bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GROWTH PROFILE ANALYSIS OF OIL PALM BY USING SPOT 6 THE CASE OF NORTH SUMATRA
Authors: Carolita Ita , Sitorus J. , Manalu Johannes , Wiratmoko Dhimas
Published: January 2018

Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jack.) is one of the world’s most important tropical tree crops. Its expansion has been reported to cause widespread environment impacts. SPOT 6 data is one of high resolution satellite data that can give information more detail about vegetation and the age of oil palm plantation. The objective of this study was to analyze the growth profile of oil palm and to estimate the productivity age of oil palm. The study area is PTP N 3 in Tebing Tinggi North Sumatera Indonesia.  The method that used is NDVI analysis and regression analysis for getting the model of oil palm growth profile. Data from the field were collected as the secondary data to build that model. The data that collected were age of oil palm and diameters of canopy for every age.   Results indicate that oil palm growth can be explained by variation of NDVI with formula y = -0.0004x2 + 0.0107x + 0.3912, where x is oil palm age and  Y is NDVI of SPOT, with R² = 0.657. This equation can be used to predict the age of oil palm for range 4 to 11 years with R2 around 0.89.
MANGROVE ABOVE GROUND BIOMASS ESTIMATION USING COMBINATION OF LANDSAT 8 AND ALOS PALSAR DATA
Authors: Winarso Gathot , Vetrita Yenni , Purwanto Anang D. , Anggraini Nanin , Darmawan Soni , Yuwono Doddy M.
Published: January 2018

Mangrove ecosystem is important coastal ecosystem, both ecologically and economically. Mangrove provides rich-carbon stock, most carbon-rich forest among ecosystems of tropical forest. It is very important for the country to have a large mangrove area in the context of global community of climate change policy related to emission trading in the Kyoto Protocol. Estimation of mangrove carbon-stock using remote sensing data plays an important role in emission trading in the future. Estimation models of above ground mangrove biomass are still limited and based on common forest biomass estimation models that already have been developed. Vegetation indices are commonly used in the biomass estimation models, but they have low correlation results according to several studies. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with capability in detecting volume scattering has potential applications for biomass estimation with better correlation. This paper describes a new model which was developed using a combination of optical and SAR data. Biomass is volume dimension related to canopy and height of the trees. Vegetation indices could provide two dimensional information on biomass by recording the vegetation canopy density and could be well estimated using optical remote sensing data. One more dimension to be 3 dimensional feature is height of three which could be provided from SAR data. Vegetation Indices used in this research was NDVI extracted from Landsat 8 data and height of tree estimated from ALOS PALSAR data. Calculation of field biomass data was done using non-decstructive allometric based on biomass estimation at 2 different locations that are Segara Anakan Cilacap and Alas Purwo Banyuwangi, Indonesia. Correlation between vegetation indices and field biomass with ALOS PALSAR-based biomass estimation was low. However, multiplication of NDVI and tree height with field biomass correlation resulted R2 0.815 at Alas Purwo and R2 0.081 at Segara Anakan.  Low correlation at Segara anakan was due to failed estimation of tree height. It seems that ALOS PALSAR height was not accurate for determination of areas dominated by relative short trees as we found at Segara Anakan Cilacap, but the result was quite good for areas dominated by high trees. To improve the accuracy of tree height estimation, this method still needs validation using more data.
HEIGHT MODEL INTEGRATION USING ALOS PALSAR, X SAR, SRTM C, AND ICESAT/GLAS
Authors: Julzarika Atriyon
Published: January 2018

The scarcity of height models is one of the important issues in Indonesia. ALOS PALSAR, X SAR, SRTM C, and ICESAT/GLAS are free available global height models. Four data can be integrated the height models. Integration takes advantage of each characteristic data. The spatial resolution uses ALOS PALSAR. ICESAT/GLAS has a minimal height error because it is DTM. SAR has advantages of minimal error in the highland and need a low pass filter on the lowland. DSM uses X SAR and DEM from ALOS PALSAR. Characteristics and penetration of vegetation objects can be seen from the wavelength type of SAR data. This research aims to make height model integration in order to get the vertical accuracy better than vertical accuracy of global height models and minimum height error. The study area is located in Karo Regency. The first process is to crop the height models into Karo Regency, geoid undulation correction using EGM 2008. The next step is to detect pits and spires by using radius value 1000 m and depth +1.96σ (+5 m) with uncertainty 95,45%. Then generate HEM and height model integration. To know the accuracy of this height model, 100 reference points measured using GNSS, altimeter, and similar point observed on the height model integration are selected. The accuracy test covers RMSE, accuracy (z), and height difference test. The result of this study shows that the height model integration has a vertical accuracy in 1.14 m. This height model integration can be used for mapping scale 1: 10.0000.
LINEAMENT DENSITY INFORMATION EXTRACTION USING DEM SRTM DATA TO PREDICT THE MINERAL POTENTIAL ZONES
Authors: Nugroho Udhi C. , Tjahjaningsih Arum
Published: January 2018

