bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ant thermal tolerances under climate, land cover and land use change
Authors: Andrew Nigel R , Miller Cara , Hall Graham , Hemmings Zac , Oliver Ian
Published: April 2018

Thermal stress is a key issue for species dominant within ecosystems especially those that carry out key ecosystem service roles. When assessing the impacts of climate change it is critical to assess its biotic impacts relative to other anthropogenic changes to landscapes including the reduction of native vegetation cover, landscape fragmentation and changes in land use intensity. Here we integrate the observed phenotypic plasticity of the dominant and ubiqitous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus in critical thermal limits across altitudinal, land cover and land use gradients to: (i) predict the adaptive capacity of a key terrestrial ecosystem service provider to changes in climate, land cover and land use, and (ii) assess the ability of multiple use landscapes to confer maximum resilience to terrestrial biodiversity in the face of a changing climate. The research was carried out along a 270km aridity gradient spanning 840m in altitude in northern New South Wales, Australia. When we assessed critical thermal maximum temperatures (CTmax) of meat ants in relation to the environmental variables, and within the model we had critical thermal minimums of meat ants (CTmin) as a random slope and as a fixed effect we detected a negative aridity effect on CTmax, a negative effect of land use intensity, and no overall correlation between CTmax and CTmin. We also found a negative relationship with warming tolerance of I. purpureus and landscape aridity. In conclusion, we expect to see a reduction in the physiological resilience of I. purpureus as land use intensity increases and as the climate becomes more arid. Meat ants are key ecosystem engineers and as they are put under more stress, wider ecological implications may occur if populations decline or disappear.
Estimating the risk of phthalates exposure via tea consumption in general population
Authors: Mehdi Amin Mohammad , Rastegari Foruz , Poursafa Parinaz , Ebrahim Karim
Published: April 2018

Four common phthalic acid esters (PAEs) levels in tea fusions samples prepared from three types of tea bags (green, black and white) of ten commercial brands were extracted from the infusions by a dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction method and determined by GC-MS. PAEs were not found in white tea samples. Residue levels of total phthalic acid esters (TPAEs) in black and green teas showed no significant difference (median=367.5, Interquartile range=244.7-667.5 and median=381, Interquartile range=188.7-688.2µg/kg respectively). DEHP levels in green teas were significantly higher than those in black teas (Median= 93.5 and 204 respectively). Total phthalate esters (TPAEs) levels in flavored teas were about two-fold higher than in non-flavored teas. The four commercial brands tested contain significant levels of DEHP when compared to other brands. Essential oils and essences that were added to tea for improvement of color and taste could be the main sources of PAEs contamination.

If oral absorption of phthalates were assumed to be 100%, the maximum daily exposure levels to TPAEs via tea consumption (due to consumption of 5 cups of tea prepared from the tea containing the highest levels TPAEs) were estimated to be 230e−4 µg/kg bw/Day, which are far lower than the regulation levels set by the expert panels on regularly toxicity. 
Effect of storage time and gamma irradiation on the chemical properties of olive (Olea europaea) oils
Authors: M. Al-Bachir
Published: April 2018

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gamma irradiation at doses of 0, 1, 2 and 3 kGy, and storage time of olive fruits for 0, 30 and 45 days on changes in chemical properties of olive oil during storage periods of 0, 6 and 12 months. The initial acidity value (AV), peroxide value (PV), Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA), phenolic content, iodine value (IV) and saponification value (SV) of virgin olive oil obtained from olives fruits immediately after harvest (at day zero) were 1.04%, 3.06 mEqO2 kg−1 oil, 0.025 mg MDA kg−1 oil, 314.71 mg gallic acid kg−1 oil, 93.38 gI2 100 g−1 oil and 194.88 mg KOH g−1 oil, respectively. In general, the AV and PV of olive oil was increased by gamma irradiation, while the phenolic and IV of olive oil was deceased by gamma irradiation and storage time. The TBA value and SV of olive oil was not significantly (p>0.05) changed by gamma irradiation.
Fermentation of tender coconut water by probiotic bacteria Bacillus coagulans
Authors: Singh Gangwar Aishwarya , Bhardwaj Aastha , Sharma Vasudha
Published: April 2018

Coconut water is currently being considered as an elixir for patients suffering from diseases like dengue and malaria as well as chikungunia to provide hydration properties to the body. It has become a popular beverage for many people owing to its palatability and high mineral content. In this study, the growth, survival and fermentation performance of the probiotic bacterium Bacillus coagulans in coconut water was assessed in order to produce a novel non-dairy, probiotic beverage. The species was characterized on the basis of morphology, physiology and biochemical parameters and its probiotic attributes were assessed. Batch fermentations were carried out for 2 days at a constant 37°C, thereafter the samples were subjected to microbiological and chemical analysis. The results suggested that the specie produced lactic acid and was acid and bile tolerant. The pH and titratable acidity of probiotic fermented coconut water were found to be 4.4 and 0.53 % lactic acid, respectively. The viscosity of fermented coconut water increased significantly from an initial 5.13 mPa.s to 5.35 mPa.s because of the increase in soluble solids content due to exopolysaccharide production by B. coagulans during fermentation. Also, the overall acceptability score of probiotic coconut water was higher than tender coconut water, suggesting its feasibility for use as a probiotic beverage.
IFN-λ prevents influenza virus spread from the upper airways to the lungs and limits virus transmission
Authors: Klinkhammer Jonas , Schnepf Daniel , Ye Liang , Schwaderlapp Marilena , Gad Hans Henrik , Hartmann Rune , Garcin Dominique , Mahlakõiv Tanel , Staeheli Peter
Published: April 2018

