bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC) and Their Use Today
Authors: Schwarb Heike , Tsakiris Dimitrios
Published: March 2016

The ideal anticoagulant is oral, has a wide therapeutic range, predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, a rapid onset of action, an available antidote, minimal side effects and minimal interactions with other drugs or food. With the development of the novel direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), we now have an alternative to the traditional vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis. DOACs have limited monitoring requirements and very predictable pharmacokinetic profiles. They were shown to be non-inferior or superior to VKA in the prophylaxis or treatment of thromboembolic events. Particularly in terms of safety they were associated with less major bleeding, including intracranial bleeding, thus providing a superior benefit for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Despite these advantages, there are remaining limitations with DOACs: their dependence on renal and hepatic function for clearance and the lack of an approved reversal agent, whereas such antidotes are successively being made available. DOACs do not need regular monitoring to assess the treatment effect but, on the other hand, they interact with other drugs and interfere with functional coagulation assays. From a practical point of view, the properties of oral administration, simple dosing without monitoring, a short half-life allowing for the possibility of uncomplicated switching or bridging, and proven safety overwhelm the disadvantages, making them an attractive option for short- or long-term anticoagulation.
Dark Energy: The Shadowy Reflection of Dark Matter?
Authors: Kleidis Kostas , Spyrou Nikolaos
Published: March 2016

In this article, we review a series of recent theoretical results regarding a conventional approach to the dark energy (DE) concept. This approach is distinguished among others for its simplicity and its physical relevance. By compromising General Relativity (GR) and Thermodynamics at cosmological scale, we end up with a model without DE. Instead, the Universe we are proposing is filled with a perfect fluid of self-interacting dark matter (DM), the volume elements of which perform hydrodynamic flows. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time in a cosmological framework that the energy of the cosmic fluid internal motions is also taken into account as a source of the universal gravitational field. As we demonstrate, this form of energy may compensate for the DE needed to compromise spatial flatness, while, depending on the particular type of thermodynamic processes occurring in the interior of the DM fluid (isothermal or polytropic), the Universe depicts itself as either decelerating or accelerating (respectively). In both cases, there is no disagreement between observations and the theoretical prediction of the distant supernovae (SNe) Type Ia distribution. In fact, the cosmological model with matter content in the form of a thermodynamically-involved DM fluid not only interprets the observational data associated with the recent history of Universe expansion, but also confronts successfully with every major cosmological issue (such as the age and the coincidence problems). In this way, depending on the type of thermodynamic processes in it, such a model may serve either for a conventional DE cosmology or for a viable alternative one.
Electric Vehicle Charging and Discharging Coordination on Distribution Network Using Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization and Fuzzy Decision Making
Authors: Liu Dongqi , Wang Yaonan , Shen Yongpeng
Published: March 2016

This paper proposed a optimal strategy for coordinated operation of electric vehicles (EVs) charging and discharging with wind-thermal system. By aggregating a large number of EVs, the huge total battery capacity is sufficient to stabilize the disturbance of the transmission grid. Hence, a dynamic environmental dispatch model which coordinates a cluster of charging and discharging controllable EV units with wind farms and thermal plants is proposed. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm and a fuzzy decision maker are put forward for the simultaneous optimization of grid operating cost, CO2 emissions, wind curtailment, and EV users’ cost. Simulations are done in a 30 node system containing three traditional thermal plants, two carbon capture and storage (CCS) thermal plants, two wind farms, and six EV aggregations. Contrast of strategies under different EV charging/discharging price is also discussed. The results are presented to prove the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
An Improved Current Control Strategy for a Grid-Connected Inverter under Distorted Grid Conditions
Authors: Lai Ngoc , Kim Kyeong-Hwa
Published: March 2016

This paper presents an improved current control strategy for a three-phase grid-connected inverter under distorted grid conditions. The main challenge associated with the grid-connected inverter in distributed generation (DG) systems is to maintain the harmonic contents in output current below the specified values even when the grid is subject to uncertain disturbances such as harmonic distortion. To overcome such a challenge, an improved current control scheme is proposed for a grid-connected inverter, in which the fundamental and harmonic currents are independently controlled by a proportional-integral (PI) decoupling controller and a predictive basis controller, respectively. The controller design approach is based on the model decomposition method, where the measured inverter currents and grid voltages are divided into the fundamental and harmonic components by means of moving average filters (MAFs). Moreover, to detect the angular displacement and angular frequency with better accuracy, even in the presence of the grid disturbance, the MAF is also introduced to implement an enhanced phase-lock loop (PLL) structure. Theoretical analyses as well as comparative simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control scheme can effectively compensate the uncertainties caused by the grid voltages with fast transient response. To validate the feasibility of the proposed scheme, the whole control algorithms are implemented on 2 kVA three-phase grid-connected inverter system using 32-bit floating-point DSP TMS320F28335. As a result, the proposed scheme is an attractive way to control a grid-connected inverter under adverse grid conditions.
Greenness and Birth Outcomes in a Range of Pennsylvania Communities
Authors: Casey Joan , James Peter , Rudolph Kara , Wu Chih-Da , Schwartz Brian
Published: March 2016

