bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ön Çapraz Bağ ve Medial Menisküs Yırtığının Diz Ekstansiyon ve Fleksiyon İzokinetik Pik Tork Kuvvetine Etkisi ve Cybex Test Protokolü Uygulaması: Vaka Takdimi
Authors: Umutlu Gökhan , Erdoğan Ayhan Taner , Acar Nasuh Evrim
Published: June 2019

Diz ekstansör ve fleksör
kasların aktivite esnasında önemli dinamik stabilizörler olmalarının yanı sıra
bu kas grubunda kuvvet değerlerinde meydana gelen bir azalma durumunda diz
eklemi stabilitesi önemli derecede azalmaktadır. Bu bulgulardan hareketle, bu
çalışmada basketbol müsabakasında dizin aşırı lateral rotasyon hareketi yönünde
zorlanması sonucu sağ ve sol dizlerinden sakatlanan iki kadın sporcuda ön
çapraz bağ (ACL) ve medial menisküs yırtığının diz ekstansiyon ve fleksiyon
izokinetik pik tork kuvvet değerleri üzerindeki etkisi ve aynı zamanda
ameliyattan 16 hafta sonra kişiye uygulanan düzenli Cybex test protokolünün kas
kuvvet değerleri üzerindeki etkisini incelemek amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada yer
alan kadın sporcular diz ekleminin bilateral fleksiyon ve ekstansiyon ön test
ölçüm değerlerine göre Cybex izokinetik dinamometre (ABD) kullanılarak 8 hafta
ve 12 hafta olmak üzere haftada 3 gün farklı kasılma türlerini içeren bir ACL
rehabilitasyon protokolüne tabi tutuldu. Cybex testleri sonucunda iki ay
boyunca teste katılan kadın sporcunun sağ ve sol diz ekstansiyon-fleksiyon pik
tork kuvvet farkı değerleri (Ekstansiyon Bazal: % 26, 1. ay: % 15, 2. ay: %5;
Fleksiyon Bazal: % 11, 1. ay: %19, 2. ay: % 8); üç ay boyunca teste katılan
kadın sporcunun sağ ve sol diz ekstansiyon-fleksiyon pik tork kuvvet farkı
değerleri (Ekstansiyon Bazal: % 40, 1. ay: % 34, 2. ay: % 24; 3. ay: % 14;
Fleksiyon Bazal: % 19, 1. ay: %9, 2. ay: % 5, 3. ay: % 3); olarak bulunmuştur.
ACL ameliyatlarından 16 hafta sonra uygulanmaya başlanan Cybex protokolünün
sporcuların ekstremiteler arası kuvvet farklarını azaltarak spora dönüş
sürecini hızlandırdığı ifade edilebilir.
Possible electromagnetic manifestations of merging black holes
Authors: Bisikalo D V , Zhilkin A G , Kurbatov E P
Published: June 2019

The accretion disk response to a loss of 5% of the mass of the accretor formed by a stellar-mass binary black hole coalescence has been simulated. The parameters of the initial binary system correspond to the gravitational-wave source GW170814. We performed a series of simulations of models with radiative and convective heat transfer mechanisms and various accretion rates. The models took into account radiation pressure and adiabatic vertical gas expansion. Reducing the mass of the accretor due to emission of gravitational waves led to a strong hydrodynamic disturbance of the disk that developed in less than one second into a shock wave. As a result of shock heating, the luminosity of convective disks increased by 3–5 orders of magnitude and reached 1043 erg s−1. The luminosity of radiative disks increased by 1–2 orders of magnitude, to 1040 erg s−1. If the source is as far as 540 Mpc (as in the case of the GW170814 event), disk brightening could be detected by the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory.
Self-Control Trial: A Qualitative Grounded Theory Study on the Decision Making Process in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Who Choose to Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Authors: Nunotani Maya
Published: June 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the decision-making process in patients with ulcerative colitis who were interested in and chose to use complementary and alternative medicine.

Methods: This descriptive study used a grounded theory approach to study the decision-making process in patients with ulcerative colitis, including semi-structured interviews and constant comparative analysis. The study subjects were recruited from a self-help group for patients in Japan. A total of 14 adult patients with ulcerative colitis that was in remission participated in this study.

Results: In this grounded theory study of patients with ulcerative colitis who choose to use complementary and alternative medicine, a core category was identified, i.e., “self-control trial,” along with five other categories included in the patients’ decision-making process: “health condition,” “feasibility,” “influenced by others,” “desire to restore my health,” and “distrust.” Patients whose health condition was not improved by their current treatment were interested in complementary and alternative medicine. While being influenced by others and examining the feasibility of complementary and alternative medicine, these patients weighed their desire to restore health with their distrust. When their desire to restore health outweighed their distrust, patients chose to use complementary and alternative medicine.