Host factors restricting the transmission of respiratory viruses are poorly characterized. We analyzed the contribution of type I and type III interferon (IFN) using a mouse model in which the virus is selectively administered to the upper airways, mimicking a natural respiratory virus infection. Mice lacking functional IFN-λ receptors (Ifnlr1−/−) no longer restricted virus dissemination from the upper airways to the lungs. Ifnlr1−/− mice shed significantly more infectious virus particles via the nostrils and transmitted the virus much more efficiently to naïve contacts compared with wild-type mice or mice lacking functional type I IFN receptors. Prophylactic treatment with IFN-α or IFN-λ inhibited initial virus replication in all parts of the respiratory tract, but only IFN-λ conferred long-lasting antiviral protection in the upper airways and blocked virus transmission. Thus, IFN-λ has a decisive and non-redundant function in the upper airways that greatly limits transmission of respiratory viruses to naïve contacts.
Motor selection dynamics in FEF explain the reaction time variance of saccades to single targets
Authors: Hauser Christopher K , Zhu Dantong , Stanford Terrence R , Salinas Emilio
Published: April 2018

In studies of voluntary movement, a most elemental quantity is the reaction time (RT) between the onset of a visual stimulus and a saccade toward it. However, this RT demonstrates extremely high variability which, in spite of extensive research, remains unexplained. It is well established that, when a visual target appears, oculomotor activity gradually builds up until a critical level is reached, at which point a saccade is triggered. Here, based on computational work and single-neuron recordings from monkey frontal eye field (FEF), we show that this rise-to-threshold process starts from a dynamic initial state that already contains other incipient, internally driven motor plans, which compete with the target-driven activity to varying degrees. The ensuing conflict resolution process, which manifests in subtle covariations between baseline activity, build-up rate, and threshold, consists of fundamentally deterministic interactions, and explains the observed RT distributions while invoking only a small amount of intrinsic randomness.
Microtubule assembly governed by tubulin allosteric gain in flexibility and lattice induced fit
Authors: Igaev Maxim , Grubmüller Helmut
Published: April 2018

Microtubules (MTs) are key components of the cytoskeleton and play a central role in cell division and development. MT assembly is known to be associated with a structural change in αβ-tubulin dimers from kinked to straight conformations. How GTP binding renders individual dimers polymerization-competent, however, is still unclear. Here, we have characterized the conformational dynamics and energetics of unassembled tubulin using atomistic molecular dynamics and free energy calculations. Contrary to existing allosteric and lattice models, we find that GTP-tubulin favors a broad range of almost isoenergetic curvatures, whereas GDP-tubulin has a much lower bending flexibility. Moreover, irrespective of the bound nucleotide and curvature, two conformational states exist differing in location of the anchor point connecting the monomers that affects tubulin bending, with one state being strongly favored in solution. Our findings suggest a new combined model in which MTs incorporate and stabilize flexible GTP-dimers with a specific anchor point state.
Transcriptome profiling of anthocyanin-related genes reveals effects of light intensity on anthocyanin biosynthesis in red leaf lettuce
Authors: Zhang Yanzhao , Xu Shuzhen , Cheng Yanwei , Peng Zhengfeng , Han Jianming
Published: April 2018

Red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) is popular due to its high anthocyanin content, but poor leaf coloring often occurs under low light intensity. In order to reveal the mechanisms of anthocyanins affected by light intensity, we compared the transcriptome ofL. sativaL. var.capitataunder light intensities of 40 and 100 μmol m−2s−1. A total of 62,111 unigenes were de novo assembled with an N50 of 1,681 bp, and 48,435 unigenes were functionally annotated in public databases. A total of 3,899 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected, of which 1,377 unigenes were up-regulated and 2,552 unigenes were down-regulated in the high light samples. By Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, the DEGs were significantly enriched in 14 pathways. Using gene annotation and phylogenetic analysis, we identified seven anthocyanin structural genes, includingCHS,CHI,F3H,F3′H,DFR,ANS, and3GT, and two anthocyanin transport genes,GSTandMATE. In terms of anthocyanin regulatory genes, five MYBs and one bHLH gene were identified. AnHY5gene was discovered, which may respond to light-signaling and regulate anthocyanin structural genes. These genes showed a log2FC of 2.7–9.0 under high irradiance, and were validated using quantitative real-time-PCR. In conclusion, our results indicated transcriptome variance in red leaf lettuce under low and high light intensity, and observed a anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulation pattern. The data should further help to unravel the molecular mechanisms of anthocyanins influenced by light intensity.
Cobalt(III)‐Catalyzed Construction of Benzofurans, Benzofuranones and One‐Pot Orthogonal C−H Functionalizations to Access Polysubstituted Benzofurans
Authors: Bera Sourav Sekhar , Debbarma Suvankar , Jana Sripati , Maji Modhu Sudan
Published: April 2018

Benzofuran and benzofuranone derivatives have been synthesized through exclusive 5‐exo‐dig intramolecular hydroarylation using the amide‐directed, cost‐effective, high‐valent Cp*CoIII‐catalytic system. Challenging one‐pot, orthogonal C−H functionalizations using two different electrophiles are also reported to afford polysubstituted benzofurans. Several valuable functional group interconversions along with removal of the amide directing group provide a route to access several diversely functionalized benzofurans. The mechanistic study suggests a reversible cobaltation step is operative here.

