density lipoprotein)-cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein)-cholesterol, and triglycerides. Angiopoietin-2 was independently associated with serum albumin, 24 h urinary protein excretion, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol, in addition to being strongly associated with syndecan-1 (0.461, p < 0.001). The results of the mediation analyses showed that the direct association between LDL-cholesterol and syndecan-1 was no longer significant after AGPT-2 was included in the mediation analysis. AGPT2 explained 56% of the total observed association between LDL-cholesterol and syndecan-1. Conclusion: The association between LDL-cholesterol and glycocalyx derangement in nephrotic patients is possibly mediated by AGPT2.
Therapy of Non-Dermatophytic Mycoses in Animals
Authors: Elad Daniel
Published: October 2018

This review focuses on aspects of antimycotic therapy specific to veterinary medicine. In the first part, drug availability, limited mostly by economic consideration but also by clinical applicability and specific adverse effects, is described for polyenes, 5 fluorocytosine, azoles, echinocandins and terbinafine. In the second part, current knowledge and experience in the treatment of selected fungal infections are overviewed. These mycoses include disseminated mold infections in small animals (dogs and cats) and avian species, upper respiratory tract infections of small animals (sino-nasal and sino-orbital aspergillosis) and horses (guttural pouch mycosis), eumycetoma, infections caused by dimorphic fungi, (blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis and sporothrichosis) and by yeasts and yeast-like microorganism (Cryptococcus spp. and Malassezia pachydermatis).
Insurance Risks Management Methodology
Authors: Ivanovna Kartashova , Vladimirovna Molchanova , Turgaeva Axana
Published: October 2018

The purposes of the study are to substantiate the influence of the specific features of insurance on the set of management accounting objects and to develop a mechanism of preparing the relevant information for insurance risk management. Management accounting allows generating reports, specially prepared for managers of various levels of control (in contrast to financial accounting, which considers information on the basis of general accounting rules). This allows realizing the main goal of management accounting; that is, providing information support for management decisions aimed at maximizing the organization’s profits. The object of research is management accounting in the information system of an insurance company. The stages in the execution of accounting procedures in a management accounting system are defined in the form of a diagram, the features of insurance affecting the organization of management accounting are classified, and an intracompany ledger of the connection between the segments of activity and responsibility centers is developed for insurance companies.
Due Diligence Obligations and Transboundary Environmental Harm: Cybersecurity Applications
Authors: Takano Akiko
Published: October 2018

This paper analyzes the due diligence obligations with regard to transboundary harm in international water law and their application to cybersecurity by clarifying the definition of due diligence in light of the procedural duties in recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) cases. The paper explores whether states have responsibilities to prevent transboundary harm caused by nonstate actors. The existing literature on due diligence obligations in international water law and cybersecurity was reviewed, along with ICJ cases relating to procedural duties (international co-operation, environmental impact assessments, and information sharing). The findings confirm that, although procedural duties may be less onerous in cyberspace than in the environment, such duties indeed exist, albeit to a lesser degree. The differences may be accounted for by the fact that customary law related to the environment is already well developed. This study clarifies the concept of due diligence by focusing on procedural duties and examining the definition of due diligence in cyber operations. Due diligence obligations are crucial for states seeking to prevent transboundary harm and are an evolving principle of international law.
Silk as a Natural Reinforcement: Processing and Properties of Silk/Epoxy Composite Laminates
Authors: Hamidi Youssef K. , Yalcinkaya M. Akif , Guloglu Gorkem E. , Pishvar Maya , Amirkhosravi Mehrad , Altan M. Cengiz
Published: October 2018

With growing environmental awareness, natural fibers have recently received significant interest as reinforcement in polymer composites. Among natural fibers, silk can potentially be a natural alternative to glass fibers, as it possesses comparable specific mechanical properties. In order to investigate the processability and properties of silk reinforced composites, vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) was used to manufacture composite laminates reinforced with woven silk preforms. Specific mechanical properties of silk/epoxy laminates were found to be anisotropic and comparable to those of glass/epoxy. Silk composites even exhibited a 23% improvement of specific flexural strength along the principal weave direction over the glass/epoxy laminate. Applying 300 kPa external pressure after resin infusion was found to improve the silk/epoxy interface, leading to a discernible increase in breaking energy and interlaminar shear strength. Moreover, the effect of fabric moisture on the laminate properties was investigated. Unlike glass mats, silk fabric was found to be prone to moisture absorption from the environment. Moisture presence in silk fabric prior to laminate fabrication yielded slower fill times and reduced mechanical properties. On average, 10% fabric moisture induced a 25% and 20% reduction in specific flexural strength and modulus, respectively.
Thermoplastic Overmolding onto Injection-Molded and In Situ Polymerization-Based Polyamides
Authors: Boros Róbert , Rajamani Praveen , Kovács József
Published: October 2018