Conclusions: This study provides an insight into patients’ decision-making processes about their choice of complementary and alternative medicine. Such insights might help nurses to better understand and respect patient choice. The findings may also be useful in the development of support programs addressing concerns about the choice of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with ulcerative colitis.
Seed Physiological Potential of Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum Genotypes and Their Answers to Pre-Germination Treatments
Authors: Alcalá-Rico Juan Samuel Guadalupe Jesús , López-Benítez Alfonso , Vázquez-Badillo Mario Ernesto , Sánchez-Aspeytia David , Rodríguez-Herrera Sergio Alfredo , Pérez-Rodríguez Miguel Ángel , Ramírez-Godina Francisca
Published: June 2019

Piquin pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) is an important species that supports the economy of rural households; it is part of Mexican gastronomy and it is a highly valuable phytogenetic resource. There has been recent interest in domesticating and exploiting piquin pepper commercially, which has been limited until now due to the low germination rate, and this work had the purpose of promoting germination and determining the physiological capacity of genotypes. Ten piquin pepper genotypes from different geographical origins in Mexico were submitted to 11 pre-germination treatments. A completely randomized experimental design was carried out with arrangement in split-plot. The large plot had the treatments and the small plot had the genotypes. The results showed differences (p < 0.01) among treatments, genotypes, and treatment–genotype interaction. On one hand, treatments gibberellic acid (GA) and mechanical scarification + gibberellic acid (MSGA) increased the physiological potential of genotypes, reaching the highest values of germination speed (GS), germination index (IG) and germination percentage (GP); as well as the lowest values of dead seeds (DS) and hard Seeds (HS). In turn, the genotypes that presented the same condition were G8, G7, and G10. Regarding the interaction, each variable had a different condition. In conclusion, we can increase the physiological potential and solve the dormancy of piquin pepper seed by applying gibberellic acid. Likewise, the best genotypes were G8 and G10.
Dual-Channel Speech Enhancement Based on Extended Kalman Filter Relative Transfer Function Estimation
Authors: Martín-Doñas Juan M. , Peinado Antonio M. , López-Espejo Iván , Gomez Angel
Published: June 2019

This paper deals with speech enhancement in dual-microphone smartphones using beamforming along with postfiltering techniques. The performance of these algorithms relies on a good estimation of the acoustic channel and speech and noise statistics. In this work we present a speech enhancement system that combines the estimation of the relative transfer function (RTF) between microphones using an extended Kalman filter framework with a novel speech presence probability estimator intended to track the noise statistics’ variability. The available dual-channel information is exploited to obtain more reliable estimates of clean speech statistics. Noise reduction is further improved by means of postfiltering techniques that take advantage of the speech presence estimation. Our proposal is evaluated in different reverberant and noisy environments when the smartphone is used in both close-talk and far-talk positions. The experimental results show that our system achieves improvements in terms of noise reduction, low speech distortion and better speech intelligibility compared to other state-of-the-art approaches.
Outcomes and Quality of Life of Systemic Therapy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhou Kehua , Fountzilas Christos
Published: June 2019

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide; most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease for which there is no known cure. Tremendous progress has been made over the past decade in the development of new agents for HCC, including small-molecule kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib, lenvatinib, cabozantinib, regorafenib, and monoclonal antibodies like ramucirumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab. Ideal use of these agents in clinics has improved the long-term outcome of patients with advanced HCC as well as introduced unique toxicities that can affect quality of life. These toxicities usually are thought to be partially related to cirrhosis, a major risk factor for the development of HCC and a pathophysiological barrier complicating the optimal delivery of antineoplastic therapy. Additionally, side effects of medications together with advanced HCC symptoms not only decrease quality of life, but also cause treatment interruptions and dose reductions that can potentially decrease efficacy. Physicians caring for patients with advanced HCC are called to optimally manage HCC along with cirrhosis in order to prolong life while at the same time preserve the quality of life. In this review, we aimed to summarize outcomes and quality of life with the use of modern systemic treatments in advanced HCC and provide a physician reference for treatment toxicity and cirrhosis management.
Protective Effects of Licochalcone A Improve Airway Hyper-Responsiveness and Oxidative Stress in a Mouse Model of Asthma
Authors: Huang Wen-Chung , Liu Chien-Yu , Shen Szu-Chuan , Chen Li-Chen , Yeh Kuo-Wei , Liu Shih-Hai , Liou Chian-Jiun
Published: June 2019

Licochalcone A was isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis and previously reported to have antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects. Licochalcone A has also been found to inhibit the levels of Th2-associated cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of asthmatic mice. However, the molecular mechanism underlying airway inflammation and how licochalcone A regulates oxidative stress in asthmatic mice are elusive. In this study, we investigated whether licochalcone A could attenuate inflammatory and oxidative responses in tracheal epithelial cells, and whether it could ameliorate oxidative stress and airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. Inflammatory human tracheal epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells were treated with licochalcone A to evaluate oxidative responses and inflammatory cytokine levels. In addition, BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and injected intraperitoneally with licochalcone A (5 or 10 mg/kg). Licochalcone A significantly inhibited reactive oxygen species, eotaxin, and proinflammatory cytokines in BEAS-2B cells. Licochalcone A also decreased intercellular adhesion molecule 1 levels in inflammatory BEAS-2B cells, blocking monocyte cell adherence. We also found that licochalcone A significantly decreased oxidative responses, reduced malondialdehyde levels, and increased glutathione levels in the lungs of OVA-sensitized mice. Furthermore, licochalcone A decreased airway hyper-responsiveness, eosinophil infiltration, and Th2 cytokine production in the BALF. These findings suggest that licochalcone A alleviates oxidative stress, inflammation, and pathological changes by inhibiting Th2-associated cytokines in asthmatic mice and human tracheal epithelial cells. Thus, licochalcone A demonstrated therapeutic potential for improving asthma.
Fibronectin Regulation of Integrin B1 and SLUG in Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Huaman Jeannette , Naidoo Michelle , Zang Xingxing , Ogunwobi Olorunseun O.
Published: June 2019