Living in communities with more vegetation during pregnancy has been associated with higher birth weights, but fewer studies have evaluated other birth outcomes, and only one has been conducted in the Eastern United States, in regions with a broad range, including high levels, of greenness. We evaluated associations between prenatal residential greenness and birth outcomes (term birth weight, small for gestational age, preterm birth, and low 5 min Apgar score) across a range of community types using electronic health record data from 2006–2013 from the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. We assigned greenness based on mother’s geocoded address using the normalized difference vegetation index from satellite imagery. We used propensity scores to restrict the study population to comparable groups among those living in green vs. less-green areas. Analyses were adjusted for demographic, clinical, and environmental covariates, and stratified by community type (city, borough, and township). In cities, higher greenness (tertiles 2–3 vs. 1) was protective for both preterm (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61–0.99) and small for gestational age birth (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58–0.97), but not birth weight or Apgar score. We did not observe associations between greenness and birth outcomes in adjusted models in boroughs or townships. These results add to the evidence that greener cities might be healthier cities.
A Survey of Accidental Hypothermia Knowledge among Navy Members in China and the Implications for Training
Authors: Li Shuang , Qiu Chen , Shi Wenwen , Huang Yan , Gui Li
Published: March 2016

Objectives: Accidental hypothermia (AH) is a potentially life-threatening condition that can lead to significant morbidity and life-long effects. Navy personnel are always at a greater risk of AH due to frequent outdoor work, wilderness exposure, prolonged immobility and exhaustion. The purpose of the survey was to assess Chinese Navy members’ awareness of AH and to make recommendations with regard to better measures for improving it. Methods: 111 Navy members completed a written questionnaire that was subsequently analyzed. Results: 30.6% of the respondents have experienced AH and 64.9% rated their knowledge of AH as “low” or “none”. Over half of them identified the initial symptom of AH as obvious shivering (69.4%) and apathy (45.0%). As for the aggravate symptoms, 60.9% chose the wrong answer of more obvious shivering instead of the right one—absence of shivering (5.4%). In the case of the treatment of mild AH, more than half of the respondents chose the wrong answers. Conclusions: This study suggests that the basic skills of recognition and treatment of AH are inadequate in the Chinese Navy. Further work is required to develop a systematical, comprehensive and corresponding education method that would promote correct actions during AH.
Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Infants and Mothers in Benin and Potential Sources of Exposure
Authors: Bodeau-Livinec Florence , Glorennec Philippe , Cot Michel , Dumas Pierre , Durand Séverine , Massougbodji Achille , Ayotte Pierre , Le Bot Barbara
Published: March 2016

Lead in childhood is well known to be associated with poor neurodevelopment. As part of a study on maternal anemia and offspring neurodevelopment, we analyzed blood lead level (BLL) with no prior knowledge of lead exposure in 225 mothers and 685 offspring 1 to 2 years old from Allada, a semi-rural area in Benin, sub-Saharan Africa, between May 2011 and May 2013. Blood samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Environmental assessments in households and isotopic ratio measurements were performed for eight children with BLL > 100 µg/L. High lead levels (BLL > 50 µg/L) were found in 44% of mothers and 58% of children. The median BLL was 55.1 (interquartile range 39.2–85.0) and 46.6 (36.5–60.1) µg/L, respectively. Maternal BLL was associated with offspring’s consumption of piped water and animals killed by ammunition. Children’s BLL was associated with presence of paint chips in the house and consumption of animals killed by ammunition. In this population, with 98% of children still breastfed, children’s BLL was highly associated with maternal BLL on multivariate analyses. Environmental measures and isotopic ratios supported these findings. Offspring may be highly exposed to lead in utero and probably via breastfeeding in addition to lead paint exposure.
Crosstalk between Long Noncoding RNAs and MicroRNAs in Health and Disease
Authors: Bayoumi Ahmed , Sayed Amer , Broskova Zuzana , Teoh Jian-Peng , Wilson James , Su Huabo , Tang Yao-Liang , Kim Il-man
Published: March 2016