We investigated products manufactured by in situ polymerization, which were reinforced with overmolded ribs. We developed our own mold and prototype product for the project. We used three different materials as preform: a material with a magnesium catalyst, manufactured by in situ polymerization, a Brüggemann AP-NYLON-based in situ polymerization material and an injection-molded PA6 (Durethan B30S, Lanxess GmbH) material. The ribs were formed from the same PA6 material (Durethan B30S, Lanxess GmbH). We examined the effect of the different technological parameters through the pull-off of the overmolded ribs. We measured the effect of melt temperature, holding pressure and holding time, and mold temperature. Considering the individual preforms, we pointed out that monomer migration and binding strength are related, which we concluded from the temperature-dependent mass loss of the materials, measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Finally, we designed a mold suitable for manufacturing overmolded parts. We designed and built pressure and temperature sensors into the mold to examine and analyze pressures and temperatures around the welding zone of the materials.
Selected Physicochemical Properties of Lyophilized Hydrogel with Liposomal Fraction of Calcium Dobesilate
Authors: Pilch Ewa , Musiał Witold
Published: October 2018

Lyophilization is the process of drying and improving the stability of various pharmaceutical preparations. In this work we evaluated the properties of 11 hydrophilic gels calcium dobesilate with liposomes based on soybean lecithin, subjected to the freeze-drying procedure. Liposomes were produced by using method thin lipid film. Lyophilization was carried out under conditions of temperature equal (−30 °C) and pressure 0.37 mbar. We evaluated the preparations with dynamic light scattering (DLS) method, optical microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In this work we presented the average results for the particle diameter in the sample and PDI (polydispersity index) value for the samples that produced the results. When testing using the DLS method on a Malvern Zetaseizer, results for 7 samples were not obtained. Two of next four samples were characterized by an increased size of the liposome particle resulting from a lower concentration of ethanol compared to the rest of them. Three samples under the microscope did not show any differences. It was possible only to see single crystals probably of undissolved calcium dobesilate. Some clusters were observed in the 4 samples, and when they appeared they were very small. The aggregates and irregular liposomes present in the rest of the samples may have been formed due to the destabilizing activity of ethanol towards lipid membranes. In the FTIR spectrum for MC, the peak was observed at the wavenumber of ca. 2900 cm−1 and of about 1050 cm−1. In case of pure calcium dobesilate we observed low pick at the wavenumber of about 3400 cm−1. The spectrum has a low peak at the wavenumber of 1450 cm−1 and intense peaks ranging from approx. 1000 cm−1 to approx. 1200 cm−1. Decay of the lecithin peak in formulations with liposomes at 1725 cm−1 wavelength may indicate the occurrence of the hydrolysis reaction in the system. Probably there was a hydrolysis of the ester bond connecting the rest of the phosphoric acid and the choline with the glycerol residue.
Low-Temperature Performance and Damage Constitutive Model of Eco-Friendly Basalt Fiber–Diatomite-Modified Asphalt Mixture under Freeze–Thaw Cycles
Authors: Cheng Yongchun , Yu Di , Tan Guojin , Zhu Chunfeng
Published: October 2018

Asphalt pavement located in seasonal frozen regions usually suffers low-temperature cracking and freeze–thaw damage. For this reason, diatomite and basalt fiber were used to modify asphalt mixtures. An indirect tensile test was used to determine the low-temperature performance of the asphalt mixture. The influences of freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles on strength, tensile failure strain, stiffness modulus, and strain energy density were analyzed. The variation of the stress–strain curve under F–T cycles was analyzed. The stress–strain curve was divided into a linear zone and nonlinear zone. The linear zone stress ratio and linear zone strain ratio were proposed as indexes to evaluate the nonlinear characteristics of the stress–strain curve. The results show that the basalt fiber–diatomite-modified asphalt mixture had better low temperature crack resistance and antifreeze–thaw cycles capacity compared to the control asphalt mixture. The F–T cycles made the nonlinear characteristics of the stress–strain relationship of the asphalt mixture remarkable, and also decreased the linear zone stress ratio and linear zone strain ratio. The damage constitutive model established in this paper can describe the stress–strain relationship after F–T damage well.
Models for Multiple Attribute Decision Making with Some 2-Tuple Linguistic Pythagorean Fuzzy Hamy Mean Operators
Authors: Deng Xiumei , Wang Jie , Wei Guiwu , Lu Mao
Published: October 2018