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a critical step in the metastatic cascade and a good tool to study this process. We isolated CTCs from a syngeneic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and a human xenograft mouse model of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). From these models, novel primary tumor and CTC cell lines were established. CTCs exhibited greater migration than primary tumor-derived cells, as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), as observed from decreased E-cadherin and increased SLUG and fibronectin expression. Additionally, when fibronectin was knocked down in CTCs, integrin B1 and SLUG were decreased, indicating regulation of these molecules by fibronectin. Investigation of cell surface molecules and secreted cytokines conferring immunomodulatory advantage to CTCs revealed decreased major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) expression and decreased endostatin, C-X-C motif chemokine 5 (CXCL5), and proliferin secretion by CTCs. Taken together, these findings indicate that CTCs exhibit distinct characteristics from primary tumor-derived cells. Furthermore, CTCs demonstrate enhanced migration in part through fibronectin regulation of integrin B1 and SLUG. Further study of CTC biology will likely uncover additional important mechanisms of cancer metastasis.
Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Breast Cancer and Their Application
Authors: Murayama Takahiko , Gotoh Noriko
Published: June 2019

Recently, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of many types of tumors including breast cancer have emerged as a powerful tool for predicting drug efficacy and for understanding tumor characteristics. PDXs are established by the direct transfer of human tumors into highly immunodeficient mice and then maintained by passaging from mouse to mouse. The ability of PDX models to maintain the original features of patient tumors and to reflect drug sensitivity has greatly improved both basic and clinical study outcomes. However, current PDX models cannot completely predict drug efficacy because they do not recapitulate the tumor microenvironment of origin, a failure which puts emphasis on the necessity for the development of the next generation PDX models. In this article, we summarize the advantages and limitations of current PDX models and discuss the future directions of this field.
Solid Indeterminate Pulmonary Nodules of Less Than 300 mm3: Application of Different Volume Doubling Time Cut-offs in Clinical Practice
Authors: Borghesi Andrea , Michelini Silvia , Scrimieri Alessandra , Golemi Salvatore , Maroldi Roberto
Published: June 2019

In the British Thoracic Society guidelines for incidental pulmonary nodules, volumetric analysis has become the recommended method for growth assessment in solid indeterminate pulmonary nodules (SIPNs) <300 mm3. In these guidelines, two different volume doubling time (VDT) cut-offs, 400 and 600 days, were proposed to differentiate benign from malignant nodules. The present study aims to evaluate the performance of these VDT cut-offs in a group of SIPNs <300 mm3 which were incidentally detected in a routine clinical setting. During a 7-year period, we retrospectively selected 60 patients with a single SIPN <300 mm3. For each SIPN, the volume and VDT were calculated using semiautomatic software throughout the follow-up period, and the performance of the 400- and 600-day VDT cut-offs was compared. In the selected sample, there were 38 benign and 22 malignant nodules. In this group of nodules, the sensitivity, negative predictive value and accuracy of the 600-day VDT cut-off were higher than those of the 400-day VDT cut-off. Therefore, in the management of SIPNs <300 mm3 which were incidentally detected in a clinical setting, the 600-day VDT cut-off was better at differentiating benign from malignant nodules than the 400-day VDT cut-off, by reducing the number of false negatives.
Changed Temporal Structure of Neuromuscular Control, Rather Than Changed Intersegment Coordination, Explains Altered Stabilographic Regularity after a Moderate Perturbation of the Postural Control System
Authors: Wachholz Felix , Kockum Tove , Haid Thomas , Federolf Peter
Published: June 2019

Sample entropy (SaEn) applied on center-of-pressure (COP) data provides a measure for the regularity of human postural control. Two mechanisms could contribute to altered COP regularity: first, an altered temporal structure (temporal regularity) of postural movements (H1); or second, altered coordination between segment movements (coordinative complexity; H2). The current study used rapid, voluntary head-shaking to perturb the postural control system, thus producing changes in COP regularity, to then assess the two hypotheses. Sixteen healthy participants (age 26.5 ± 3.5; seven females), whose postural movements were tracked via 39 reflective markers, performed trials in which they first stood quietly on a force plate for 30 s, then shook their head for 10 s, finally stood quietly for another 90 s. A principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the kinematic data extracted the main postural movement components. Temporal regularity was determined by calculating SaEn on the time series of these movement components. Coordinative complexity was determined by assessing the relative explained variance of the first five components. H1 was supported, but H2 was not. These results suggest that moderate perturbations of the postural control system produce altered temporal structures of the main postural movement components, but do not necessarily change the coordinative structure of intersegment movements.
“Dust in the Wind...”, Deep Learning Application to Wind Energy Time Series Forecasting
Authors: Manero Jaume , Béjar Javier , Cortés Ulises
Published: June 2019