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Association between hospital volume and quality of gastric cancer surgery in the CRITICS trial
Authors: Claassen Y H M , van Sandick J W , Hartgrink H H , Dikken J L , De Steur W O , van Grieken N C T , Boot H , Cats A , Trip A K , Jansen E P M , Meershoek-Klein Kranenbarg W M , Braak J P B M , Putter H , van Berge Henegouwen M I , Verheij M , van de Velde C J H
Published: April 2018

Background

Studies investigating the association between hospital volume and quality of gastric cancer surgery are lacking. In the present study, the effect of hospital volume on quality of gastric cancer surgery was evaluated by analysing data from the CRITICS (ChemoRadiotherapy after Induction chemotherapy In Cancer of the Stomach) trial.

Methods

Patients who underwent gastrectomy with curative intent in the Netherlands were selected from the CRITICS trial database. Annual hospital volume of participating centres was derived from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Hospital volume was categorized into very low (1–10 gastrectomies per year per institution), low (11–20), medium (21–30) and high (31 or more), and linked to the CRITICS database. Quality of surgery was analysed by surgicopathological compliance (removal of at least 15 lymph nodes), surgical compliance (removal of indicated lymph node stations) and the Maruyama Index. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were also compared between hospital categories.

Results

Between 2007 and 2015, 788 patients were included in the CRITICS study, of whom 494 were analysed. Surgicopathological compliance was higher (86·7 versus 50·4 per cent; P < 0·001), surgical compliance was greater (52·9 versus 19·8 per cent; P < 0·001) and median Maruyama Index was lower (0 versus 6; P = 0·006) in high-volume hospitals compared with very low-volume hospitals. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications or mortality between the hospital volume categories.

Conclusion

Surgery performed in high-volume hospitals was associated with better surgical quality than surgery carried out in lower-volume hospitals.
MicroRNA‐130b targets PTEN to induce resistance to cisplatin in lung cancer cells by activating Wnt/β‐catenin pathway
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Zhang Bin , Sun Leina , Yan Qingna , Zhang Yu , Zhang Zhenfa , Su Yanjun , Wang Changli
Published: April 2018

More and more studies indicate the relevance of miRNAs in inducing certain drug resistance. Our study aimed to investigate whether microRNA‐130b‐3p (miR‐130b) mediates the chemoresistance as well as proliferation of lung cancer (LC) cells. MTS assay and apoptosis analysis were conducted to determine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Binding sites were identified using a luciferase reporter system, whereas mRNA and protein expression of target genes was determined by RT‐PCR and immunoblot, respectively. Mouse xenograft model was used to evaluate the role of miR‐130b in cisplatin resistance in vivo. The rising level of miR‐130b in cisplatin resistance LC cell lines (A549/CR and H446/CR) versus its parental cell lines, indicated its crucial relevance for LC biology. We identified PTEN as miR‐130b's major target and inversely correlated with miR‐130b expression in LC. Moreover, excessive miR‐130b expression promoted drug resistance and proliferation, decreased apoptosis of A549 cells. Suppression of miR‐130b enhanced drug cytotoxicity and reduced proliferation of A549/CR cells both internally and externally. Particularly, miR‐130b mediated Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway activities, chemoresistance and proliferation in LC cell, which was partially blocked following knockdown of PTEN. These findings suggest that miR‐130b targets PTEN to mediate chemoresistance, proliferation, and apoptosis via Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. The rising level of miR‐130b in cisplatin resistance LC cell lines (A549/CR and H446/CR) versus its parental cell lines, indicated its crucial relevance for LC biology. Moreover, excessive miR‐130b expression promoted drug resistance and proliferation, decreased apoptosis of A549 cells. These findings suggest that miR‐130b targets PTEN to mediate chemoresistance, proliferation, and apoptosis via Wnt/β‐catenin pathway.
Organometallic Conjugates of the Drug Sulfadoxine for Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance
Authors: Chellan Prinessa , Avery Vicky M. , Duffy Sandra , Triccas James A. , Nagalingam Gayathri , Tam Christina , Cheng Luisa W. , Liu Jenny , Land Kirkwood M. , Clarkson Guy J. , Romero‐Canelón Isolda , Sadler Peter J.
Published: April 2018