The Hamy mean (HM) operator, as a useful aggregation tool, can capture the correlation between multiple integration parameters, and the 2-tuple linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy numbers (2TLPFNs) are a special kind of Pythagorean fuzzy numbers (PFNs), which can easily describe the fuzziness in actual decision making by 2-tuple linguistic terms (2TLTs). In this paper, to consider both Hamy mean (HM) operator and 2TLPFNs, we combine the HM operator, weighted HM (WHM) operator, dual HM (DHM) operator, and dual WHM (DWHM) operator with 2TLPFNs to propose the 2-tuple linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy HM (2TLPFHM) operator, 2-tuple linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy WHM (2TLPFWHM) operator, 2-tuple linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy DHM (2TLPFDHM) operator and 2-tuple linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy DWHM (2TLPFDWHM) operator. Then some multiple attribute decision making (MADM) procedures are developed based on these operators. At last, an applicable example for green supplier selection is given.
Asymmetric Synthesis of the C15–C32 Fragment of Alotamide and Determination of the Relative Stereochemistry
Authors: Shi Hao-yun , Xie Yang , Hu Pei , Guo Zi-qiong , Lu Yi-hong , Gao Yu , Huang Cheng-gang
Published: October 2018

Alotamide is a cyclic depsipetide isolated from a marine cyanobacterium and possesses a unique activation of calcium influx in murine cerebrocortical neurons (EC50 4.18 µM). Due to its limited source, the three stereocenters (C19, C28, and C30) in its polyketide fragment remain undetermined. In this study, the first asymmetric synthesis of its polyketide fragment was achieved. Four relative possible diastereomers were constructed with a boron-mediated enantioselective aldol reaction and Julia–Kocienski olefination as the key steps. Comparison of 13C NMR spectra revealed the relative structure of fragment C15–C32 of alotamide.
Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture
Authors: Litscher Gerhard
Published: October 2018

This editorial contains a general definition of laser acupuncture and all kinds of photo acupuncture accepted by the World Association for photobiomoduLation Therapy (WALT).
An Optically Induced Dielectrophoresis (ODEP)-Based Microfluidic System for the Isolation of High-Purity CD45neg/EpCAMneg Cells from the Blood Samples of Cancer Patients—Demonstration and Initial Exploration of the Clinical Significance of These Cells
Authors: Liao Chia-Jung , Hsieh Chia-Hsun , Chiu Tzu-Keng , Zhu Yu-Xian , Wang Hung-Ming , Hung Feng-Chun , Chou Wen-Pin , Wu Min-Hsien
Published: October 2018

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in blood circulation play an important role in cancer metastasis. CTCs are generally defined as the cells in circulating blood expressing the surface antigen EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule). Nevertheless, CTCs with a highly metastatic nature might undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), after which their EpCAM expression is downregulated. In current CTC-related studies, however, these clinically important CTCs with high relevance to cancer metastasis could be missed due to the use of the conventional CTC isolation methodologies. To precisely explore the clinical significance of these cells (i.e., CD45neg/EpCAMneg cells), the high-purity isolation of these cells from blood samples is required. To achieve this isolation, the integration of fluorescence microscopic imaging and optically induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP)-based cell manipulation in a microfluidic system was proposed. In this study, an ODEP microfluidic system was developed. The optimal ODEP operating conditions and the performance of live CD45neg/EpCAMneg cell isolation were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the proposed system was capable of isolating live CD45neg/EpCAMneg cells with a purity as high as 100%, which is greater than the purity attainable using the existing techniques for similar tasks. As a demonstration case, the cancer-related gene expression of CD45neg/EpCAMneg cells isolated from the blood samples of healthy donors and cancer patients was successfully compared. The initial results indicate that the CD45neg/EpCAMneg nucleated cell population in the blood samples of cancer patients might contain cancer-related cells, particularly EMT-transformed CTCs, as suggested by the high detection rate of vimentin gene expression. Overall, this study presents an ODEP microfluidic system capable of simply and effectively isolating a specific, rare cell species from a cell mixture.
Colloidal and Deposited Products of the Interaction of Tetrachloroauric Acid with Hydrogen Selenide and Hydrogen Sulfide in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Vorobyev Sergey , Likhatski Maxim , Romanchenko Alexander , Maksimov Nikolai , Zharkov Sergey , Krylov Alexander , Mikhlin Yuri
Published: October 2018