To balance electricity production and demand, it is required to use different prediction techniques extensively. Renewable energy, due to its intermittency, increases the complexity and uncertainty of forecasting, and the resulting accuracy impacts all the different players acting around the electricity systems around the world like generators, distributors, retailers, or consumers. Wind forecasting can be done under two major approaches, using meteorological numerical prediction models or based on pure time series input. Deep learning is appearing as a new method that can be used for wind energy prediction. This work develops several deep learning architectures and shows their performance when applied to wind time series. The models have been tested with the most extensive wind dataset available, the National Renewable Laboratory Wind Toolkit, a dataset with 126,692 wind points in North America. The architectures designed are based on different approaches, Multi-Layer Perceptron Networks (MLP), Convolutional Networks (CNN), and Recurrent Networks (RNN). These deep learning architectures have been tested to obtain predictions in a 12-h ahead horizon, and the accuracy is measured with the coefficient of determination, the R² method. The application of the models to wind sites evenly distributed in the North America geography allows us to infer several conclusions on the relationships between methods, terrain, and forecasting complexity. The results show differences between the models and confirm the superior capabilities on the use of deep learning techniques for wind speed forecasting from wind time series data.
Polycomb Assemblies Multitask to Regulate Transcription
Authors: Vidal Miguel
Published: June 2019

The Polycomb system is made of an evolutionary ancient group of proteins, present throughout plants and animals. Known initially from developmental studies with the fly Drosophila melanogaster, they were associated with stable sustainment of gene repression and maintenance of cell identity. Acting as multiprotein assemblies with an ability to modify chromatin, through chemical additions to histones and organization of topological domains, they have been involved subsequently in control of developmental transitions and in cell homeostasis. Recent work has unveiled an association of Polycomb components with transcriptionally active loci and the promotion of gene expression, in clear contrast with conventional recognition as repressors. Focusing on mammalian models, I review here advances concerning roles in transcriptional control. Among new findings highlighted is the regulation of their catalytic properties, recruiting to targets, and activities in chromatin organization and compartmentalization. The need for a more integrated approach to the study of the Polycomb system, given its fundamental complexity and its adaptation to cell context, is discussed.
Fractional Differential Equation Involving Mixed Nonlinearities with Nonlocal Multi-Point and Riemann-Stieltjes Integral-Multi-Strip Conditions
Authors: Ahmad Bashir , Alsaedi Ahmed , Salem Sara , Ntouyas Sotiris K.
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we investigate a new class of boundary value problems involving fractional differential equations with mixed nonlinearities, and nonlocal multi-point and Riemann–Stieltjes integral-multi-strip boundary conditions. Based on the standard tools of the fixed point theory, we obtain some existence and uniqueness results for the problem at hand, which are well illustrated with the aid of examples. Our results are not only in the given configuration but also yield several new results as special cases. Some variants of the given problem are also discussed.
Dissipation Behavior of Three Fungicides during the Industrial Processing of Paeoniae Radix Alba and Associated Processing Factors
Authors: Li Sheng-Nan , Sun Ming-Na , Wang Fan , Xu Xing , Zhang Xin-Hong , Ma Jin-Juan , Xiao Jin-Jing , Liao Min , Cao Hai-Qun
Published: June 2019

Before being administered as medicinal products, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) must be processed and decocted for human consumption. While the presence of pesticide residues in CHMs is a major concern, pesticide dissipation behavior during CHM processing has rarely been reported. In this study, the dissipation of three pesticide residues in the CHM Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA) was investigated during each step of industrial processing. The boiling process was found to significantly reduce pesticide residues (61–89%), and the peeling process also contributed to pesticide degradation (29–68%). The high temperature (60 °C) during the drying process led to further pesticide degradation. The processing factors of all three pesticides after each processing step were less than one, and the processing factors for the overall process were lower than 0.027, indicating that industrial processing clearly reduced the amount of pesticide residues (97.3–99.4%). The findings provide guidance for the safe use of fungicides in CHMs and can help establish maximum residue limits for PRA to reduce human exposure to pesticides.
Disruption of the Metal Ion Environment by EDTA for Silk Formation Affects the Mechanical Properties of Silkworm Silk
Authors: Liu Qingsong , Wang Xin , Tan Xiaoyin , Xie Xiaoqian , Dong Haonan , Li Xinning , Li Yi , Zhao Ping , Xia Qingyou
Published: June 2019