Fourteen novel arene RuII, and cyclopentadienyl (Cpx) RhIII and IrIII complexes containing an N,N′‐chelated pyridylimino‐ or quinolylimino ligand functionalized with the antimalarial drug sulfadoxine have been synthesized and characterized, including three by X‐ray crystallography. The rhodium and iridium complexes exhibited potent antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 0.10–2.0 μm in either all, or one of the three Plasmodium falciparum assays (3D7 chloroquine sensitive, Dd2 chloroquine resistant and NF54 sexual late stage gametocytes) but were only moderately active towards Trichomonas vaginalis. They were active in both the asexual blood stage and the sexual late stage gametocyte assays, whereas the clinical parent drug, sulfadoxine, was inactive. Five complexes were moderately active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (IC50<6.3 μm), while sulfadoxine showed no antitubercular activity. An increase in the size of both the Cpx ligand and the aromatic imino substituent increased hydrophobicity, which resulted in an increase in antiplasmodial activity.
Reaction Kinetics Direct a Rational Synthesis of an HIV‐1 Inactivator of Nucleocapsid Protein 7 and Provide Mechanistic Insight into Cellular Metabolism and Antiviral Activity
Authors: Nikolayevskiy Herman , Scerba Michael T. , Deschamps Jeffrey R. , Appella Daniel H.
Published: April 2018

Mercaptobenzamide thioester SAMT‐247 is a non‐toxic, mutation‐resistant HIV‐1 maturation inhibitor with a unique mechanism of antiviral activity. NMR spectroscopic analyses of model reactions that mimic the cellular environment answered fundamental questions about the antiviral mechanism and inspired a high‐yielding (64 % overall), scalable (75 mmol), and cost‐effective ($4 mmol−1) three‐step synthesis that will enable additional preclinical evaluation.
Prostate‐specific membrane antigen‐targeted photoacoustic imaging of prostate cancer in vivo
Authors: Zhang Haichong K. , Chen Ying , Kang Jeeun , Lisok Ala , Minn Il , Pomper Martin G. , Boctor Emad M.
Published: April 2018

A sensitive, noninvasive method to detect localized prostate cancer, particularly for early detection and repetitive study in patients undergoing active surveillance, remains an unmet need. Here, we propose a molecular photoacoustic (PA) imaging approach by targeting the prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is over‐expressed in the vast majority of prostate cancers. We performed spectroscopic PA imaging in an experimental model of prostate cancer, namely, in immunocompromised mice bearing PSMA+ (PC3 PIP) and PSMA− (PC3 flu) tumors through administration of the known PSMA‐targeted fluorescence agent, YC‐27. Differences in contrast between PSMA+ and isogenic control tumors were observed upon PA imaging, with PSMA+ tumors showing higher contrast in average of 66.07‐fold with 5 mice at the 24‐hour postinjection time points. These results were corroborated using standard near‐infrared fluorescence imaging with YC‐27, and the squared correlation between PA and fluorescence intensities was 0.89. Spectroscopic PA imaging is a new molecular imaging modality with sufficient sensitivity for targeting PSMA in vivo, demonstrating the potential applications for other saturable targets relevant to cancer and other disorders.
The influence of lead nanoparticles on the morpho‐functional changes of rat liver during the postexposure period
Authors: Aleksiichuk Vasyl , Omelchuk Sergiy , Sokurenko Liudmyla , Kaminsky Rostyslav , Kovalchuk Oleksandr , Chaikovsky Yuri
Published: April 2018

Lead as any heavy metals may be found in soil, water, air, and is used in everyday life. Once in the body, it causes toxic effect, making the liver, which is one of the main organs of detoxification, suffer. Recently, the study of the action of not only ionic forms of lead, but also its nanoparticles, has become topical. The study aims at determining changes in the liver of rats and biochemical changes in their blood both at late term of exposure to nanoparticles of lead compounds and in the post‐exposure period. The study was performed on 120 male rats of Wistar line, which were divided into two series, each series containing four groups. The first and the second groups of animals were intraperitoneally injected with colloidal solution of nanoparticles of lead sulfide of 10 and 30 nm in size, and the third group were intraperitoneally injected with a solution of lead nitrate. The fourth group of animals served as control. In the first series, the investigated substances were administered 60 times within 12 weeks. In the second series, after 60‐fold administration of the investigated substances, the exposure was discontibued and animals were observed for 6 weeks—overall duration of 18 weeks. Histological, morphometrical and biochemical methods were used. The body weight was reduced in the rats exposed to PbSnano1 at week 12 of experiment and in rats exposed to both PbSnano1 and Pb(NO3)2 in the second series. Absolute liver weight increased at week 12 of experiment in all experimental groups. In the second series this value almost reached that of the control level. Relative liver weight in the animals of all experimental groups was higher than that in the control at week 12 of experiment. In the second series this value remained higher in rats exposed to PbSnano1. After 12 weeks of exposure dystrophic changes in the liver were found in all experimental groups. At week 6 after the exposure (the second series) destructive changes in the liver decreased. Total protein, albumin, glucose, total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides content in blood serum corresponded with morphological data. The experiment has demonstrated that the 12 weeks long exposure to lead nanoparticles had harmful effect on the liver. Within the postexposure 6‐weeks period structural changes in the liver and biochemical changes in blood serum decreased. Biochemical changes in blood serum corresponded to the morphological data. By many parameters PbSnano1 had more pronounced harmful effect. Toxicity of PbSnano2 and Pb(NO3)2 were comparable.
Monitoring progress towards the first UNAIDS target: understanding the impact of people living with HIV who re‐test during HIV‐testing campaigns in rural Mozambique
Authors: Fuente‐Soro Laura , Lopez‐Varela Elisa , Augusto Orvalho , Sacoor Charfudin , Nhacolo Ariel , Honwana Nely , Karajeanes Esmeralda , Vaz Paula , Naniche Denise
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Awareness of HIV‐infection goes beyond diagnosis, and encompasses understanding, acceptance, disclosure and initiation of the HIV‐care. We aimed to characterize the HIV‐positive population that underwent repeat HIV‐testing without disclosing their serostatus and the impact on estimates of the first UNAIDS 90 target.