The reactions of aqueous gold complexes with H2Se and H2S are important for transportation and deposition of gold in nature and for synthesis of AuSe-based nanomaterials but are scantily understood. Here, we explored species formed at different proportions of HAuCl4, H2Se and H2S at room temperature using in situ UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential measurement and ex situ Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Metal gold colloids arose at the molar ratios H2Se(H2S)/HAuCl4 less than 2. At higher ratios, pre-nucleation “dense liquid” species having the hydrodynamic diameter of 20–40 nm, zeta potential −40 mV to −50 mV, and the indirect band gap less than 1 eV derived from the UV-vis spectra grow into submicrometer droplets over several hours, followed by fractional nucleation in the interior and coagulation of disordered gold chalcogenide. XPS found only one Au+ site (Au 4f7/2 at 85.4 eV) in deposited AuSe, surface layers of which partially decomposed yielding Au0 nanoparticles capped with elemental selenium. The liquid species became less dense, the gap approached 2 eV, and gold chalcogenide destabilized towards the decomposition with increasing H2S content. Therefore, the reactions proceed via the non-classical mechanism involving “dense droplets” of supersaturated solution and produce AuSe1−xSx/Au nanocomposites.
Dynamics-Derived Insights into Complex Formation between the CXCL8 Monomer and CXCR1 N-Terminal Domain: An NMR Study
Authors: Joseph Prem Raj B. , Spyracopoulos Leo , Rajarathnam Krishna
Published: October 2018

Interleukin-8 (CXCL8), a potent neutrophil-activating chemokine, exerts its function by activating the CXCR1 receptor that belongs to class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Receptor activation involves interactions between the CXCL8 N-terminal loop and CXCR1 N-terminal domain (N-domain) residues (Site-I) and between the CXCL8 N-terminal and CXCR1 extracellular/transmembrane residues (Site-II). CXCL8 exists in equilibrium between monomers and dimers, and it is known that the monomer binds CXCR1 with much higher affinity and that Site-I interactions are largely responsible for the differences in monomer vs. dimer affinity. Here, using backbone 15N-relaxation nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, we characterized the dynamic properties of the CXCL8 monomer and the CXCR1 N-domain in the free and bound states. The main chain of CXCL8 appears largely rigid on the picosecond time scale as evident from high order parameters (S2). However, on average, S2 are higher in the bound state. Interestingly, several residues show millisecond-microsecond (ms-μs) dynamics only in the bound state. The CXCR1 N-domain is unstructured in the free state but structured with significant dynamics in the bound state. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data indicate that both enthalpic and entropic factors contribute to affinity, suggesting that increased slow dynamics in the bound state contribute to affinity. In sum, our data indicate a critical and complex role for dynamics in driving CXCL8 monomer-CXCR1 Site-I interactions.
Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Properties of Farnesol
Authors: Jung Young Yun , Hwang Sun Tae , Sethi Gautam , Fan Lu , Arfuso Frank , Ahn Kwang Seok
Published: October 2018

Farnesol, an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, is predominantly found in essential oils of various plants in nature. It has been reported to exhibit anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, and also alleviate allergic asthma, gliosis, and edema. In numerous tumor cell lines, farnesol can modulate various tumorigenic proteins and/or modulates diverse signal transduction cascades. It can also induce apoptosis and downregulate cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and cell survival. To exert its anti-inflammatory/anti-oncogenic effects, farnesol can modulate Ras protein and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells activation to downregulate the expression of various inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-6. In this review, we describe the potential mechanisms of action underlying the therapeutic effects of farnesol against cancers and inflammatory disorders. Furthermore, these findings support the clinical development of farnesol as a potential pharmacological agent in clinical studies.
Heteroatom Substitution at Amide Nitrogen—Resonance Reduction and HERON Reactions of Anomeric Amides
Authors: Glover Stephen A. , Rosser Adam A.
Published: October 2018

This review describes how resonance in amides is greatly affected upon substitution at nitrogen by two electronegative atoms. Nitrogen becomes strongly pyramidal and resonance stabilisation, evaluated computationally, can be reduced to as little as 50% that of N,N-dimethylacetamide. However, this occurs without significant twisting about the amide bond, which is borne out both experimentally and theoretically. In certain configurations, reduced resonance and pronounced anomeric effects between heteroatom substituents are instrumental in driving the HERON (Heteroatom Rearrangement On Nitrogen) reaction, in which the more electronegative atom migrates from nitrogen to the carbonyl carbon in concert with heterolysis of the amide bond, to generate acyl derivatives and heteroatom-substituted nitrenes. In other cases the anomeric effect facilitates SN1 and SN2 reactivity at the amide nitrogen.
Copper Metabolism of Newborns Is Adapted to Milk Ceruloplasmin as a Nutritive Source of Copper: Overview of the Current Data
Authors: Puchkova Ludmila V. , Babich Polina S. , Zatulovskaia Yulia A. , Ilyechova Ekaterina Y. , Di Sole Francesca
Published: October 2018