Protein-coding genes account for only a small part of the human genome; in fact, the vast majority of transcripts are comprised of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and small ncRNAs, microRNAs (miRs). Accumulating evidence indicates that ncRNAs could play critical roles in regulating many cellular processes which are often implicated in health and disease. For example, ncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in cancers, heart diseases, and many other diseases. LncRNAs and miRs are therefore novel and promising targets to be developed into biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis as well as treatment options. The interaction between lncRNAs and miRs as well as its pathophysiological significance have recently been reported. Mechanistically, it is believed that lncRNAs exert “sponge-like” effects on various miRs, which subsequently inhibits miR-mediated functions. This crosstalk between two types of ncRNAs frequently contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease. In this review, we provide a summary of the recent studies highlighting the interaction between these ncRNAs and the effects of this interaction on disease pathogenesis and regulation.
Arginine Metabolism in Bacterial Pathogenesis and Cancer Therapy
Authors: Xiong Lifeng , Teng Jade , Botelho Michael , Lo Regina , Lau Susanna , Woo Patrick
Published: March 2016

Antibacterial resistance to infectious diseases is a significant global concern for health care organizations; along with aging populations and increasing cancer rates, it represents a great burden for government healthcare systems. Therefore, the development of therapies against bacterial infection and cancer is an important strategy for healthcare research. Pathogenic bacteria and cancer have developed a broad range of sophisticated strategies to survive or propagate inside a host and cause infection or spread disease. Bacteria can employ their own metabolism pathways to obtain nutrients from the host cells in order to survive. Similarly, cancer cells can dysregulate normal human cell metabolic pathways so that they can grow and spread. One common feature of the adaption and disruption of metabolic pathways observed in bacterial and cancer cell growth is amino acid pathways; these have recently been targeted as a novel approach to manage bacterial infections and cancer therapy. In particular, arginine metabolism has been illustrated to be important not only for bacterial pathogenesis but also for cancer therapy. Therefore, greater insights into arginine metabolism of pathogenic bacteria and cancer cells would provide possible targets for controlling of bacterial infection and cancer treatment. This review will summarize the recent progress on the relationship of arginine metabolism with bacterial pathogenesis and cancer therapy, with a particular focus on arginase and arginine deiminase pathways of arginine catabolism.
Geranylgeraniol and Neurological Impairment: Involvement of Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Morphology
Authors: Marcuzzi Annalisa , Piscianz Elisa , Zweyer Marina , Bortul Roberta , Loganes Claudia , Girardelli Martina , Baj Gabriele , Monasta Lorenzo , Celeghini Claudio
Published: March 2016

Deregulation of the cholesterol pathway is an anomaly observed in human diseases, many of which have in common neurological involvement and unknown pathogenesis. In this study we have used Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD) as a disease-model in order to investigate the link between the deregulation of the mevalonate pathway and the consequent neurodegeneration. The blocking of the mevalonate pathway in a neuronal cell line (Daoy), using statins or mevalonate, induced an increase in the expression of the inflammasome gene (NLRP3) and programmed cell death related to mitochondrial dysfunction. The morphology of the mitochondria changed, clearly showing the damage induced by oxidative stress and the decreased membrane potential associated with the alterations of the mitochondrial function. The co-administration of geranylgeraniol (GGOH) reduced the inflammatory marker and the damage of the mitochondria, maintaining its shape and components. Our data allow us to speculate about the mechanism by which isoprenoids are able to rescue the inflammatory marker in neuronal cells, independently from the block of the mevalonate pathway, and about the fact that cell death is mitochondria-related.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Increase Neo-Angiogenesis and Albumin Production in a Liver Tissue-Engineered Engraftment
Authors: Carraro Amedeo , Buggio Maurizio , Gardin Chiara , Tedeschi Umberto , Ferroni Letizia , Zavan Barbara
Published: March 2016

The construction of a three-dimensional (3D) liver tissue is limited by many factors; one of them is the lack of vascularization inside the tissue-engineered construct. An engineered liver pocket-scaffold able to increase neo-angiogenesis in vivo could be a solution to overcome these limitations. In this work, a hyaluronan (HA)-based scaffold enriched with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and rat hepatocytes was pre-conditioned in a bioreactor system, then implanted into the liver of rats. Angiogenesis and hepatocyte metabolic functions were monitored. The formation of a de novo vascular network within the HA-based scaffold, as well as an improvement in albumin production by the implanted hepatocytes, were detected. The presence of hMSCs in the HA-scaffold increased the concentration of growth factors promoting angiogenesis inside the graft. This event ensured a high blood vessel density, coupled with a support to metabolic functions of hepatocytes. All together, these results highlight the important role played by stem cells in liver tissue-engineered engraftment.
A Reliable Method for the Preparation of Multiporous Alumina Monoliths by Ice-Templating
Authors: Dhainaut Jérémy , Deville Sylvain , Amirouche Idris , Klotz Michaela
Published: March 2016

Alumina supports presenting a bimodal porosity are generally advantageous for the conversion of bulky molecules such as found in biomass, refining, and petrochemistry. However, shaping of such materials, while controlling pores size and orientation, proves to be hard. This problem can be tackled by using a simple method involving sol-gel chemistry, surfactant self-assembly, and ice-templating. Herein, a systematic study of the formulation and process parameters’ influence on the final material properties is presented. This protocol results in the repeatable preparation of centimeter-sized alumina monoliths presenting a uni-directional macroporosity and structured mesopores. These monoliths should be of particular interest in high flow rate catalytic applications.
VIIRS Day/Night Band—Correcting Striping and Nonuniformity over a Very Large Dynamic Range
Authors: Mills Stephen , Miller Steven
Published: March 2016