Methods

This analysis was nested in a prospective cohort established in southern Mozambique which conducted three HIV‐testing modalities: voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), provider‐initiated counselling and testing (PICT) and home‐based testing (HBT). Participants were given the opportunity to self‐report their status to lay counsellors and HIV‐positive diagnoses were verified for previous enrolment in care. This study included 1955 individuals diagnosed with HIV through VCT/PICT and 11,746 participants of a HBT campaign. Those who did not report their serostatus prior to testing, and were found to have a previous HIV‐diagnosis, were defined as non‐disclosures. Venue‐stratified descriptive analyses were performed and factors associated with non‐disclosure were estimated through log‐binomial regression.

Results

In the first round of 2500 adults randomized for HBT, 1725 were eligible for testing and 18.7% self‐reported their HIV‐positivity. Of those tested with a positive result, 38.9% were found to be non‐disclosures. Similar prevalence of non‐disclosures was found in clinical‐testing modalities, 29.4% (95% CI 26.7 to 32.3) for PICT strategy and 13.0% (95% CI 10.9 to 15.3) for VCT. Prior history of missed visits (adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) 4.2, 95% CI 2.6 to 6.8), younger age (APR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.4) and no prior history of treatment ((APR) 1.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.1) were significantly associated with non‐disclosure as compared to patients who self‐reported. When considering non‐disclosures as people living with HIV (PLWHIV) aware of their HIV‐status, the proportion of PLWHIV aware increased from 78.3% (95% CI 74.2 to 81.6) to 86.8% (95% CI 83.4 to 89.6).

Conclusion

More than one‐third of individuals testing HIV‐positive did not disclose their previous positive HIV‐diagnosis to counsellors. This proportion varied according to testing modality and age. In the absence of an efficient and non‐anonymous tracking system for HIV‐testers, repeat testing of non‐disclosures leads to wasted resources and may distort programmatic indicators. Developing interventions that ensure appropriate psychosocial support are needed to encourage this population to disclose their status and optimize scarce resources.
Antioxidant hydrolyzed peptides from Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica Maxim.) attenuate scopolamine‐induced memory impairment in mice
Authors: Ren Dayong , Zhao Fanrui , Liu Chunlei , Wang Ji , Guo Yong , Liu Jingsheng , Min Weihong
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Walnut protein, which is obtained as a by‐product of oil expression, has not been used efficiently. Although walnuts are beneficial for cognitive functioning, the potential of their protein composition in strengthening learning and memory functions remains unknown. In this study, the inhibition of memory impairment by the Manchurian walnut hydrolyzed peptide (MWHP) was evaluated.

RESULTS

Small‐molecular‐weight MWHP (<3 kDa) achieved the optimal antioxidative activity. Therefore, MWHP (<3 kDa) was subjected to the following mice trials to evaluate its attenuation effect on memory impairment. In the Morris water maze test, MWHP shortened the total path for searching the platform, reduced the escape latency, and increased the dwelling distance and time in the coverage zone. MWHP also prolonged the latency and diminished errors in the passive avoidance response tests. These behavioral tests demonstrated that MWHP could inhibit scopolamine‐induced memory impairment. MWHP improved memory by reducing oxidative stress, inhibiting apoptosis, regulating neurotransmitter functions, maintaining hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons, and increasing calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II levels in brain tissues.

CONCLUSION

Experimental results proved that MWHP exhibits potential in improving memory and should be used to develop novel functional food. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Mediterranean agro‐industrial wastes as valuable substrates for lignocellulolytic enzymes and protein production by solid‐state fermentation
Authors: Sousa Daniel , Venâncio Armando , Belo Isabel , Salgado José M
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Mediterranean agro‐food industries (such as wineries, breweries and olive mills) dispose of great amounts of waste. This generates environmental problems, and the waste has a low nutritional value for use as animal feed. In this sense, solid‐state fermentation (SSF) can increase the nutritional value of these wastes and simultaneously produce lignocellulolytic enzymes.

RESULTS

All fermented wastes were enriched in protein by the three fungi studied. Aspergillus ibericus was the fungus with the biggest increase of protein, which ranged from 1.4 times to 6.2 times with respect to unfermented wastes. Likewise, A. ibericus achieved the maximum cellulase and xylanase activities. The relationships among substrates composition, fungi used and SSF performance were evaluated by principal components analysis. The high content of cellulose and hemicellulose favoured lignocellulolytic enzymes production, and the phenolics content was negatively correlated with enzymes production and with the increase of protein by SSF. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy analysis showed the growth of fungi over solid wastes, the formation of conidiophores and the changes in their structures.