Copper, which can potentially be a highly toxic agent, is an essential nutrient due to its role as a cofactor for cuproenzymes and its participation in signaling pathways. In mammals, the liver is a central organ that controls copper turnover throughout the body, including copper absorption, distribution, and excretion. In ontogenesis, there are two types of copper metabolism, embryonic and adult, which maintain the balance of copper in each of these periods of life, respectively. In the liver cells, these types of metabolism are characterized by the specific expression patterns and activity levels of the genes encoding ceruloplasmin, which is the main extracellular ferroxidase and copper transporter, and the proteins mediating ceruloplasmin metalation. In newborns, the molecular genetic mechanisms responsible for copper homeostasis and the ontogenetic switch from embryonic to adult copper metabolism are highly adapted to milk ceruloplasmin as a dietary source of copper. In the mammary gland cells, the level of ceruloplasmin gene expression and the alternative splicing of its pre-mRNA govern the amount of ceruloplasmin in the milk, and thus, the amount of copper absorbed by a newborn is controlled. In newborns, the absorption, distribution, and accumulation of copper are adapted to milk ceruloplasmin. If newborns are not breast-fed in the early stages of postnatal development, they do not have this natural control ensuring alimentary copper balance in the body. Although there is still much to be learned about the neonatal consequences of having an imbalance of copper in the mother/newborn system, the time to pay attention to this problem has arrived because the neonatal misbalance of copper may provoke the development of copper-related disorders.
Who Are the Key Players Involved with Shaping Public Opinion and Policies on Obesity and Diabetes in New Zealand?
Authors: De Bruin Willemijn E. , Stayner Cherie , Lange Michel de , Taylor Rachael W.
Published: October 2018

There is an urgent need for strategic approaches to address the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Such approaches rely strongly on input from multiple actors in the diabetes and obesity policy space. We conducted a social network analysis to identify influential actors involved with shaping public opinion and/or policy regarding obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Our analysis revealed a diverse network of 272 individuals deemed influential by their peers. These individuals represented nine professional categories, particularly academics (34%), health service providers (22%), and government representatives (17%). The network included a total of 17 identified decision-makers. Relative capacity of professional categories to access these decision-makers was highest for representatives of the food and beverage industry (25%), compared with nongovernment organisations (9%) or academics (7%). We identified six distinct brokers, in academic (n = 4), government (n = 1), and nongovernmental (n = 1) positions, who could play a key role in improving communication and networking activities among all interest groups. Such actions should ultimately establish effective networks to foster evidence-based policy development to prevent and reduce the burden of diabetes and obesity.
Association between Genetic Variant of Apolipoprotein C3 and Incident Hypertension Stratified by Obesity and Physical Activity in Korea
Authors: Jo Garam , Kwak So-Young , Kim Ji Young , Lim Hyunjung , Shin Min-Jeong
Published: October 2018

Apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) is an important regulator of lipoprotein metabolism, and has been shown to be strongly associated with hypertriglyceridemia. We tested whether triglyceride-influencing genetic variants at APOC3 (T-455C, C-482T, C1100T, and SstI) are associated with the onset of hypertension (HTN) among Korean adults stratified by lifestyle-related factors in the Ansung–Ansan cohort within the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. After excluding participants with preexisting cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and HTN, a total of 5239 men and women were included at baseline (2001–2002), and followed up for a median of 9.8 years. Carriers of the C allele of C1100T with body mass index <25 kg/m2 showed a significantly lower HTN risk (hazard ratio (HR) than non-carriers: 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–0.98) after adjusting for covariates. In addition, carriers of the C allele of T-455C and the T allele of C-482T with low physical activity had lower incident HTN than non-carriers (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03–1.26; HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02–1.25). Our results suggest that genotype effects in APOC3 on HTN risk have been shown in lean carriers of the C allele of C1100T and in less active people having the C allele of T-455C and T allele of C-482T in a large sample of the Korean population.
Comparative Proteomic Profiling of Tumor-Associated Proteins in Human Gastric Cancer Cells Treated with Pectolinarigenin
Authors: Lee Ho Jeong , Venkatarame Gowda Saralamma Venu , Kim Seong Min , Ha Sang Eun , Vetrivel Preethi , Kim Eun Hee , Lee Snag Joon , Heo Jeong Doo , Rampogu Shailima , Lee Keun Woo , Kim Gon Sup
Published: October 2018