Utilization of remote sensing in geology is based on some identification of main parameters. They were the relief or morphology, flow patterns, and lineament. So it was necessary to study extraction method based on those parameters. This study aimed to obtain lineament density zone in the Geumpang area, Aceh, associated with mineral resource potential. Information of lineament density using remote sensing data was expected to help solve the problems that arised in the activities of early exploration, the difficulty of finding the prospect areas, so that the activities of pre-exploration always required a wide area and required a long time to determine the location of mineral prospect areas, it would have a direct impact on the financial of exploration activities. The used data was Landsat 8 and DEM SRTM of 30 m. The used method was processing of shaded relief on DEM data with the azimuth angle 0o, 45o, 90o, and 135o, then the result of hill shade process was done overlay, so DEM seen from all different azimuth angles. The results of the overlay were processed using the algorithm LINE with parameters such as the radius of the filter in pixels (RADI) 60, the threshold for edge gradient (GTHR) 120, the threshold for the curve length (LTHR) 100, the threshold for line fitting error (FTHR) 3, threshold for angular (ATHR) 30, and the threshold for linking distance (DTHR) 100. Vector lineament data from LINE algorithm process then performed density analysis to obtain lineament density zoning. Results from the study showed that the area has a high density lineament associated with mineral potency, so it was useful for exploration activities to minimize the survey area.
DETERMINATION OF THE BEST METHODOLOGY FOR BATHYMETRY MAPPING USING SPOT 6 IMAGERY: A STUDY OF 12 EMPIRICAL ALGORITHMS
Authors: Manessa Masita Dwi Mandini , Haidar Muhammad , Hartuti Maryani , Kresnawati Diah Kirana
Published: January 2018

For the past four decades, many researchers have published a novel empirical methodology for bathymetry extraction using remote sensing data. However, a comparative analysis of each method has not yet been done. Which is important to determine the best method that gives a good accuracy prediction. This study focuses on empirical bathymetry extraction methodology for multispectral data with three visible band, specifically SPOT 6 Image. Twelve algorithms have been chosen intentionally, namely, 1) Ratio transform (RT); 2) Multiple linear regression (MLR); 3) Multiple nonlinear regression (RF); 4) Second-order polynomial of ratio transform (SPR); 5) Principle component (PC); 6) Multiple linear regression using relaxing uniformity assumption on water and atmosphere (KNW); 7) Semiparametric regression using depth-independent variables (SMP); 8) Semiparametric regression using spatial coordinates (STR); 9) Semiparametric regression using depth-independent variables and spatial coordinates (TNP), 10) bagging fitting ensemble (BAG); 11) least squares boosting fitting ensemble (LSB); and 12) support vector regression (SVR). This study assesses the performance of 12 empirical models for bathymetry calculations in two different areas: Gili Mantra Islands, West Nusa Tenggara and Menjangan Island, Bali. The estimated depth from each method was compared with echosounder data; RF, STR, and TNP results demonstrate higher accuracy ranges from 0.02 to 0.63 m more than other nine methods. The TNP algorithm, producing the most accurate results (Gili Mantra Island RMSE = 1.01 m and R2=0.82, Menjangan Island RMSE = 1.09 m and R2=0.45), proved to be the preferred algorithm for bathymetry mapping.
CARBON STOCK ESTIMATION OF MANGROVE VEGETATION USING REMOTE SENSING IN PERANCAK ESTUARY, JEMBRANA DISTRICT, BALI
Authors: Hastuti Amandangi Wahyuning , Suniada Komang Iwan , Islamy Fikrul
Published: January 2018

Mangrove vegetation is one of the forest ecosystems that offers a potential of substantial greenhouse gases (GHG) emission mitigation, due to its ability to sink the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere through the photosynthesis process. Mangroves have been providing multiple benefits either as the source of food, the habitat of wildlife, the coastline protectors as well as the CO2 absorber, higher than other forest types. To explore the role of mangrove vegetation in sequestering the carbon stock, the study on the use of remotely sensed data in estimating carbon stock was applied. This paper describes an examination of the use of remote sensing data particularly Landsat-data with the main objective to estimate carbon stock of mangrove vegetation in Perancak Estuary, Jembrana, Bali. The carbon stock was estimated by analyzing the relationship between NDVI, Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Below Ground Biomass (BGB). The total carbon stock was obtained by multiplying the total biomass with the carbon organic value of 0.47. The study results show that the total accumulated biomass obtained from remote sensing data in Perancak Estuary in 2015 is about 47.20±25.03 ton ha-1 with total carbon stock of about 22.18±11.76 tonC ha-1and CO2 sequestration 81.41±43.18 tonC ha-1.
Validación de un cuestionario específico de Calidad de Vida con una muestra de pacientes colostomizados o ileostomizados
Authors: Collado Eladio J. , García Pedro
Published: January 2018

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la validez de un cuestionario de 20 ítems para la medición de la calidad de vida en una muestra de pacientes portadores de colostomía o ileostomía. Estudio descriptivo transversal multicéntrico en 4 hospitales con cirugía colorrectal de la provincia de Castellón, entre 2013 y 2014. Se determinó la validez de constructo a través del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (A.F.C) y el Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales (S.E.M), y la consistencia interna. 125 pacientes fueron recluidos para el estudio, edad media de 66,72 años, 64% varones, 81,6% portadores de colostomía, 85,6 % diagnosticados de cáncer de colon, y 80% autónomos en el cuidado del estoma. El S.E.M nos sugiere la eliminación de 2 ítems, para un adecuado ajuste del modelo y se observan dos factores de segundo orden, personal y social. α de Cronbach para el STOMA QoL tras el S.E.M y para 18 ítems de 0,861. Se determina la validez del cuestionario STOMA QoL en una muestra de 125 pacientes portadores de colostomía o ileostomía. La escala es válida como herramienta de investigación, aunque se propone la reducción del número de ítems.
La dieta mediterránea en distintos grupos de edad
Authors: González Morales Inmaculada , Torres Amengual Margarita , Martínez Fernández Casilda Antonia , Luque Vara Trinidad
Published: January 2018