CONCLUSION

The nutritional value of Mediterranean wastes was improved and other value‐added products such as lignocellulolytic enzymes were produced in the same process, which could facilitate the efficient reuse of these wastes. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Accelerated solvent extraction coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of 11 organophosphorus flame retardants in aquatic products
Authors: Suo Lili , Huang Weihua , Zhu Qunying , Ma Lifang , Hu Meihua
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

A new method based on accelerated solvent extraction was developed for the extraction and determination of 11 organophosphorus flame retardants by using a high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry technique.

RESULTS

After optimization of the extraction temperature (80 °C), the extraction solvent (n‐hexane), the flush volume (40%) and the static extraction time (4 min), all 11 organophosphorus flame retardants illustrated good linearities (R > 0.999). The limits of detection of the method ranged from 0.016 to 26.58 µg kg−1 in the different matrices. The recoveries were 90.4–111.2% with relative standard deviations 0.21–5.3% for the various aquatic products.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method was applied successfully to detect 11 organophosphorus flame retardants in aquatic products, including grass carp, ribbon fish, mud fish, common eel, shrimp and frog. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Latin American franchise internationalization: The impact of institutional environment
Authors: Melo Pedro Lucas de Resende , Borini Felipe Mendes , Ogasavara Mario Henrique
Published: April 2018

We analyze the internationalization of Brazilian franchise chains in Latin America. A total of 119 observations verify international commitment in each country in relation to institutional environment factors and how they are moderated by chain size and industry. The results show that despite all institutional aspects having a significant effect, their explanatory power depends on chain size. Larger franchise chains usually choose countries with better institutional aspects in terms of contract compliance and business freedom, even if the efficiency of business conditions in these countries are not the best in Latin America. In this study, were used public data from international organizations that report on the ease of doing business, level of corruption, political risk, and legal regulations. Specifically, it contributes by using institutional theory in franchising in order to understand the process of chain internationalization originating from emerging markets. Our results, in part, contradict the idea that the origin disadvantage is always an advantage of internationalization.
Clustering of major cardiovascular risk factors is associated with arterial stiffness in adults
Authors: Kong Xiang‐Lei , Ma Xiao‐Jing , Zhang Cheng‐Yin , Xu Dong‐Mei
Published: April 2018

Objective

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies have indicated that clustering of major CVD risk factors is common. We aimed to explore the association of clustering of CVD risk factors with arterial stiffness in adults.

Methods

A total of 9984 adults were enrolled. We investigated clustering of four major CVD risk factors (defined as two or more of the following: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and high body mass index) and their association with arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness was evaluated using the carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV).

Results

In the study group (52.2% men, the mean age was 55.4 ± 10.5 years; only 11.9% of participants were free of any pre‐defined CVD risk factors and 61.8% of participants had clustering of CVD risk factors. The cfPWV was significantly higher in the clustered risk factors group than in the no risk factor or the single risk factor groups (16.1 ± 3.1, 13.4 ± 2.2, and 14.3 ± 2.6 m/s, respectively; P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, gender, clustering of CVD risk factors, serum uric acid, and decreased renal function positively correlated with cfPWV. For a categorical outcome, the highest cfPWV quartile (cfPWV ≥ 16.9 m/s) was compared with the lower three quartiles. After adjusting for potential confounders, clustering of CVD risk factors significantly correlated with increased cfPWV compared with that in the no risk factor group, with an odds ratio of 5.76 (95% confidence interval: 4.46–7.44).

Conclusions

Clustering of CVD risk factors significantly correlated with arterial stiffness; this confirms the importance of lifestyle modification to reduce the burden of CVD.
An improved heat transfer search algorithm for unconstrained optimization problems
Authors: Tejani Ghanshyam G. , Savsani Vimal J. , Patel Vivek K. , Mirjalili Seyedali
Published: April 2018

In this work, an improved heat transfer search (IHTS) algorithm is proposed by incorporating the effect of the simultaneous heat transfer modes and population regeneration in the basic HTS algorithm. The basic HTS algorithm considers only one of the modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection, and radiation) for each generation. In the proposed algorithms, however, the system molecules are considered as the search agents that interact with each other as well as with the surrounding to a state of the thermal equilibrium. Another improvement is the integration of a population regenerator to reduce the probability of local optima stagnation. The population regenerator is applied to the solutions without improvements for a pre-defined number of iterations. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms are investigated by 23 classical benchmark functions and 30 functions extracted from the CEC2014 test suite. Also, two truss design problems are solved to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed algorithms. The results show that the IHTS algorithm is more effective as compared to the HTS algorithm. Moreover, the IHTS algorithm provides very competitive results compared to the existing meta-heuristics in the literature.

Highlights An improved Heat Transfer Search (HTS) algorithm is proposed. A novel population regenerator is integrated to the improved HTS. A set of 53 test functions is employed to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. The results are compared with several techniques in the literature.
Hemodiluição normovolêmica aguda em cirurgias de deformidade da coluna
Authors: Batista Marianna Fergutz Santos , Costa Caroline Oliveira , Vialle Emiliano Neves , Guasque Joana Bretas Rondon Cabral , Fiorentin Joana Zulian , Souza Camila de Santiago
Published: April 2018

Objetivo Comparar de modo prospectivo os parâmetros clínicos e laboratoriais dos pacientes submetidos a hemodiluição normovolêmica aguda associada ao ácido tranexâmico com um grupo de controle que recebeu apenas ácido tranexâmico, durante cirurgia de correção de deformidades da coluna, e avaliar a influência da técnica de hemodiluição no sangramento perioperatório e a necessidade de transfusão de sangue homólogo.