Pectolinarigenin (PEC), a natural flavonoid that is present in citrus fruits, has been reported to exhibit antitumor effects in several cancers. Though the mechanism of PEC-induced cytotoxicity effects has been documented, the proteomic changes that are associated with the cellular response to this flavonoid are poorly understood in gastric cancer cells. In this study, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed to identify proteins associated with PEC-induced cell death in two human gastric cancer cell lines: AGS and MKN-28. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) revealed a total of 29 and 56 protein spots with significant alteration were screened in AGS and MKN-28 cells respectively. In total, 13 (AGS) and 39 (MKN28) proteins were successfully identified by mass spectrometry from the differential spots and they are known to be involved in signal transduction, apoptosis, transcription and translation, cell structural organization, and metabolism, as is consistent with multiple effects of PEC on tumor cells. Notably, novel target proteins like Probable ATP-dependent RNA helicase DDX4 (DDX4) and E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase LRSAM1 (LRSAM1) along with the commonly differential expressed proteins on both the cell lines that are treated with PEC were confirmed by immunoblotting. The DDX4 accelerates cell cycle progression by abrogating the G2 checkpoint when overexpressed in cancer cells, while the aberrant expression of LRSAM1 may be involved in the cancer pathology. Thus, proteomic analysis provides vital information about target proteins that are important for PEC-induced cell death in gastric cancer cells.
Malnutrition and Fracture Healing: Are Specific Deficiencies in Amino Acids Important in Nonunion Development?
Authors: Meesters Dennis M. , Wijnands Karolina A.P. , Brink Peter R.G. , Poeze Martijn
Published: October 2018

With the increasing incidence of fractures now, and in the future, the absolute number of bone-healing complications such as nonunion development will also increase. Next to fracture-dependent factors such as large bone loss volumes and inadequate stabilization, the nutritional state of these patients is a major influential factor for the fracture repair process. In this review, we will focus on the influence of protein/amino acid malnutrition and its influence on fracture healing. Mainly, the arginine-citrulline-nitric oxide metabolism is of importance since it can affect fracture healing via several precursors of collagen formation, and through nitric oxide synthases it has influences on the bio-molecular inflammatory responses and the local capillary growth and circulation.
A Facile Approach for Fabricating Microstructured Surface Based on Etched Template by Inkjet Printing Technology
Authors: Sun Jiazhen , Yun Chenghu , Cui Bo , Li Pingping , Liu Guangping , Wang Xin , Chu Fuqiang
Published: October 2018

Microstructures are playing an important role in manufacturing functional devices, due to their unique properties, such as wettability or flexibility. Recently, various microstructured surfaces have been fabricated to realize functional applications. To achieve the applications, photolithography or printing technology is utilized to produce the microstructures. However, these methods require preparing templates or masks, which are usually complex and expensive. Herein, a facile approach for fabricating microstructured surfaces was studied based on etched template by inkjet printing technology. Precured polydimethylsiloxane substrate was etched by inkjet printing water-soluble polyacrylic acid solution. Then, the polydimethylsiloxane substrate was cured and rinsed, which could be directly used as template for fabricating microstructured surfaces. Surfaces with raised dots, lines, and squares, were facilely obtained using the etched templates by inkjet printing technology. Furthermore, controllable anisotropic wettability was exhibited on the raised line microstructured surface. This work provides a flexible and scalable way to fabricate various microstructured surfaces. It would bring about excellent performance, which could find numerous applications in optoelectronic devices, biological chips, microreactors, wearable products, and related fields.
Smart and Modern Thermoplastic Polymer Materials
Authors: Pucci Andrea
Published: October 2018

Smart and modern thermoplastic polymer materials are defined as novel thermoplastic materials that are capable of responding to external stimuli through a macroscopic output in which the energy of the stimulus is transduced appropriately as a function of external interference. [...]
Eco-Friendly and Highly Efficient Enzyme-Based Wool Shrinkproofing Finishing by Multiple Padding Techniques
Authors: Wang Le , Yao Jinbo , Niu Jiarong , Liu Jianyong , Li Bo , Feng Mao
Published: October 2018

Wool fibers usually need shrinkproofing finishing. The enzyme process is an eco-friendly technology but the traditional exhaustion treatment usually takes excessive time. This study developed a novel multiple padding shrinkproofing process of wool with Savinase 16L and an organic phosphine compound {[HO(CH2)n]3P, n ∈ (1, 10)}. SEM and XPS analyses were employed to compare the wool treated respectively by exhaustion and by padding to reveal the effect of multiple padding. The results showed that treated wool fiber achieved the requirement of machine-washable (area shrinkage less than 8% according to standard TM 31 5 × 5A) in 2.5 min by the padding process. The padding process can control the adsorbance of enzyme on wool, which makes treatment more uniform and avoids strong damage of the wool. Also, the removal efficiency of the disulfide bond was about 15 times as much as in the exhaustion treatment in 2.5 min. The average catalytic rate of the padding process was 14 times faster than the exhaustion process, and the process time (2.5 min) decreased by 32.5 min compared with the exhaustion process (35 min). Multiple padding techniques can achieve continuous production and replace the environmentally harmful chlorination process. Our results provide the underlying insights needed to guide the research of the enzyme process application.
Natural Silkworm Cocoon Composites with High Strength and Stiffness Constructed in Confined Cocooning Space
Authors: Cheng Lan , Tong Xiaoling , Li Zhi , Liu Zulan , Huang Huiming , Zhao Hongping , Dai Fangyin
Published: October 2018