Objetivo principal: determinar la influencia de la edad en los cambios dietéticos en una población de Almería. Metodología: muestreo por conglomerados, con un total de 150 personas, divididos en menores de 40 años, entre 41 y 64 años y mayores de 65 años, seles administró un cuestionario validado de 14 preguntas, con dos opciones de respuesta. Resultados principales: el 68.7% obtuvieron como resultado una adherencia óptima, siendo el 31.34% mayores de 65 años. El 29.3% obtuvieron un nivel de adherencia media,un 1,99% pertenecientes al grupo de edad más longevo y el 2% adherencia baja, perteneciendo un 0% al grupo de edad mayores. La edad relacionada con la puntuación final de la encuesta obtuvo una correlación positiva moderada (Correlación de Pearson p 0.000<0.05; R=0.514). Conclusión final: los participantes obtuvieron una adherencia a la dieta Mediterránea media-alta. El grupo de menores de 40 años obtiene resultados más bajos que los otros dos grupos. Por lo tanto, existe una relación estadística entre la edad y la puntuación final, indicando que ha mayor edad mayor puntuación. Esto alerta de que la adherencia a la dieta mediterránea se está perdiendo generacionalmente.
Relationship between subjective and objective burden in family caregivers of Alzheimer patients
Authors: Ponsoda Tornal José Manuel , Díaz Martínez Amelia
Published: January 2018

The aim of this work is to determine the role that social support, coping, optimism, quality of life, resilience and life satisfaction have on the relationship between objective and subjective burden on family caregivers of Alzheimer patients. Method: Participants: 140 caregivers of Alzheimer patients. Instruments: Sociodemographic Data; CBI Caregiver Burden Scale; COPE Coping Styles Scale; DUKE.UNC Social Support Scale; LOT-R, Life Orientation TestRevised; QOLLTI-F, Quality of Life in Life Threatening Illness Scale–Family Carers Version; CD-RISC, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale; SWLS, Satisfaction with Life Scale. Procedure: Implementation of scales in an individual, voluntary, anonymous way, including informed consent. Results: All variables studied produced significant differences between caregivers with high and low subjective burden, except time caring measured in months/years. Relationships between the variables were significant, with the exception of months/years caring and coping styles. Social support, optimism, satisfaction and quality of life have an important mediating role between objective and subjective burden. Conclusions and discussion: Social support, optimism, satisfaction and quality of life have been decisive as mediating variables between hours a day taking care (objective burden) and subjective burden. This result represents a step forward in the analysis and subsequent creation of intervention programs in family caregivers.
Relación entre actividad física, estados de ánimo y género en personas adultas
Authors: Chacón-Borrego Fátima , Corral-Pernía Juan Antonio , Castañeda-Vázquez Carolina
Published: January 2018

El estado de ánimo (EA) es un factor relacionado con la percepción del estado de bienestar y la salud de la población (Fang et al., 2008; Glaser y Kiecolt-Glaser, 2005; Vázquez, Hervás, Rahona y Gómez, 2009). Investigaciones como las realizadas por Alonso et al. (2013); Redd y Ones (2006) entre otros, muestran que las personas que realizan actividad física (AF) tienen mejores EA. En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre AF, EA y género de la población. Estudio descriptivo y correlacional de corte transversal realizado sobre una muestra de 1002 sujetos con edad ≥18 años. Muestra estratificada por cuotas de edad, género y distrito municipal, con un nivel de confianza del 95.5% (error 3.01). Se realizó una entrevista personalizada para cumplimentar un cuestionario de Hábitos de actividad física (basado en Compass, 2000) y Cuestionario sobre esatdos de ánimo (CEA, de Arruza, Gil de Montes y Arribas, 2007). Los resultados mostraron una mayor presencia de estados de ánimo negativos en las mujeres con respecto a los hombres. Se observan diferencias significativas de género en las sensaciones de tristeza, cansancio y animado. La AF tiene una correlación postiva de baja magnitud con el EA positivo y una correlación negativa con el EA de tristeza y cansancio.
La influencia del liderazgo del entrenador en los deportistas
Authors: Moreno-Arrebola Rubén , Martínez Martínez Asunción , Zurita Ortega Félix , San Román Mata Silvia
Published: January 2018

Debido a la respaldada importancia que concede la investigación a las capacidades de liderazgo de los entrenadores deportivos, planteamos una revisión sistemática. El objetivo que perseguimos es dar una visión actual y detallada del estado de la cuestión en la actualidad sobre el estudio de la influencia del liderazgo del entrenador en los deportistas. La metodología que utilizamos es la propia de una revisión sistemática establecida por la declaración PRISMA, con cinco fases. Como base de datos a consultar, nos centramos en la Web of Science. Resultados: Obtenemos un total de 11 artículos válidos para el estudio. Entre otros resultados, encontramos que se han llevado a cabo estudios de este tipo en 9 países diferentes, que se ha estudiado sobre 14 deportes diferentes y que el cuestionario más utilizado para medir el liderazgo del entrenador es el LSS (Leadership Scale for Sport). Discusión y conclusiones: Concluimos que es un tema que está en auge y goza de un creciente interés a escala mundial, pues los estudios que integran el presente trabajo, argumentan la importancia e impacto del liderazgo ejercido por los entrenadores, en aspectos tan importantes en el deporte como, la cohesión de grupo, la confianza del equipo, la satisfacción y bienestar de los atletas, y el rendimiento del equipo.
Infertility: An Emerging Public Health Issue in Nepal
Authors: Gautam Madhav , Risal Prabodh
Published: January 2018