Silk fiber has become a research focus because of its comprehensive mechanical properties. Metal ions can influence the conformational transition of silk fibroin. Current research is mainly focused on the role of a single ion, rather than the whole metal ion environment. Here, we report the effects of the overall metal ion environment on the secondary structure and mechanical properties of silk fibers after direct injection and feeding of silkworms with EDTA. The metal composition of the hemolymph, silk gland, and silk fiber changed significantly post EDTA treatment. Synchrotron FTIR analysis indicated that the secondary structure of silk fiber after EDTA treatment changed dramatically; particularly, the β-sheets decreased and the β-turns increased. Post EDTA treatment, the silk fiber had significantly decreased strength, Young’s modulus, and toughness as compared with the control groups, while the strain exhibited no obvious change. These changes can be attributed to the change in the metal ion environment in the silk fibroin and sericin in the silk gland. Our investigation provides a new theoretical basis for the natural silk spinning process, and our findings could help develop a method to modify the mechanical properties of silk fiber using metal ions.
Fiber Optics Sensors in Asphalt Pavement: State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Kara De Maeijer Patricia , Luyckx Geert , Vuye Cedric , Voet Eli , Van den bergh Wim , Vanlanduit Steve , Braspenninckx Johan , Stevens Nele , De Wolf Jurgen
Published: June 2019

Pavement design is essentially and usually a structural long-term evaluation process which is needed to ensure that traffic loads are efficiently distributed at all levels of the total road structure. Furthermore, to get a complete analysis of its durability behavior, long-term monitoring should be facilitated, not only from the top by falling weight deflectometer (FWD) or core drilling but preferably from inside the structure and at exactly the same positions during a long-time interval. Considering that it is very hard to devise an efficient method to determine realistic in-situ mechanical properties of pavements, the determination of strain at the bottom of asphalt pavement layers through non-destructive tests is of a great interest. As it is known, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are the most promising candidates to effectively replace conventional strain gauges for a long-term monitoring application in a harsh environment. The main goals of this paper are to compile an overview of the recent developments worldwide in the application of fiber optics sensors (FOS) in asphalt pavement monitoring systems; to find out if those systems provide repeatable and suitable results for a long-term monitoring; if there are certain solutions to validate an inverse modelling approach based on the results of FWD and FOS.
Development and Validation of the Overall Foot Health Questionnaire for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis
Authors: Reina-Bueno María , González-López José Rafael , López-López Daniel , Calvo-Lobo César , Ballesteros-Mora Marina , Rodríguez-Moreno Inmaculada , Munuera-Martínez Pedro V.
Published: June 2019

Background and Objectives: In general, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are ignorant of the physician’s role and of RA-related feet problems. The aim of our study was to validate a questionnaire on the knowledge of different aspects of overall foot health in patients with RA. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was carried out between March 2017 and April 2017. A questionnaire was designed and validated through the Delphi method to evaluate the knowledge about the illness, the repercussions on feet, medical podiatry care, and the role of the medical podiatrist. Results: After being checked by a panel of experts, all the items obtained a Cronbach’s alpha over 0.70. Conclusions: The content of this questionnaire about the knowledge of different aspects of medical podiatry health in patients with RA has internal consistency.
Different Patterns of HIV-1 Replication in MACROPHAGES is Led by Co-Receptor Usage
Authors: Borrajo Ana , Ranazzi Alessandro , Pollicita Michela , Bellocchi Maria Concetta , Salpini Romina , Mauro Maria Vittoria , Ceccherini-Silberstein Francesca , Perno Carlo Federico , Svicher Valentina , Aquaro Stefano
Published: June 2019

Background and objectives: To enter the target cell, HIV-1 binds not only CD4 but also a co-receptor β-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) or α chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Limited information is available on the impact of co-receptor usage on HIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) and on the homeostasis of this important cellular reservoir. Materials and Methods: Replication (measured by p24 production) of the CCR5-tropic 81A strain increased up to 10 days post-infection and then reached a plateau. Conversely, the replication of the CXCR4-tropic NL4.3 strain (after an initial increase up to day 7) underwent a drastic decrease becoming almost undetectable after 10 days post-infection. The ability of CCR5-tropic and CXCR4-tropic strains to induce cell death in MDM was then evaluated. While for CCR5-tropic 81A the rate of apoptosis in MDM was comparable to uninfected MDM, the infection of CXCR4-tropic NL4.3 in MDM was associated with a rate of 14.3% of apoptotic cells at day 6 reaching a peak of 43.5% at day 10 post-infection. Results: This suggests that the decrease in CXCR4-tropic strain replication in MDM can be due to their ability to induce cell death in MDM. The increase in apoptosis was paralleled with a 2-fold increase in the phosphorylated form of p38 compared to WT. Furthermore, microarray analysis showed modulation of proapoptotic and cancer-related genes induced by CXCR4-tropic strains starting from 24 h after infection, whereas CCR5 viruses modulated the expression of genes not correlated with apoptotic-pathways. Conclusions: In conclusion, CXCR4-tropic strains can induce a remarkable depletion of MDM. Conversely, MDM can represent an important cellular reservoir for CCR5-tropic strains supporting the role of CCR5-usage in HIV-1 pathogenesis and as a pharmacological target to contribute to an HIV-1 cure.
Preventive Effect of Quercetin in a Triple Transgenic Alzheimer’s Disease Mice Model
Authors: Paula Pérez-Corredor , Angelica Maria Sabogal-Guáqueta , Luis Carrillo-Hormaza , Gloria Patricia Cardona-Gómez
Published: June 2019