In this study, using round paper tubes (PTs) and rectangular cardboard boxes (CBs) as external constraints to control the size of the cocooning space, we fabricated a series of modified silkworm cocoons (PT cocoons and CB cocoons). Their microstructures, morphologies, compositions, and mechanical properties were characterized and compared with normal silkworm cocoons. These two kinds of modified silkworm cocoons exhibit dense and homogeneous layer structures. Tensile test results indicate that above a size limit of cocooning space, their tensile strengths, Young’s moduli, and strain energy densities increase with the decrease in cocooning space. Especially in comparison with the normal cocoons, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the PT-14 cocoon increase by 44% and 100%, respectively. Meanwhile, PT cocoons and CB cocoons, except PT-12, also possess better peeling resistance than normal cocoons. Owing to the dense structure and low porosity, the modified cocoons form robust fiber networks that result in high strength and toughness. This study provides a green and efficient method to fabricate mechanically enhanced silkworm cocoons with special shapes and dense layer structures. The method can be easily subjected to further modification processes and has potential applications in the production of high-performance green cocoon composites and biomimetic materials.
Taxpayer’s Religiosity, Religion, and the Perceptions of Tax Equity: Case of South Korea
Authors: Jun Byung Wook , Yoon Sung Man
Published: October 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of religiosity and religion on tax equity. Most prior studies have argued that higher taxpayers’ religiosity reduces tax evasion and increases the level of tax morale. Various studies have also shown that tax evasion and morale vary with perceptions of tax equity, including exchange, horizontal, and vertical equities. However, the relationship between religiosity and tax equity has not been studied actively. Especially in Korea, there has been considerable debate about the implementation of taxation for clergies. Therefore, the relationship between religiosity and tax equity will be analyzed clearly using Korean survey panel data. The results of this study show that religiosity and religion do not affect exchange and horizontal equity; however, each religion affects vertical equity. This implies that economic and social incentives are more effective than religiosity and religion on taxpayers’ tax evasion or morale.
Unexpected Convergences: Religious Nationalism in Israel and Turkey
Authors: Cesari Jocelyne
Published: October 2018

This article compares Israel and Turkey to demonstrate how religious nationalism can be analyzed by a combination of historical institutionalism and conceptual history of religious ideas and doctrines. Both cases exemplify how the building of the nation-state was associated with the exportation of the western concept of religion. The resulting association between national territory, state and religion can explain the existing politicization of religion.
Extracting Individual Bricks from a Laser Scan Point Cloud of an Unorganized Pile of Bricks
Authors: Shen Yueqian , Lindenbergh Roderik , Wang Jinguo , G. Ferreira Vagner
Published: October 2018

Bricks are the vital component of most masonry structures. Their maintenance is critical to the protection of masonry buildings. Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (TLidar) systems provide massive point cloud data in an accurate and fast way. TLidar enables us to sample and store the state of a brick surface in a practical way. This article aims to extract individual bricks from an unorganized pile of bricks sampled by a dense point cloud. The method automatically segments and models the individual bricks. The methodology is divided into five main steps: Filter needless points, brick boundary points removal, coarse segmentation using 3D component analysis, planar segmentation and grouping, and brick reconstruction. A novel voting scheme is used to segment the planar patches in an effective way. Brick reconstruction is based on the geometry of single brick and its corresponding nominal size (length, width and height). The number of bricks reconstructed is around 75%. An accuracy assessment is performed by comparing 3D coordinates of the reconstructed vertices to the manually picked vertices. The standard deviations of differences along x, y and z axes are 4.55 mm, 4.53 mm and 4.60 mm, respectively. The comparison results indicate that the accuracy of reconstruction based on the introduced methodology is high and reliable. The work presented in this paper provides a theoretical basis and reference for large scene applications in brick-like structures. Meanwhile, the high-accuracy brick reconstruction lays the foundation for further brick displacement estimation.
Detection and Description of the Different Ionospheric Disturbances that Appeared during the Solar Eclipse of 21 August 2017
Authors: Yang Heng , Monte Moreno Enrique , Hernández-Pajares Manuel
Published: October 2018