Infertility is one of the major health care problems worldwide, including Nepal. An increasing trend of infertility has been noticed recently in Nepal however, exact prevalence rate is still unknown. Male and female factors, lifestyle factors and pesticides exposures are the main causes of infertility. In Nepal, particulary migration of fertile age group abroad for job and its consequences may be  the main causes of infertility. Due to lack of knowlege regarding the prevalnce and exact causes of infertility in Nepal, nationwide study is required.
Revisiting Concepts and Theories in Information Systems and Technology
Authors: Lim Weng Marc
Published: January 2018

A Preface to the Research Notes Special Section on Revisiting Concepts and Theories in Information Systems and Technology
Coupled and scalar asymptotic models for internal waves over variable topography
Authors: Lteif Ralph , Israwi Samer
Published: January 2018

The Green–Naghdi type model in the Camassa–Holm regime derived in [ Comm. Pure Appl. Anal. 14(6) (2015) 2203–2230], describe the propagation of medium amplitude internal waves over medium amplitude topography variations. It is fully justified in the sense that it is well-posed, consistent with the full Euler system and converges to the latter with corresponding initial data. In this paper, we generalize this result by constructing a fully justified coupled asymptotic model in a more complex physical case of variable topography. More precisely, we are interested in specific bottoms wavelength of characteristic order [Formula: see text] where λ is a characteristic horizontal length (wave-length of the interface). We assume a slowly varying topography with large amplitude ([Formula: see text], where β characterizes the shape of the bottom). In addition, our system permits the full justification of any lower order, well-posed and consistent model. We apply the procedure to scalar models driven by simple unidirectional equations in the Camassa–Holm and long wave regimes and under some restrictions on the topography variations. We also show that wave breaking of solutions to such equations occurs in the Camassa–Holm regime with slow topography variations and for a specific set of parameters.
Topology optimization method with respect to the insertion of small coated inclusion
Authors: Belhachmi Z. , Ben Abda A. , Meftahi B. , Meftahi H.
Published: January 2018

We consider the two-dimensional steady-state heat conduction on a bounded domain Ω containing a heat source at an unknown location [Formula: see text]. We are interested in determining the locations ω allowing a suitable thermal environment. The resulting shape optimization problem consists of a geometric control of either the maximum of the temperature or its [Formula: see text] mean oscillations in Ω. We derive the topological asymptotic expansion of the considered shape functionals with respect to the insertion of small circular coated inclusion characterized by a discontinuous thermal conductivity and their radius. We propose a reconstruction algorithm based on this topological gradient to identify the locations. Some numerical simulations are presented to show the efficiency of the algorithm.
Molecular Correlates of In Vitro Responses to Dacomitinib and Afatinib in Bladder Cancer
Authors: Tamura Shuzo , Wang Yin , Veeneman Brendan , Hovelson Daniel , Bankhead Armand , Broses Luke J. , Lorenzatti Hiles Guadalupe , Liebert Monica , Rubin John R. , Day Kathleen C. , Hussain Maha , Neamati Nouri , Tomlins Scott , Palmbos Philip L. , Grivas Petros , Day Mark L.
Published: January 2018

Background:

The HER family of proteins (EGFR, HER2, HER3 and HER4) have long been thought to be therapeutic targets for bladder cancer, but previous clinical trials targeting these proteins have been disappointing. Second generation agents may be more effective.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate responses to two second-generation irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitors, dacomitinib and afatinib, in bladder cancer cell lines.

Methods:

Cell lines were characterized by targeted next generation DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, western blotting and flow cytometry. Cell survival responses to dacomitinib or afatinib were determined using (3-[4,5-dimethylthioazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) (MTT) or [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) and phenazine methosylfate (PMS) cell survival assays.

Results:

Only two cell lines of 12 tested were sensitive to afatinib. Sensitivity to afatinib was significantly associated with mutation in either HER2 or HER3 ( p < 0.05). The two cell lines sensitive to afatinib were also responsive to dacomitinib ralong with an additional 4 other cell lines out of 16 tested. No characteristic was associated with dacomitinib sensitivity. Molecular profiling demonstrated that only two genes were high in both afatinib and dacomitinib sensitive cells. Further rhigher expression of RAS pathway genes was noted for dacomitinib responsive cells.