Materiais e Métodos Estudo prospectivo comparativo, com pacientes entre 12 e 65 anos submetidos a cirurgia para correção de deformidades da coluna vertebral, com a técnica de hemodiluição normovolêmica aguda associada ao ácido tranexâmico, versus grupo de controle com ácido tranexâmico isolado na dose de 15 mg/kg. Exames laboratoriais foram feitos e analisados em três momentos de avaliação diferentes.

Resultados Participaram deste estudo 30 pacientes: 17 no grupo de hemodiluição e 13 no grupo de controle. O tempo médio de cirurgia foi maior para o grupo de hemodiluição. O número de níveis operados variou entre 7 e 16 no grupo de hemodiluição, e entre 4 e 13 no grupo de controle. Fez-se osteotomia, predominantemente posterior, em 20 pacientes. O valor médio de sangramento intraoperatório foi maior no grupo de controle. Os parâmetros clínicos se mantiveram estáveis durante todos os procedimentos. Apenas 6 pacientes necessitaram de transfusão sanguínea homóloga, a maioria dos quais pertencia ao grupo de controle (p > 0,05).

Conclusão Não houve diferença significativa entre os dois grupos quanto à necessidade de transfusão e sangramento intraoperatório. A gravidade da deformidade foi o principal fator determinante da transfusão.
From Civic Imperative to Bird's-Eye View: Renegotiating the Idioms of Education Governance during the Reconstruction Era
Authors: Steudeman Michael J.
Published: April 2018

The nineteenth-century debate about the role of the US Bureau of Education was marked by negotiations between the civic republican language of antebellum common school advocacy and a social scientific language of educational professionalism. To advance this argument, this essay traces how members of Congress defined, criticized, and delimited the Bureau's institutional role between 1865 and 1872. First, avoiding calls for direct federal intervention, the Bureau's initial congressional advocates defined the Bureau as a vehicle for indirect influence on the states through the use of data and statistics. Second, after the Bureau's founding, its legislative critics used rhetoric to chastise and question both the Bureau's comprehensive vision and power. Finally, beginning with Commissioner John Eaton's tenure in 1870, the Bureau's functions were narrowed. Due to Eaton's reimagining of the Commissioner role, further congressional critique, and failed efforts to expand Bureau authority, the Bureau eventually became a government-sanctioned purveyor of social scientific expertise—one with little direct authority to intervene in education.
The Question of the Spotted Muumuu: How the Australian Women's Weekly Manufactured a Vision of the Normative School Mother and Child, 1930s–1980s
Authors: Weaver Heather , Proctor Helen
Published: April 2018

This paper examines Australia's history of uniformed schooling as mediated by its leading mass-market magazine, the Australian Women's Weekly. This magazine was a significant cultural agent that served as an authority on everything from fashion to schooling, capitalizing on the matter of school dress by running advertisements for school uniforms, printing articles and letters on school wear, and featuring attractive images of uniformed schoolchildren. This paper argues that the Weekly used this content to provide textual and visual reinforcement for a powerful cultural trope of the proper, desirable, happy, and modern Australian schoolchild as uniformed. In doing so, it represented the normative school mother as working behind the scenes to produce or procure the school uniform as well as to arrange and manage the uniformed child. We contend that the magazine portrayed this work as part of a project to draw the mother into a respectable and ostensibly “Australian” community.
Listening for the hiss: lo-fi liner notes as curatorial practices
Authors: Supper Alexandra
Published: April 2018

Lo-fi music is commonly associated with a recording aesthetic marked by an avoidance of state-of-the-art technologies and an inclusion of technical flaws, such as tape hiss and static. However, I argue that lo-fi music is not defined merely by the presence of such imperfections, but by a discourse which deliberately draws attention to them. Album liner notes play an important role in this discourse, as they can function as curatorial practices, through which lo-fi artists give an appropriate frame of reference to their recordings. By highlighting the ‘honest’ character of the recordings, the intimate recording spaces, the materiality of the equipment and its ambiguous character as machine/instrument/performer, they invite listeners to adopt a genre-adequate mode of listening. Rather than listeningpasthiss and other recording artefacts as undesirable qualities, listeners are asked to listenforthese qualities as an essential element of not just the recordings, but the music itself.
Continuity and Change in European Cooperation during the Twentieth Century
Authors: PATEL KIRAN KLAUS , KAISER WOLFRAM
Published: April 2018

To sign the treaty creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) the foreign ministers of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands met in Paris in April 1951. In a solemn Joint Declaration they stressed that through the newly created organisation, ‘the Contracting Parties have given their determination to set up the first supranational institution and thus lay the real foundations of an organised Europe’. The ministers represented the ECSC as a radical rupture with history, as if Europe had been completely disorganised until the new organisation's creation. In a similar vein, the ECSC Treaty emphasised the member states’ resolution ‘to substitute for historic rivalries a fusion of their essential interests; to establish, by creating an economic community, the foundation of a broad and independent community amongst peoples long divided by bloody conflicts’. Since 1951 official European Union (EU) documents and other sources have forged a similar image, one which has been undergirded by assumptions about the creation of the ‘core Europe’ of the ECSC as a collective ‘supranational’ break with a past characterised by severe ideological divisions and extreme nationalism.
Liberalising Regional Trade: Socialists and European Economic Integration
Authors: SHAEV BRIAN
Published: April 2018