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is the leading cause of disability in elderly people worldwide. Current pharmacological therapies do not cure the disease, and for this reason, some pharmacotherapy studies have investigated preventive treatments focused on modifiable nutritional factors such as diet. Quercetin (Qc) is a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables that has several biological properties. In this study, we evaluated the effect of chronic oral quercetin administration (100 mg/kg) on neurodegeneration markers and cognitive and emotional deficits in a triple transgenic Alzheimer’s disease (3xTg-AD) mouse model using histological and behavioral analyses. Our results suggest that long-term (12 months) oral preventive treatment with quercetin has significant effects on β-amyloidosis reduction and tends to decrease tauopathy in the hippocampus and amygdala. These decreases positively affected the cognitive functional recovery (without modifying the emotional skills) of 3xTg-AD mice. These findings suggest that preventive and chronic administration of Qc might help to delay the development of histopathological hallmarks and cognitive function deficits in AD.
Critical Appraisal of Kinetic Calculation Methods Applied to Overlapping Multistep Reactions
Authors: Muravyev Nikita V. , Pivkina Alla N. , Koga Nobuyoshi
Published: June 2019

Thermal decomposition of solids often includes simultaneous occurrence of the overlapping processes with unequal contributions in a specific physical quantity variation during the overall reaction (e.g., the opposite effects of decomposition and evaporation on the caloric signal). Kinetic analysis for such reactions is not a straightforward, while the applicability of common kinetic calculation methods to the particular complex processes has to be justified. This study focused on the critical analysis of the available kinetic calculation methods applied to the mathematically simulated thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data. Comparing the calculated kinetic parameters with true kinetic parameters (used to simulate the thermoanalytical curves), some caveats in the application of the Kissinger, isoconversional Friedman, Vyazovkin and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods, mathematical and kinetic deconvolution approaches and formal kinetic description were highlighted. The model-fitting approach using simultaneously TG and DSC data was found to be the most useful for the complex processes assumed in the study.
Molecular Informatics Studies of the Iron-Dependent Regulator (ideR) Reveal Potential Novel Anti-Mycobacterium ulcerans Natural Product-Derived Compounds
Authors: Kwofie Samuel K. , Enninful Kweku S. , Yussif Jaleel A. , Asante Lina A. , Adjei Mavis , Kan-Dapaah Kwabena , Tiburu Elvis K. , Mensah Wilhelmina A. , Miller Whelton A. , Mosi Lydia , Wilson Michael D.
Published: June 2019

Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans. Its virulence is attributed to the dermo-necrotic polyketide toxin mycolactone, whose synthesis is regressed when its iron acquisition system regulated by the iron-dependent regulator (ideR) is deactivated. Interfering with the activation mechanism of ideR to inhibit the toxin’s synthesis could serve as a possible cure for Buruli ulcer. The three-dimensional structure of the ideR for Mycobacterium ulcerans was generated using homology modeling. A library of 832 African natural products (AfroDB), as well as five known anti-mycobacterial compounds were docked against the metal binding site of the ideR. The area under the curve (AUC) values greater than 0.7 were obtained for the computed Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves, validating the docking protocol. The identified top hits were pharmacologically profiled using Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination and Toxicity (ADMET) predictions and their binding mechanisms were characterized. Four compounds with ZINC IDs ZINC000018185774, ZINC000095485921, ZINC000014417338 and ZINC000005357841 emerged as leads with binding energies of −7.7 kcal/mol, −7.6 kcal/mol, −8.0 kcal/mol and −7.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Induced Fit Docking (IFD) was also performed to account for the protein’s flexibility upon ligand binding and to estimate the best plausible conformation of the complexes. Results obtained from the IFD were consistent with that of the molecular docking with the lead compounds forming interactions with known essential residues and some novel critical residues Thr14, Arg33 and Asp17. A hundred nanoseconds molecular dynamic simulations of the unbound ideR and its complexes with the respective lead compounds revealed changes in the ideR’s conformations induced by ZINC000018185774. Comparison of the lead compounds to reported potent inhibitors by docking them against the DNA-binding domain of the protein also showed the lead compounds to have very close binding affinities to those of the potent inhibitors. Interestingly, structurally similar compounds to ZINC000018185774 and ZINC000014417338, as well as analogues of ZINC000095485921, including quercetin are reported to possess anti-mycobacterial activity. Also, ZINC000005357841 was predicted to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities, which are relevant in Buruli ulcer and iron acquisition mechanisms, respectively. The leads are molecular templates which may serve as essential scaffolds for the design of future anti-mycobacterium ulcerans agents.
Metabolic Brain Network Analysis of FDG-PET in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Kernel-Based Persistent Features
Authors: Kuang Liqun , Zhao Deyu , Xing Jiacheng , Chen Zhongyu , Xiong Fengguang , Han Xie
Published: June 2019