Conclusions:

This study confirms that cell line screening can be useful in pre-clinical evaluation of targeted small molecule inhibitors and suggests that compounds with similar structure(s) and target(s) may have distinct sensitivity profiles. Further rcombinational targeting of additional molecularly relevant pathways may be important in enhancing responses to HER targeted agents in bladder cancer.
Toward Personalised Liquid Biopsies for Urothelial Carcinoma: Characterisation of ddPCR and Urinary cfDNA for the Detection of the TERT 228 G>A/T Mutation
Authors: Russo Ilaria J. , Ju Yongwon , Gordon Naheema S. , Zeegers Maurice P. , Cheng K.K. , James Nicholas D. , Bryan Richard T. , Ward Douglas G.
Published: January 2018

Background:

TERT promotor mutations are present in >75% of bladder tumours; these mutations are also detectable in urine. Previous studies have used urinary pellet DNA, and semi-quantitative methods unsuitable for detecting very low mutant allele frequencies.

Objective:

In this proof-of-principle study we use ddPCR to count the DNA molecules with wt and mutant TERT sequences in urinary cfDNA from patients whose bladder cancers harbour TERT mutations.

Methods:

Urinary cfDNA prepared from the urine from 104 bladder cancer patients was analysed. We determined the mutant allele frequency across stages and grades of disease, analysed concordance between cfDNA and tumour DNA, compared cfDNA with pellet DNA, and analysed the quantity and size distribution of cfDNA.

Results:

In 71 of 77 patients with a 228 G>A/T mutant tumour, the mutation was also detected in urinary cfDNA by ddPCR; all 6 “false negatives” were low grade pTa tumours. Overall concordance between tissue and cfDNA mutation status was 92%, and 100% was achieved for high grade disease. Median mutant allele frequencies in urinary cfDNA were 3.4, 13.4 and 32.1% in grade 1, 2 and 3 disease. The 228 G>A/T mutation was not detected in urinary cfDNA in 26 out of 27 mutation-negative patients (96% specificity).

Conclusions:

Concordance between tumour DNA and urinary cfDNA is high, and TERT 228 G>A/T ddPCR may prove useful for monitoring patients that harbour this mutation. Mutant allele frequencies in cfDNA are often high, but assays capable of detecting very low mutant allele frequencies will be required to achieve high sensitivity in low grade disease.
Structural Connectivity Alterations Along the Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum: Reproducibility Across Two Independent Samples and Correlation with Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid-β and Tau
Authors: Tucholka Alan , Grau-Rivera Oriol , Falcon Carles , Rami Lorena , Sánchez-Valle Raquel , Lladó Albert , Gispert Juan Domingo , Molinuevo José Luis ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: January 2018

Background:

Gray matter changes associated with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been thoroughly studied. However, alterations in white matter tracts have received less attention, particularly during early or preclinical stages of the disease.

Objective:

To identify the structural connectivity changes across the AD continuum.

Methods:

We performed probabilistic tractography in a total of 183 subjects on two independent samples that include control ( n = 68) and preclinical AD individuals ( n = 28), patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD ( n = 44), and AD patients ( n = 43). We compared the connectivity between groups, and with CSF Aβ42 and tau biomarkers.

Results:

We observed disconnections in preclinical individuals, mainly located in the temporal lobe. This pattern of disconnection spread to the parietal and frontal lobes at the MCI stage and involved almost all the brain in AD. These findings were not driven by gray matter atrophy.

Discussion:

Using tractography, we were able to identify white matter changes between subsequent disease stages and, notably, also in preclinical AD. Therefore, this method may be useful for detecting early and specific brain structural changes during preclinical AD stage.
Dysregulation and Dislocation of SFPQ Disturbed DNA Organization in Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Lu Jing , Shu Runzhe , Zhu Yan
Published: January 2018

SFPQ (Splicing factor proline- and glutamine-rich) is a DNA and RNA binding protein involved in transcription, pre-mRNA splicing, and DNA damage repair. SFPQ was found dysregulated in a few tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In addition, knock-down of SFPQ induced FTD-like behavior in mouse. To confirm the role of SFPQ in AD and FTD, we analyzed the brain sections from the AD and FTD brain samples with SFPQ upregulation and dislocation. Specifically, we observed SFPQ dislocated to the cytoplasm and nuclear envelopes, and DNA structures and organizations were associated with these dislocation phenotypes in AD and FTD brains. Consistently, we also found decreased DAPI intensities and smaller chromocenters associated with SFPQ dislocation in nerural-2a (N2a) cells. As the upregulation and hyperphosphorylation of tau protein is a hallmark of AD and FTD, our study sought to investigate potential interactions between tau and SFPQ by co-transfection and co-immunoprecipitation assays in N2a cells. SFPQ dislocation was found enhanced with tau co-transfection and tau co-transfection further resulted in extended DNA disorganization in N2a cells. Overall, our results indicate that dysregulation and dislocation of SFPQ and subsequent DNA disorganization might be a novel pathway in the progression of AD and FTD.
Mutation Screening of the CHCHD2 Gene for Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia in Chinese Mainland Population
Authors: Che Xiang-Qian , Zhao Qian-Hua , Huang Yue , Li Xia , Ren Ru-Jing , Chen Sheng-Di , Guo Qi-Hao , Wang Gang
Published: January 2018