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day-Night Band (DNB) measures visible and near-infrared light extending over seven orders of magnitude of dynamic range. This makes radiometric calibration difficult. We have observed that DNB imagery has striping, banding and other nonuniformities—day or night. We identified the causes as stray light, nonlinearity, detector crosstalk, hysteresis and mirror-side variation. We found that these affect both Earth-view and calibration signals. These present an obstacle to interpretation by users of DNB products. Because of the nonlinearity we chose the histogram matching destriping technique which we found is successful for daytime, twilight and nighttime scenes. Because of the very large dynamic range of the DNB, we needed to add special processes to the histogram matching to destripe all scenes, especially imagery in the twilight regions where scene illumination changes rapidly over short distances. We show that destriping aids image analysts, and makes it possible for advanced automated cloud typing algorithms. Manual or automatic identification of other features, including polar ice and gravity waves in the upper atmosphere are also discussed. In consideration of the large volume of data produced 24 h a day by the VIIRS DNB, we present methods for reducing processing time.
Nanotextured Shrink Wrap Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Argon Plasma Etching
Authors: Nokes Jolie , Sharma Himanshu , Tu Roger , Kim Monica , Chu Michael , Siddiqui Ali , Khine Michelle
Published: March 2016

We present a rapid, simple, and scalable approach to achieve superhydrophobic (SH) substrates directly in commodity shrink wrap film utilizing Argon (Ar) plasma. Ar plasma treatment creates a stiff skin layer on the surface of the shrink film. When the film shrinks, the mismatch in stiffness between the stiff skin layer and bulk shrink film causes the formation of multiscale hierarchical wrinkles with nano-textured features. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirm the presence of these biomimetic structures. Contact angle (CA) and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) measurements, respectively, defined as values greater than 150° and less than 10°, verified the SH nature of the substrates. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to reliably pattern hydrophilic regions onto the SH substrates, allowing precise capture and detection of proteins in urine. Finally, we achieved self-driven microfluidics via patterning contrasting superhydrophilic microchannels on the SH Ar substrates to induce flow for biosensing.
Symmetry Breaking in Iron(II) Spin-Crossover Molecular Crystals
Authors: Ortega-Villar Norma , Muñoz M. , Real José
Published: March 2016

This review provides an up to date survey of a singular class of iron(II) spin crossover (SCO) molecular materials that undergo high-spin (HS) ↔ low-spin (LS) phase transitions accompanied by crystallographic symmetry breaking (CSB). Particular interest has been focused on a variety of complexes that exhibit one-step or stepwise SCO behavior and CSB. Most of them afford excellent examples of well-ordered 1HS-1LS, 2HS-1LS or 1HS-2LS intermediate phases (IP) and represent an important platform to disclose microscopic mechanisms responsible for cooperativity and ordering in such multistable materials.
Multistep Relaxations in a Spin-Crossover Lattice with Defect: A Spatiotemporal Study of the Domain Propagation
Authors: Boukheddaden Kamel , Traiche Rachid , Oubouchou Hassane , Linares Jorge
Published: March 2016

We study the spatio-temporal formation and spreading of the low-spin state (LS) during the thermal spin transition and the cooperative relaxation of the photo-induced metastable high spin (HS) state at low temperature, in the presence of a structural defect. The model is made of a two-dimensional rectangular-shaped lattice with discrete spins coupled by springs. The investigations are performed for a perfect lattice and a lattice with a hole (simulating the defect) with a fixed size. We found that the presence of the defect affects the thermal equilibrium by reducing the size of the thermal hysteresis at the transition, although the transition temperature remains unchanged. The study of the low-temperature relaxation of the defect-free lattice from HS to LS state indicated the existence of three different regimes of the growth process: (i) a first regime of growth from one corner of the rectangle along the width, then followed by (ii) a second regime of longitudinal propagation at almost constant velocity, and (iii) a third rapid regime when the system feels the surface or the border of the crystal. When a hole is injected inside the lattice, it results in (i) the deformation of the HS/LS interface’s shape when it approaches the defect position; and (ii) the slowing down of its propagation velocity. These results, which are in good agreement with available experimental data, are discussed in terms of elastic energy stored in the system during the relaxation process.
Composition Distribution and Electrochemical Behavior of an Ni2Al3 Coating on Q235 Steel
Authors: Li Ningning , Wang Minzhi , Zheng Gong , Li Yongsheng , Chen Guang
Published: March 2016