Recent research of persistent homology in algebraic topology has shown that the altered network organization of human brain provides a promising indicator of many neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the current slope-based approach may not accurately characterize changes of persistent features over graph filtration because such curves are not strictly linear. Moreover, our previous integrated persistent feature (IPF) works well on an rs-fMRI cohort while it has not yet been studied on metabolic brain networks. To address these issues, we propose a novel univariate network measurement, kernel-based IPF (KBI), based on the prior IPF, to quantify the difference between IPF curves. In our experiments, we apply the KBI index to study fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging data from 140 subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 280 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 280 healthy normal controls (NC). The results show the disruption of network integration in the progress of AD. Compared to previous persistent homology-based measures, as well as other standard graph-based measures that characterize small-world organization and modular structure, our proposed network index KBI possesses more significant group difference and better classification performance, suggesting that it may be used as an effective preclinical AD imaging biomarker.
Chemical Characterization and Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils from Fibre-Type Cannabis sativa L. (Hemp)
Authors: Iseppi Ramona , Brighenti Virginia , Licata Manuela , Lambertini Antonella , Sabia Carla , Messi Patrizia , Pellati Federica , Benvenuti Stefania
Published: June 2019

Volatile terpenes represent the largest group of Cannabis sativa L. components and they are responsible for its aromatic properties. Even if many studies on C. sativa have been focused on cannabinoids, which are terpenophenolics, little research has been carried out on its volatile terpenic compounds. In the light of all the above, the present work was aimed at the chemical characterization of seventeen essential oils from different fibre-type varieties of C. sativa (industrial hemp or hemp) by means of GC-MS and GC-FID techniques. In total, 71 compounds were identified, and the semi-quantitative analysis revealed that α- and β-pinene, β-myrcene and β-caryophyllene are the major components in all the essential oils analysed. In addition, a GC-MS method was developed here for the first time, and it was applied to quantify cannabinoids in the essential oils. The antibacterial activity of hemp essential oils against some pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms isolated from food and food processing environment was also determined. The inhibitory effects of the essential oils were evaluated by both the agar well diffusion assay and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) evaluation. By using the agar diffusion method and considering the zone of inhibition, it was possible to preliminarily verify the inhibitory activity on most of the examined strains. The results showed a good antibacterial activity of six hemp essential oils against the Gram-positive bacteria, thus suggesting that hemp essential oil can inhibit or reduce bacterial proliferation and it can be a valid support to reduce microorganism contamination, especially in the food processing field.
Novel Cobalt Dichloride Complexes with Hindered Diphenylphosphine Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization, and Behavior in the Polymerization of Butadiene
Authors: Ricci Giovanni , Leone Giuseppe , Pierro Ivana , Zanchin Giorgia , Forni Alessandra
Published: June 2019

Two novel cobalt diphenylphosphine complexes were synthesized by reacting cobalt(II) chloride with tert-butyl(diphenyl)phosphine (PtBuPh2) and (S)-(+)neomenthyldiphenylphosphine [(S)-NMDPP]. The crystal structure of the former was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The two complexes were then used in combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) for the polymerization of 1,3-butadiene: crystalline highly syndiotactic 1,2 poly(1,3-butadiene)s were obtained, with a 1,2 content and a syndiotactic index (percentage of syndiotactic triads [rr]) up to 95% and 85%, respectively. The results obtained further support and confirm what was already observed in the polymerization of 1,3-butadiene with CoCl2(PRPh2)2−MAO (R = methyl, ethyl, normal-propyl, iso-propyl, and cyclohexyl): the nature of the phosphine ligand strongly affects the polymerization stereoselectivity, the polymer syndiotacticity increasing with increasing phosphine ligand steric hindrance.
Towards On-Demand E. coli-Based Cell-Free Protein Synthesis of Tissue Plasminogen Activator
Authors: Yang Seung-Ook , Nielsen Gregory H. , Wilding Kristen M. , Cooper Merideth A. , Wood David W. , Bundy Bradley C.
Published: June 2019

Stroke is the leading cause of death with over 5 million deaths worldwide each year. About 80% of strokes are ischemic strokes caused by blood clots. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPa) is the only FDA-approved drug to treat ischemic stroke with a wholesale price over $6000. tPa is now off patent although no biosimilar has been developed. The production of tPa is complicated by the 17 disulfide bonds that exist in correctly folded tPA. Here, we present an Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis platform for tPa expression and report conditions which resulted in the production of active tPa. While the activity is below that of commercially available tPa, this work demonstrates the potential of cell-free expression systems toward the production of future biosimilars. The E. coli-based cell-free system is increasingly becoming an attractive platform for low-cost biosimilar production due to recent developments which enable production from shelf-stable lyophilized reagents, the removal of endotoxins from the reagents to prevent the risk of endotoxic shock, and rapid on-demand production in hours.
Adhiyajña: Towards a Performance Grammar of the Vedas
Authors: Smith Caley Charles
Published: June 2019