As an important multifunctional protein involved in regulation of mitochondrial metabolism, CHCHD2 was identified as a causative gene for Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet the relationship between CHCHD2 and neurodegenerative dementia is not well understood. We directly sequenced the entire coding region of CHCHD2 gene in 150 AD patients, 84 FTD patients, and 417 controls. Four rare putative pathogenic variants of CHCHD2, including rs142444896 (c.5C>T, p.P2L), rs752705344 (c.15C>G, p.S5R), rs145190179 (c.94G>A, p.A32T), and rs182992574 (c.255T>A, p.S85R) were identified from a cohort composed of 150 AD and 84 FTD patients. These results suggest the CHCHD2 gene may an important role in other neurodegenerative disorders from our dementia study in China.
Humanin Exerts Neuroprotection During Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Kumfu Sirinart , Charununtakorn Savitree T. , Jaiwongkam Thidarat , Chattipakorn Nipon , Chattipakorn Siriporn C.
Published: January 2018

Cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury has been shown to impair brain function. Humanin analogue (HNG) given prior to cardiac ischemia has been shown to attenuate both heart and brain mitochondrial dysfunction caused by cardiac I/R injury. In a clinical setting, patients received medical treatment for acute myocardial infarction either during or after the onset of myocardial ischemia; thus, in this study, we tested the hypothesis that the administration of HNG during cardiac I/R injury has therapeutic potential for brain protection. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: a cardiac I/R group ( n = 30), and a sham group ( n = 6). The I/R rats were then divided into five subgroups to receive: 1) vehicle; 2) HNG (84 μg/kg); 3) HNG (168 μg/kg); 4) HNG (252 μg/kg) intravenously administered during the cardiac-ischemia; and 5) HNG at 252 μg/kg given at the onset of reperfusion. At the end of treatment, brains were removed for determination of blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, oxidative stress, brain mitochondrial function, brain mitochondrial dynamics, p-tau, amyloid-β (Aβ) and apoptosis. HNG at a dose of 168 and 252 μg/kg administered during ischemia, and 252 μg/kg given at the onset of reperfusion effectively attenuated the brain mitochondrial dysfunction, tau hyperphosphorylation and Aβ accumulation, and apoptosis, without reducing BBB breakdown, brain oxidative stress, or mitochondrial dynamics, caused by cardiac I/R injury. In conclusion, humanin exerted neuroprotection during induced cardiac I/R injury via improvement in brain mitochondrial function, and the reduction of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and apoptosis.
Altered Expression of Circulating Cdc42 in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration
Authors: Saraceno Claudia , Catania Marcella , Paterlini Anna , Fostinelli Silvia , Ciani Miriam , Zanardini Roberta , Binetti Giuliano , Di Fede Giuseppe , Caroppo Paola , Benussi Luisa , Ghidoni Roberta , Bolognin Silvia
Published: January 2018

The term frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) defines a group of heterogeneous conditions histologically characterized by neuronal degeneration, inclusions of various proteins, and synaptic loss. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to these alterations are still unknown. As the Rho-GTPase family member Cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) plays a key role in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics and spine formation, we investigated whether Cdc42 protein levels were altered in the disease. Cdc42 was increased in the frontal cortex of FTLD patients compared to age-matched controls, but also in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients included in the data-set. On the other hand, the pool of circulating Cdc42 in the plasma was altered in FTLD but not in AD patients. Interestingly, the stratification of the FTLD patients according to the different clinical variants showed a specific decrease of Cdc42 expression in the behavioral subgroup. This data support a role of Cdc42 in FTLD and specifically in the behavioral variant.
Associations of Dietary Protein and Fiber Intake with Brain and Blood Amyloid-β
Authors: Fernando W.M.A.D. Binosha , Rainey-Smith Stephanie R. , Gardener Samantha L. , Villemagne Victor L. , Burnham Samantha C. , Macaulay S. Lance , Brown Belinda M. , Gupta Veer Bala , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Weinborn Michael , Taddei Kevin , Laws Simon M. , Goozee Kathryn , Ames David , Fowler Christopher , Maruff Paul , Masters Colin L. , Salvado Olivier , Rowe Christopher C. , Martins Ralph N. ,   For the AIBL Research Group
Published: January 2018

Accumulating evidence suggests a diet high in protein and fiber may confer some protection against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no human studies to-date have assessed the relationship between protein and fiber intake, and plasma and brain amyloid-β (Aβ). Consequently, this cross-sectional study, investigated the association of self-reported dietary intakes of protein and fiber, with plasma and brain Aβ burden ( n = 541, and n = 162 respectively), in a well-characterized cohort of cognitively normal older adults, drawn from the larger Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study of aging. We observed 12.59 and 8.43 higher odds of ‘high’ brain Aβ burden (PiB PET SUVR≥1.5) if protein intake fell in the lowest and middle tertile, respectively, compared to the highest tertile ( p = 0.008; p = 0.013). Thus, in this cohort, the more protein consumed, the less likelihood of ‘high’ Aβ burden in the brain. No other significant associations were observed. The results of this study highlight the potentially protective impact of high dietary protein intake on brain Aβ burden in older adults, before objective memory decline is apparent. While longitudinal validation is required, these findings may assist in the development of dietary approaches aimed at preventing or delaying AD onset.
Dilated Perivascular Spaces in the Centrum Semiovale Begin to Develop in Middle Age
Authors: Ishikawa Masatsune , Yamada Shigeki , Yamamoto Kazuo
Published: January 2018

Background:

Dilated perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale (CSO-PVS) are closely related to small vessel disease. However, recent studies have revealed that cerebral amyloid angiopathy can cause dilation of the CSO-PVS and obstruction of interstitial fluid flow along the intramural periarterial drainage.

Objective:

To examine the severity and age-related prevalence of CSO-PVS through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and investigate their clinically relevant factors.