An Ni2Al3 coating was prepared via the electrodeposition of nickel followed by pack aluminization. Polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed to study the room temperature corrosion behavior of the coating in a 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution. The long-term impedance of the coating was also investigated after immersion for 30 days. Results show that the Ni2Al3 coating possessed lower corrosion current density (Icorr) and higher polarization resistance (Rp) than the substrate in the solution. The Bode plots of the coating showed two time constants after the long-term immersion. Pitting corrosion was found on the coating surface.
Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)-Based High-Cycle Torsional Fatigue Testing Micromachine for 1D Nanomaterials
Authors: Jiang Chenchen , Hu Dayong , Lu Yang
Published: March 2016

Fatigue behavior of nanomaterials could ultimately limit their applications in variable nano-devices and flexible nanoelectronics. However, very few existing nanoscale mechanical testing instruments were designed for dedicated fatigue experiments, especially for the challenging torsional cyclic loading. In this work, a novel high-cycle torsion straining micromachine, based on the digital micromirror device (DMD), has been developed for the torsional fatigue study on various one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures, such as metallic and semiconductor nanowires. Due to the small footprint of the DMD chip itself and its cable-remote controlling mechanisms, it can be further used for the desired in situ testing under high-resolution optical or electron microscopes (e.g., scanning electron microscope (SEM)), which allows real-time monitoring of the fatigue testing status and construction of useful structure-property relationships for the nanomaterials. We have then demonstrated its applications for testing nanowire samples with diameters about 100 nm and 500 nm, up to 1000 nm, and some of them experienced over hundreds of thousands of loading cycles before fatigue failure. Due to the commercial availability of the DMD and millions of micromirrors available on a single chip, this platform could offer a low-cost and high-throughput nanomechanical solution for the uncovered torsional fatigue behavior of various 1D nanostructures.
Chitosan Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Delivery of ΦKAZ14 Bacteriophage for Oral Biological Control of Colibacillosis in Chickens
Authors: Kaikabo Adamu Ahmad , Sabo Mohammed AbdulKarim , Abas Farida
Published: March 2016

The use of chitosan as a delivery carrier has attracted much attention in recent years. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NP) and chitosan-ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage-loaded nanoparticles (C-ΦKAZ14 NP) were prepared by a simple coercavation method and characterized. The objective was to achieve an effective protection of bacteriophage from gastric acids and enzymes in the chicken gastrointestinal tract. The average particle sizes for CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were 188 ± 7.4 and 176 ± 3.2 nm, respectively. The zeta potentials for CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were 50 and 60 mV, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of C-ΦKAZ14 NP gave an onset temperature of −17.17 °C with a peak at 17.32 °C and final end set of 17.41 °C, while blank chitosan NP had an onset of −20.00 °C with a peak at −19.78 °C and final end set at −20.47. FT-IR spectroscopy data of both CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were the same. Chitosan nanoparticles showed considerable protection of ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage against degradation by enzymes as evidenced in gel electrophoresis, whereby ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles were protected whereas the naked ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage were degraded. C-ΦKAZ14 NP was non-toxic as shown by a chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) toxicity assay. It was concluded that chitosan nanoparticles could be a potent carrier of ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage for oral therapy against colibacillosis in poultry.
Large Scale Screening of Ethnomedicinal Plants for Identification of Potential Antibacterial Compounds
Authors: Panda Sujogya , Mohanta Yugal , Padhi Laxmipriya , Park Young-Hwan , Mohanta Tapan , Bae Hanhong
Published: March 2016

The global burden of bacterial infections is very high and has been exacerbated by increasing resistance to multiple antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance leads to failed treatment of infections, which can ultimately lead to death. To overcome antibiotic resistance, it is necessary to identify new antibacterial agents. In this study, a total of 662 plant extracts (diverse parts) from 222 plant species (82 families, 177 genera) were screened for antibacterial activity using the agar cup plate method. The aqueous and methanolic extracts were prepared from diverse plant parts and screened against eight bacterial (two Gram-positive and six Gram-negative) species, most of which are involved in common infections with multiple antibiotic resistance. The methanolic extracts of several plants were shown to have zones of inhibition ≥ 12 mm against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration was calculated only with methanolic extracts of selected plants, those showed zone of inhibition ≥ 12 mm against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Several extracts had minimum inhibitory concentration ≤ 1 mg/mL. Specifically Adhatoda vasica, Ageratum conyzoides, Alangium salvifolium, Alpinia galanga, Andrographis paniculata, Anogeissus latifolia, Annona squamosa, A. reticulate, Azadirachta indica, Buchanania lanzan, Cassia fistula, Celastrus paniculatus, Centella asiatica, Clausena excavate, Cleome viscosa, Cleistanthus collinus, Clerodendrum indicum, Croton roxburghii, Diospyros melanoxylon, Eleutherine bulbosa, Erycibe paniculata, Eryngium foetidum, Garcinia cowa, Helicteres isora, Hemidesmus indicus, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Lannea coromandelica, Millettia extensa, Mimusops elengi, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Oroxylum indicum, Paederia foetida, Pterospermum acerifolium, Punica granatum, Semecarpus anacardium, Spondias pinnata, Terminalia alata and Vitex negundo were shown to have significant antimicrobial activity. The species listed here were shown to have anti-infective activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These results may serve as a guide for selecting plant species that could yield the highest probability of finding promising compounds responsible for the antibacterial activities against a broad spectrum of bacterial species. Further investigation of the phytochemicals from these plants will help to identify the lead compounds for drug discovery.
Synthesis, Characterization and in Vitro Evaluation of Manganese Ferrite (MnFe2O4) Nanoparticles for Their Biocompatibility with Murine Breast Cancer Cells (4T1)
Authors: Kanagesan Samikannu , Aziz Sidek , Hashim Mansor , Ismail Ismayadi , Tamilselvan Subramani , Alitheen Noorjahan , Swamy Mallappa , Purna Chandra Rao Bandaru
Published: March 2016

Manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a sol-gel self-combustion technique using iron nitrate and manganese nitrate, followed by calcination at 150 °C for 24 h. Calcined sample was systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM) in order to identify the crystalline phase, functional group, morphology, particle size, shape and magnetic behavior. It was observed that the resultant spinal ferrites obtained at low temperature exhibit single phase, nanoparticle size and good magnetic behavior. The study results have revealed the existence of a potent dose dependent cytotoxic effect of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles against 4T1 cell lines at varying concentrations with IC50 values of 210, 198 and 171 μg/mL after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h of incubation, respectively. Cells exposed to higher concentrations of nanoparticles showed a progressive increase of apoptotic and necrotic activity. Below 125 μg/mL concentration the nanoparticles were biocompatible with 4T1 cells.
Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Highly Efficient Polymer Ligands
Authors: Pestov Alexander , Bratskaya Svetlana
Published: March 2016

The polyfunctional nature of chitosan enables its application as a polymer ligand not only for the recovery, separation, and concentration of metal ions, but for the fabrication of a wide spectrum of functional materials. Although unmodified chitosan itself is the unique cationic polysaccharide with very good complexing properties toward numerous metal ions, its sorption capacity and selectivity can be sufficiently increased and turned via chemical modification to meet requirements of the specific applications. In this review, which covers results of the last decade, we demonstrate how different strategies of chitosan chemical modification effect metal ions binding by O-, N-, S-, and P-containing chitosan derivatives, and which mechanisms are involved in binding of metal cation and anions by chitosan derivatives.
Use of a Ceramic Membrane to Improve the Performance of Two-Separate-Phase Biocatalytic Membrane Reactor
Authors: Ranieri Giuseppe , Mazzei Rosalinda , Wu Zhentao , Li Kang , Giorno Lidietta
Published: March 2016

Biocatalytic membrane reactors (BMR) combining reaction and separation within the same unit have many advantages over conventional reactor designs. Ceramic membranes are an attractive alternative to polymeric membranes in membrane biotechnology due to their high chemical, thermal and mechanical resistance. Another important use is their potential application in a biphasic membrane system, where support solvent resistance is highly needed. In this work, the preparation of asymmetric ceramic hollow fibre membranes and their use in a two-separate-phase biocatalytic membrane reactor will be described. The asymmetric ceramic hollow fibre membranes were prepared using a combined phase inversion and sintering technique. The prepared fibres were then used as support for lipase covalent immobilization in order to develop a two-separate-phase biocatalytic membrane reactor. A functionalization method was proposed in order to increase the density of the reactive hydroxyl groups on the surface of ceramic membranes, which were then amino-activated and treated with a crosslinker. The performance and the stability of the immobilized lipase were investigated as a function of the amount of the immobilized biocatalytst. Results showed that it is possible to immobilize lipase on a ceramic membrane without altering its catalytic performance (initial residual specific activity 93%), which remains constant after 6 reaction cycles.
Erratum: Li, Y., et al. Mechanism of NO Photocatalytic Oxidation on g-C3N4 Was Changed by Pd-QDs Modification. Molecules, 2016, 21, 36
Authors:   Molecules Editorial Office
Published: March 2016

The Molecules Editorial Office wishes to make the following erratum to this paper [1].[...]
The Backfolded Odijk Regime for Wormlike Chains Confined in Rectangular Nanochannels
Authors: Muralidhar Abhiram , Quevillon Michael , Dorfman Kevin
Published: March 2016