Recent scholarship has challenged the anachronistic projection of the modern category of the poem onto premodern texts. This article attempts to theorize how one might construct an alternative to modern conceptualizations of “the poem” that more closely appropriates the conceptualization of textuality in the Rigveda, an anthology of 1028 sūktas “well-spoken (texts)” that represents the oldest religious literature in South Asia. In order to understand what these texts are and what they were expected to do, this article examines the techniques by which the Rigveda refers to itself, to its performer, to its audience, and to the occasion of its performance. In so doing, this article theorizes a “performance grammar” comprising three axes of textual self-reference (spatial, temporal, and personal); these axes of reference constitute a scene of performance populated by rhetorically constructed speakers and listeners. This performance narrative, called here the adhiyajña level, frames the mythological narratives of the text. By examining the relationship between mythological narrative and performance narrative, we can better understand the purpose of performing a text and thus what kind of an entity Rigvedic “texts” really are. While this article proposes a rubric specifically for the Rigvedic context, its principles can be adapted to other premodern texts in order to better understand the performance context they presuppose.
Prediction of High-Quality MODIS-NPP Product Data
Authors: Liu Zhenhua , Wang Ting , Qu Yonghua , Liu Huiming , Wu Xiaofang , Wen Ya
Published: June 2019

Net primary productivity (NPP) is a key vegetation parameter and ecological indicator for tracking natural environmental change. High-quality Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Net primary productivity (MODIS-NPP) products are critical for assuring the scientific rigor of NPP analyses. However, obtaining high-quality MODIS-NPP products consistently is challenged by factors such as cloud contamination, heavy aerosol pollution, and atmospheric variability. This paper proposes a method combining the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) with an extended Kalman filter (EKF) for generating high-quality MODIS-NPP data. In this method, the DWT is used to remove noise in the original MODIS-NPP data, and the EKF is applied to the de-noised images. The de-noised images are modeled as a triply modulated cosine function that predicts the NPP data values when excessive cloudiness is present. This study was conducted in South China. By comparing measured NPP data to original MODIS-NPP and NPP estimates derived from combining the DWT and EKF, we found that the accuracy of the NPP estimates was significantly improved. The MODIS-NPP estimates had a mean relative error (RE) of 13.96% and relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of 15.67%, while the original MODIS-NPP had a mean RE of 23.58% and an rRMSE of 24.98%. The method combining DWT and EKF provides a feasible approach for generating new, high-quality NPP data in the absence of high-quality original MODIS-NPP data.
Multi-Sensor Spectral Imaging of Geological Samples: A Data Fusion Approach Using Spatio-Spectral Feature Extraction
Authors: Lorenz Sandra , Seidel Peter , Ghamisi Pedram , Zimmermann Robert , Tusa Laura , Khodadadzadeh Mahdi , Contreras I. Cecilia , Gloaguen Richard
Published: June 2019

Rapid, efficient and reproducible drillcore logging is fundamental in mineral exploration. Drillcore mapping has evolved rapidly in the recent decade, especially with the advances in hyperspectral spectral imaging. A wide range of imaging sensors is now available, providing rapidly increasing spectral as well as spatial resolution and coverage. However, the fusion of data acquired with multiple sensors is challenging and usually not conducted operationally. We propose an innovative solution based on the recent developments made in machine learning to integrate such multi-sensor datasets. Image feature extraction using orthogonal total variation component analysis enables a strong reduction in dimensionality and memory size of each input dataset, while maintaining the majority of its spatial and spectral information. This is in particular advantageous for sensors with very high spatial and/or spectral resolution, which are otherwise difficult to jointly process due to their large data memory requirements during classification. The extracted features are not only bound to absorption features but recognize specific and relevant spatial or spectral patterns. We exemplify the workflow with data acquired with five commercially available hyperspectral sensors and a pair of RGB cameras. The robust and efficient spectral-spatial procedure is evaluated on a representative set of geological samples. We validate the process with independent and detailed mineralogical and spectral data. The suggested workflow provides a versatile solution for the integration of multi-source hyperspectral data in a diversity of geological applications. In this study, we show a straight-forward integration of visible/near-infrared (VNIR), short-wave infrared (SWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) data for sensors with highly different spatial and spectral resolution that greatly improves drillcore mapping.
Improved Bathymetric Mapping of Coastal and Lake Environments Using Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 Images
Authors: Yunus Ali P. , Dou Jie , Song Xuan , Avtar Ram
Published: June 2019

The bathymetry of nearshore coastal environments and lakes is constantly reworking because of the change in the patterns of energy dispersal and related sediment transport pathways. Therefore, updated and accurate bathymetric models are a crucial component in providing necessary information for scientific, managerial, and geographical studies. Recent advances in satellite technology revolutionized the acquisition of bathymetric profiles, offering new vistas in mapping. This contribution analyzed the suitability of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 images for bathymetric mapping of coastal and lake environments. The bathymetric algorithm was developed using an empirical approach and a random forest (RF) model based on the available high-resolution LiDAR bathymetric data for Mobile Bay, Tampa Bay, and Lake Huron regions obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). Our results demonstrate that the satellite-derived bathymetry is efficient for retrieving depths up to 10 m for coastal regions and up to 30 m for the lake environment. While using the empirical approach, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) varied between 1.99 m and 4.74 m for the three regions. The RF model, on the other hand, provided an improved bathymetric model with RMSE between 1.13 m and 1.95 m. The comparative assessment suggests that Sentinel-2 has a slight edge over Landsat-8 images while employing the empirical approach. On the other hand, the RF model shows that Landsat-8 retrieves a better bathymetric model than Sentinel-2. Our work demonstrated that the freely available Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 imageries proved to be reliable data for acquiring updated bathymetric information for large areas in a short period.