Methods:

This study included 1,060 subjects who participated in our brain program. The subjects ranged from 23 to 83 years in age and were active in society. The frequencies of the MRI abnormalities of small vessel diseases, including CSO-PVS, were examined. The CSO-PVS severity was classified into three grades: G0, G1, G2, according to the visual rating. The subjects were divided into five age groups and their age-related frequencies were also studied. Using the clinico-laboratory data of 712 subjects, the clinically relevant factors of CSO-PVS were investigated using logistic regression analysis.

Results:

The frequencies of all G0 (“normal”) MRI abnormalities significantly decreased with age. A high prevalence of G2 CSO-PVS was observed (24%) in the youngest group aged≤39 years, whereas other MRI abnormalities in this group were not or rarely observed. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, G2 CSO-PVS was found to be closely associated with age, hypertension, and the estimated glomerular filtration ratio.

Conclusions:

This study reveals that CSO-PVS begin to develop in subjects aged less than 39 years. Age-related changes are involved. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the pathophysiological role of the CSO-PVS.
Establishing a New Screening System for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease with Mental Rotation Tasks that Evaluate Visuospatial Function
Authors: Suzuki Ayuko , Shinozaki Jun , Yazawa Shogo , Ueki Yoshino , Matsukawa Noriyuki , Shimohama Shun , Nagamine Takashi
Published: January 2018

Background:

The mental rotation task is well-known for the assessment of visuospatial function; however, it has not been used for screening of dementia patients.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to create a simple screening test for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by focusing on non-amnestic symptoms.

Methods:

Age-matched healthy controls (age 75.3±6.8), patients with MCI (76.5±5.5), and AD (78.2±5.0) participated in this study. They carried out mental rotation tasks targeting geometric graphics or alphabetical characters with three rotating angles (0°, 90°, and 180°) and indicated the correct answer. Response accuracy and reaction time were recorded along with their eye movements using an eye tracker. To quantify their visual processing strategy, the run count ratio (RC ratio) was calculated by dividing the mean number of fixations in incorrect answers by that in correct answers.

Results:

AD patients showed lower accuracy and longer reaction time than controls. They also showed a significantly greater number of fixation and smaller saccade amplitude than controls, while fixation duration did not differ significantly. The RC ratio was higher for AD, followed by MCI and control groups. By setting the cut-off value to 0.47 in the 180° rotating angle task, we could differentiate MCI patients from controls with a probability of 80.0%.

Conclusions:

We established a new screening system for dementia patients by evaluating visuospatial function. The RC ratio during a mental rotation task is useful for discriminating MCI patients from controls.
Retinoic Acid Enhances Apolipoprotein E Synthesis in Human Macrophages
Authors: Clemens Vera , Regen Francesca , Le Bret Nathalie , Heuser Isabella , Hellmann-Regen Julian
Published: January 2018

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) represents a pivotal target in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is modulated through retinoic acid (RA), an endogenous neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory compound. A major source of ApoE are microglia, which are pathologically activated in AD. Activated microglia are known to block RA signaling. This suggests a vicious cycle between inflammation, RA signaling, and ApoE homeostasis in AD pathogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we investigated effects of RA and proinflammatory activation on ApoE synthesis in primary human macrophage-derived microglial-like cells. Our results indicate that proinflammatory activation attenuates ApoE synthesis, an effect blocked by RA.
Therapeutic Antibody-Like Immunoconjugates against Tissue Factor with the Potential to Treat Angiogenesis-Dependent as Well as Macrophage-Associated Human Diseases
Authors: Hu Zhiwei
Published: January 2018

Accumulating evidence suggests that tissue factor (TF) is selectively expressed in pathological angiogenesis-dependent as well as macrophage-associated human diseases. Pathological angiogenesis, the formation of neovasculature, is involved in many clinically significant human diseases, notably cancer, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Macrophage is involved in the progression of a variety of human diseases, such as atherosclerosis and viral infections (human immunodeficiency virus, HIV and Ebola). It is well documented that TF is selectively expressed on angiogenic vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in these pathological angiogenesis-dependent human diseases and on disease-associated macrophages. Under physiology condition, TF is not expressed by quiescent VECs and monocytes but is solely restricted on some cells (such as pericytes) that are located outside of blood circulation and the inner layer of blood vessel walls. Here, we summarize TF expression on angiogenic VECs, macrophages and other diseased cell types in these human diseases. In cancer, for example, the cancer cells also overexpress TF in solid cancers and leukemia. Moreover, our group recently reported that TF is also expressed by cancer-initiating stem cells (CSCs) and can serve as a novel oncotarget for eradication of CSCs without drug resistance. Furthermore, we review and discuss two generations of TF-targeting therapeutic antibody-like immunoconjugates (ICON and L-ICON1) and antibody-drug conjugates that are currently being tested in preclinical and clinical studies for the treatment of some of these human diseases. If efficacy and safety are proven in current and future clinical trials, TF-targeting immunoconjugates may provide novel therapeutic approaches with potential to broadly impact the treatment regimen of these significant angiogenesis-dependent, as well as macrophage-associated, human diseases.
All-Carbon Electrodes for Flexible Solar Cells
Authors: Zhang Zexia , Lv Ruitao , Jia Yi , Gan Xin , Zhu Hongwei , Kang Feiyu
Published: January 2018