We confirm Odijk’s scaling laws for (i) the average chain extension; (ii) the variance about the average extension; and (iii) the confinement free energy of a wormlike chain confined in a rectangular nanochannel smaller than its chain persistence length through pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM) simulations of asymptotically long, discrete wormlike chains. In the course of this analysis, we also computed the global persistence length of ideal wormlike chains for the modestly rectangular channels that are used in many experimental systems. The results are relevant to genomic mapping systems that confine DNA in channel sizes around 50 nm, since fabrication constraints generally lead to rectangular cross-sections.
Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of China’s Terrestrial Biodiversity: A Dynamic Habitat Index Diagnostic
Authors: Zhang Chunyan , Cai Danlu , Guo Shan , Guan Yanning , Fraedrich Klaus , Nie Yueping , Liu Xuying , Bian Xiaolin
Published: March 2016

Biodiversity in China is analyzed based on the components of the Dynamic Habitat Index (DHI). First, observed field survey based spatial patterns of species richness including threatened species are presented to test their linear relationship with remote sensing based DHI (2001–2010 MODIS). Areas with a high cumulative DHI component are associated with relatively high species richness, and threatened species richness increases in regions with frequently varying levels of the cumulative DHI component. The analysis of geographical and statistical distributions yields the following results on interdependence, polarization and change detection: (1) The decadal mean Cumulative Annual Productivity (DHI-\(\overline{cum}\) < 4) in Northwest China and (DHI-\(\overline{cum}\) > 4) in Southeast China are in a stable (positive) relation to the Minimum Annual Apparent Cover (DHI-\(\overline{min}\)) and is positively (negatively) related to the Seasonal Variation of Greenness (DHI-\(\overline{sea}\)); (2) The decadal tendencies show bimodal frequency distributions aligned near DHI-\(\overline{min}\)~0.05 and DHI-\(\overline{sea}\)~0.5 which separated by zero slopes; that is, regions with both small DHI-min and DHI-sea are becoming smaller and vice versa; (3) The decadal tendencies identify regions of land-cover change (as revealed in previous research). That is, the relation of strong and significant tendencies of the three DHI components with climatic or anthropogenic induced changes provides useful information for conservation planning. These results suggest that the spatial-temporal dynamics of China’s terrestrial species and threatened species richness needs to be monitored by first and second moments of remote sensing based information of the DHI.
Mapping Aboveground Biomass using Texture Indices from Aerial Photos in a Temperate Forest of Northeastern China
Authors: Meng Shili , Pang Yong , Zhang Zhongjun , Jia Wen , Li Zengyuan
Published: March 2016

Optical remote sensing data have been considered to display signal saturation phenomena in regions of high aboveground biomass (AGB) and multi-storied forest canopies. However, some recent studies using texture indices derived from optical remote sensing data via the Fourier-based textural ordination (FOTO) approach have provided promising results without saturation problems for some tropical forests, which tend to underestimate AGB predictions. This study was applied to the temperate mixed forest of the Liangshui National Nature Reserve in Northeastern China and demonstrated the capability of FOTO texture indices to obtain a higher prediction quality of forest AGB. Based on high spatial resolution aerial photos (1.0 m spatial resolution) acquired in September 2009, the relationship between FOTO texture indices and field-derived biomass measurements was calibrated using a support vector regression (SVR) algorithm. Ten-fold cross-validation was used to construct a robust prediction model, which avoided the over-fitting problem. By further comparison the performance of the model estimates for greater coverage, the predicted results were compared with a reference biomass map derived from LiDAR metrics. This study showed that the FOTO indices accounted for 88.3% of the variance in ground-based AGB; the root mean square error (RMSE) was 34.35 t/ha, and RMSE normalized by the mean value of the estimates was 22.31%. This novel texture-based method has great potential for forest AGB estimation in other temperate regions.
Identification of Structurally Damaged Areas in Airborne Oblique Images Using a Visual-Bag-of-Words Approach
Authors: Vetrivel Anand , Gerke Markus , Kerle Norman , Vosselman George
Published: March 2016

Automatic post-disaster mapping of building damage using remote sensing images is an important and time-critical element of disaster management. The characteristics of remote sensing images available immediately after the disaster are not certain, since they may vary in terms of capturing platform, sensor-view, image scale, and scene complexity. Therefore, a generalized method for damage detection that is impervious to the mentioned image characteristics is desirable. This study aims to develop a method to perform grid-level damage classification of remote sensing images by detecting the damage corresponding to debris, rubble piles, and heavy spalling within a defined grid, regardless of the aforementioned image characteristics. The Visual-Bag-of-Words (BoW) is one of the most widely used and proven frameworks for image classification in the field of computer vision. The framework adopts a kind of feature representation strategy that has been shown to be more efficient for image classification—regardless of the scale and clutter—than conventional global feature representations. In this study supervised models using various radiometric descriptors (histogram of gradient orientations (HoG) and Gabor wavelets) and classifiers (SVM, Random Forests, and Adaboost) were developed for damage classification based on both BoW and conventional global feature representations, and tested with four datasets. Those vary according to the aforementioned image characteristics. The BoW framework outperformed conventional global feature representation approaches in all scenarios (i.e., for all combinations of feature descriptors, classifiers, and datasets), and produced an average accuracy of approximately 90%. Particularly encouraging was an accuracy improvement by 14% (from 77% to 91%) produced by BoW over global representation for the most complex dataset, which was used to test the generalization capability.
Semi-Automatic Mapping of Tidal Cracks in the Fast Ice Region near Zhongshan Station in East Antarctica Using Landsat-8 OLI Imagery
Authors: Hui Fengming , Li Xinqing , Zhao Tiancheng , Shokr Mohammed , Heil Petra , Zhao Jiechen , Liu Yan , Liang Shunlin , Cheng Xiao
Published: March 2016