This work will provide a detailed characterization of the travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) created by the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017, the shadow of which crossed the United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. The analysis is done by means of the Atomic Decomposition Detector of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (ADDTID) algorithm. This method automatically detects and characterizes multiple TIDs from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observation. The set of disturbances generated by the eclipse has a richer and more varied behavior than that associated with the shock wave directly produced by cooling effects of the moon shadow. This can be modeled in part as if the umbra and penumbra of the eclipse were moving cylinders that intersects with variable elevation angle a curved surface. This projection gives rise to regions of equal penumbra with shapes similar to ellipses, with different centers and foci. The result of this is reflected in the time evolution of the TID wavelengths produced by the eclipse, which depend on the vertical angle of the sun with the surface of the earth, and also a double bow wave phenomenon, where the bow waves are generated in advance to the umbra. We show that the delay in the appearance of the disturbances with the transit of the eclipse are compatible with the physical explanations, linked to the different origins of the disturbances and the wavelengths. Finally, we detected a consistent pattern, in location and time of disturbances in advance to the penumbra as a set of medium scale TIDs, which could be hypothesized as soliton waves of the bow wave. In all cases, the detected disturbances were checked visually on the detrended vertical total electron content (TEC) maps.
A Simple Method for the Parameterization of Surface Roughness from Microwave Remote Sensing
Authors: Gharechelou Saeid , Tateishi Ryutaro , A. Johnson Brian
Published: October 2018

Generally, the characterization of land surface roughness is obtained from the analysis of height variations observed along transects (e.g., root mean square (RMS) height, correlation length, and autocorrelation function). These surface roughness measurements are then used as inputs for surface dynamics modeling, e.g., for soil erosion modeling, runoff estimation, and microwave remote sensing scattering modeling and calibration. In the past, researchers have suggested various methods for estimating roughness parameters based on ground measurements, e.g., using a pin profilometer, but these methods require physical contact with the land and can be time-consuming to conduct. The target of this research is to develop a technique for deriving surface roughness characteristics from digital camera images by applying photogrammetric and geographical information systems (GIS) analysis techniques. First, ground photos acquired by a digital camera in the field were used to create a point cloud and 3D digital terrain model (DTM). Then, the DTM was imported to a GIS environment to calculate the surface roughness parameter for each field site. The results of the roughness derivation can be integrated with soil moisture for backscattering simulation, e.g., for inversion modeling to retrieve the backscattering coefficient. The results show that the proposed method has a high potential for retrieving surface roughness parameters in a time- and cost-efficient manner. The selection of homogeneous fields and the increased spatial distribution of sites in the study area will show a better result for microwave backscattering modeling.
Displacement Monitoring and Health Evaluation of Two Bridges Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images
Authors: Huang Qihuan , Monserrat Oriol , Crosetto Michele , Crippa Bruno , Wang Yian , Jiang Jianfeng , Ding Youliang
Published: October 2018

Displacement monitoring of large bridges is an important source of information concerning their health state. In this paper, a procedure based on satellite Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) data is presented to assess bridge health. The proposed approach periodically assesses the displacements of a bridge in order to detect abnormal displacements at any position of the bridge. To demonstrate its performances, the displacement characteristics of two bridges, the Nanjing-Dashengguan High-speed Railway Bridge (NDHRB, 1272 m long) and the Nanjing-Yangtze River Bridge (NYRB, 1576-m long), are studied. For this purpose, two independent Sentinel-1 SAR datasets were used, covering a two-year period with 75 and 66 images, respectively, providing very similar results. During the observed period, the two bridges underwent no actual displacements: thermal dilation displacements were dominant. For NDHRB, the total thermal dilation parameter from the PSI analysis was computed using the two different datasets; the difference of the two computations was 0.09 mm/°C, which, assuming a temperature variation of 30 °C, corresponds to a discrepancy of 2.7 mm over the total bridge length. From the total thermal dilation parameters, the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) were calculated, which were 11.26 × 10−6/°C and 11.19 × 10−6/°C, respectively. These values match the bridge metal properties. For NYRB, the estimated CTE was 10.46 × 10−6/°C, which also matches the bridge metal properties (11.26 × 10−6/°C). Based on a statistical analysis of the PSI topographic errors of NDHRB, pixels on the bridge deck were selected, and displacement models covering the entire NDHRB were established using the two track datasets; the model was validated on the six piers with an absolute mean error of 0.25 mm/°C. Finally, the health state of NDHRB was evaluated with four more images using the estimated models, and no abnormal displacements were found.