Transparent electrodes based on carbon nanomaterials have recently emerged as new alternatives to indium tin oxide (ITO) or noble metal in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to their attractive advantages, such as long-term stability, environmental friendliness, high conductivity, and low cost. However, it is still a challenge to apply all-carbon electrodes in OPVs. Here, we report our efforts to develop all-carbon electrodes in organic solar cells fabricated with different carbon-based materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Flexible and semitransparent solar cells with all-carbon electrodes are successfully fabricated. The best power conversion efficiency achieved for the devices with all-carbon electrodes is 0.63%, comparable to the reported performance of OPVs using pristine CVD graphene films as anodes on rigid substrates (glass). Moreover, the current densities of as-obtained devices are comparable to those assembled with all-carbon active layers and standard electrodes (e.g., ITO and metal), which indicates that the all-carbon electrodes made of CNT and graphene films are suitably effective for carrier collection and extraction. Our results present the feasibility and potential of applying all-carbon electrodes based on graphitic nanomaterials in next-generation carbon-based photovoltaics.
Forged Signature Distinction Using Convolutional Neural Network for Feature Extraction
Authors: Nam Seungsoo , Park Hosung , Seo Changho , Choi Daeseon
Published: January 2018

This paper proposes a dynamic verification scheme for finger-drawn signatures in smartphones. As a dynamic feature, the movement of a smartphone is recorded with accelerometer sensors in the smartphone, in addition to the moving coordinates of the signature. To extract high-level longitudinal and topological features, the proposed scheme uses a convolution neural network (CNN) for feature extraction, and not as a conventional classifier. We assume that a CNN trained with forged signatures can extract effective features (called S-vector), which are common in forging activities such as hesitation and delay before drawing the complicated part. The proposed scheme also exploits an autoencoder (AE) as a classifier, and the S-vector is used as the input vector to the AE. An AE has high accuracy for the one-class distinction problem such as signature verification, and is also greatly dependent on the accuracy of input data. S-vector is valuable as the input of AE, and, consequently, could lead to improved verification accuracy especially for distinguishing forged signatures. Compared to the previous work, i.e., the MLP-based finger-drawn signature verification scheme, the proposed scheme decreases the equal error rate by 13.7%, specifically, from 18.1% to 4.4%, for discriminating forged signatures.
Characterization of Pb-Free KNbO3- and (Na,Bi)TiO3-Based Piezoelectric Single-Crystals Using X-ray and Neutron Diffraction
Authors: Pramanick Abhijit
Published: January 2018

In view of serious environmental concerns with traditional Pb-based piezoelectrics, the search for new Pb-free alternatives has intensified recently. A thorough investigation of structure-property relationships in Pb-free piezoelectrics is desired in order to design new material compositions with high electromechanical properties that can be operated over a broader range of conditions. Recent availability of high-quality single crystals has not only opened the possibility for achieving multifold enhancements in the electromechanical properties in this new class of materials, but has also provided opportunities to undertake fundamental studies on their structure-property relationships. In the following pages, I review some of the recent X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of Pb-free piezoelectric single crystals, which have provided novel insights into their multiscale stimuli-induced structural mechanisms, including phase transitions, nanoscale structural ordering, lattice instability, and domain re-orientation. Opportunities and challenges for future progress in this area of study are discussed.
Minimising the Kullback–Leibler Divergence for Model Selection in Distributed Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Cliff Oliver , Prokopenko Mikhail , Fitch Robert
Published: January 2018

The Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence is a fundamental measure of information geometry that is used in a variety of contexts in artificial intelligence. We show that, when system dynamics are given by distributed nonlinear systems, this measure can be decomposed as a function of two information-theoretic measures, transfer entropy and stochastic interaction. More specifically, these measures are applicable when selecting a candidate model for a distributed system, where individual subsystems are coupled via latent variables and observed through a filter. We represent this model as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that characterises the unidirectional coupling between subsystems. Standard approaches to structure learning are not applicable in this framework due to the hidden variables; however, we can exploit the properties of certain dynamical systems to formulate exact methods based on differential topology. We approach the problem by using reconstruction theorems to derive an analytical expression for the KL divergence of a candidate DAG from the observed dataset. Using this result, we present a scoring function based on transfer entropy to be used as a subroutine in a structure learning algorithm. We then demonstrate its use in recovering the structure of coupled Lorenz and Rössler systems.
Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Asia
Authors: Srivastav Sugandha , Fankhauser Sam , Kazaglis Alex
Published: January 2018

Environmental degradation and the risks from climate change have strengthened the need for cleaner forms of economic growth. Using patent, trade and output data, we measure the current size of Asia’s low-carbon economy and assess its competitiveness across key sectors. We look at three success factors for low-carbon competitiveness at the sector level: the ability to convert to low-carbon products and processes (measured by a specialization in low-carbon innovation), the ability to gain and maintain market share (measured by existing comparative advantages) and a favorable starting point (measured by current output and scale). Using this framework, we identify the ‘climate change mitigation technologies’ that Asian countries specialize in and can potentially scale up. The analysis shows that Asia’s top low-carbon economies are Japan, South Korea and China. The sectors in which Asia is particularly well placed to be globally competitive include efficient lighting, photovoltaics and energy storage. Overall, Asia is a specialist in innovating and exporting climate change mitigation technologies but there are significant regional disparities.