The socialist contribution to the creation of the European Economic Community has long been overlooked and misunderstood. Existing scholarship emphasises short-term considerations in explaining why the French Socialist and German Social Democratic Parties supported a European Common Market in 1956–7. This article offers a new perspective by placing these parties’ decisions within a longer context of socialist views on free trade, tariffs and regional economic organisation. Based on fresh archival materials, this article explores how socialist proposals for securing an economic peace after the First World War continued to influence socialist policies on European economic integration in the 1950s.
Ideas, Individuals and Institutions: Notion and Practices of a European Electricity System
Authors: LAGENDIJK VINCENT
Published: April 2018

Based upon extensive multi-archival research, this article traces the long lineage of the notion of European electricity network. Since the 1930s engineers and policy makers conceived of a geographical conception for rationalising and optimising electricity supply: a European one. This article purports that three vectors undergirded threads of continuity: institutional, intellectual and physical (technological networks). These vectors, and the actors involved in them, created strong path dependencies that kept the idea of a European system firmly on the agenda. Today's international electricity market of the European Union should be seen as an extension of this legacy.
Comparing Cultures of Expert Regulation: Governing Cross-Border Infrastructures
Authors: HENRICH-FRANKE CHRISTIAN
Published: April 2018

Infrastructures in the transport and communication sectors were high on the agenda of supranational European integration after 1945. Nevertheless, European cooperation continued on well-trodden paths. New European organisations were established with an institutional design that built on established governance structures from the interwar period or even earlier. This article seeks to explore continuities in the governance of cross-border infrastructures from the interwar to the post-war period. It argues that transnational expert communities and cultures of standardisation emerged, which the infrastructure experts were keen to protect and persist. The article compares transport and communication to isolate common patterns and differences.
Activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 attenuates periapical inflammation and bone loss
Authors: Hirai Kimito , Furusho Hisako , Hirota Kiichi , Sasaki Hajime
Published: April 2018

Hypoxia (low oxygen level) is an important feature during infections and affects the host defence mechanisms. The host has evolved specific responses to address hypoxia, which are strongly dependent on the activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). Hypoxia interferes degradation of HIF-1 alpha subunit (HIF-1α), leading to stabilisation of HIF-1α, heterodimerization with HIF-1 beta subunit (HIF-1β) and subsequent activation of HIF-1 pathway. Apical periodontitis (periapical lesion) is a consequence of endodontic infection and ultimately results in destruction of tooth-supporting tissue, including alveolar bone. Thus far, the role of HIF-1 in periapical lesions has not been systematically examined. In the present study, we determined the role of HIF-1 in a well-characterised mouse periapical lesion model using two HIF-1α-activating strategies, dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) and adenovirus-induced constitutively active HIF-1α (CA-HIF1A). Both DMOG and CA-HIF1A attenuated periapical inflammation and tissue destruction. The attenuation in vivo was associated with downregulation of nuclear factor-κappa B (NF-κB) and osteoclastic gene expressions. These two agents also suppressed NF-κB activation and subsequent production of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages. Furthermore, activation of HIF-1α by DMOG specifically suppressed lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage differentiation into M1 cells, increasing the ratio of M2 macrophages against M1 cells. Taken together, our data indicated that activation of HIF-1 plays a protective role in the development of apical periodontitis via downregulation of NF-κB, proinflammatory cytokines, M1 macrophages and osteoclastogenesis.
Life on the edge: active microbial communities in the Kryos MgCl2-brine basin at very low water activity
Authors: Steinle Lea , Knittel Katrin , Felber Nicole , Casalino Claudia , de Lange Gert , Tessarolo Chiara , Stadnitskaia Alina , Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S , Zopfi Jakob , Lehmann Moritz F , Treude Tina , Niemann Helge
Published: April 2018

The Kryos Basin is a deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basin (DHAB) located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (34.98°N 22.04°E). It is filled with brine of re-dissolved Messinian evaporites and is nearly saturated with MgCl2-equivalents, which makes this habitat extremely challenging for life. The strong density difference between the anoxic brine and the overlying oxic Mediterranean seawater impedes mixing, giving rise to a narrow chemocline. Here, we investigate the microbial community structure and activities across the seawater–brine interface using a combined biogeochemical, next-generation sequencing, and lipid biomarker approach. Within the interface, we detected fatty acids that were distinctly 13C-enriched when compared to other fatty acids. These likely originated from sulfide-oxidizing bacteria that fix carbon via the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle. In the lower part of the interface, we also measured elevated rates of methane oxidation, probably mediated by aerobic methanotrophs under micro-oxic conditions. Sulfate reduction rates increased across the interface and were highest within the brine, providing first evidence that sulfate reducers (likely Desulfovermiculus and Desulfobacula) thrive in the Kryos Basin at a water activity of only ~0.4 Aw. Our results demonstrate that a highly specialized microbial community in the Kryos Basin has adapted to the poly-extreme conditions of a DHAB with nearly saturated MgCl2 brine, extending the known environmental range where microbial life can persist.