Tidal cracks are linear features that appear parallel to coastlines in fast ice regions due to the actions of periodic and non-periodic sea level oscillations. They can influence energy and heat exchange between the ocean, ice, and atmosphere, as well as human activities. In this paper, the LINE module of Geomatics 2015 software was used to automatically extract tidal cracks in fast ice regions near the Chinese Zhongshan Station in East Antarctica from Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data with resolutions of 15 m (panchromatic band 8) and 30 m (multispectral bands 1–7). The detected tidal cracks were determined based on matching between the output from the LINE module and manually-interpreted tidal cracks in OLI images. The ratio of the length of detected tidal cracks to the total length of interpreted cracks was used to evaluate the automated detection method. Results show that the vertical direction gradient is a better input to the LINE module than the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance input for estimating the presence of cracks, regardless of the examined resolution. Data with a resolution of 15 m also gives better results in crack detection than data with a resolution of 30 m. The statistics also show that, in the results from the 15-m-resolution data, the ratios in Band 8 performed best with values of the above-mentioned ratio of 50.92 and 31.38 percent using the vertical gradient and the TOA reflectance methods, respectively. On the other hand, in the results from the 30-m-resolution data, the ratios in Band 5 performed best with ratios of 47.43 and 17.8 percent using the same methods, respectively. This implies that Band 8 was better for tidal crack detection than the multispectral fusion data (Bands 1–7), and Band 5 with a resolution of 30 m was best among the multispectral data. The semi-automatic mapping of tidal cracks will improve the safety of vehicles travel in fast ice regimes.
AUV Positioning Method Based on Tightly Coupled SINS/LBL for Underwater Acoustic Multipath Propagation
Authors: Zhang Tao , Shi Hongfei , Chen Liping , Li Yao , Tong Jinwu
Published: March 2016

This paper researches an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) positioning method based on SINS (Strapdown Inertial Navigation System)/LBL (Long Base Line) tightly coupled algorithm. This algorithm mainly includes SINS-assisted searching method of optimum slant-range of underwater acoustic propagation multipath, SINS/LBL tightly coupled model and multi-sensor information fusion algorithm. Fuzzy correlation peak problem of underwater LBL acoustic propagation multipath could be solved based on SINS positional information, thus improving LBL positional accuracy. Moreover, introduction of SINS-centered LBL locating information could compensate accumulative AUV position error effectively and regularly. Compared to loosely coupled algorithm, this tightly coupled algorithm can still provide accurate location information when there are fewer than four available hydrophones (or within the signal receiving range). Therefore, effective positional calibration area of tightly coupled system based on LBL array is wider and has higher reliability and fault tolerance than loosely coupled. It is more applicable to AUV positioning based on SINS/LBL.
Pressure Mapping Mat for Tele-Home Care Applications
Authors: Saenz-Cogollo Jose , Pau Massimiliano , Fraboni Beatrice , Bonfiglio Annalisa
Published: March 2016

In this paper we present the development of a mat-like pressure mapping system based on a single layer textile sensor and intended to be used in home environments for monitoring the physical condition of persons with limited mobility. The sensor is fabricated by embroidering silver-coated yarns on a light cotton fabric and creating pressure-sensitive resistive elements by stamping the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) at the crossing points of conductive stitches. A battery-operated mat prototype was developed and includes the scanning circuitry and a wireless communication module. A functional description of the system is presented together with a preliminary experimental evaluation of the mat prototype in the extraction of plantar pressure parameters.
Experimental Validation of a Compound Control Scheme for a Two-Axis Inertially Stabilized Platform with Multi-Sensors in an Unmanned Helicopter-Based Airborne Power Line Inspection System
Authors: Zhou Xiangyang , Jia Yuan , Zhao Qiang , Yu Ruixia
Published: March 2016

A compound control scheme is proposed to achieve high control performance for a two-axis inertially stabilized platform (ISP) with multi-sensors applied to an unmanned helicopter (UH)-based airborne power line inspection (APLI) system. Compared with the traditional two closed-loop control scheme that is composed of a high-bandwidth rate loop and a lower bandwidth position loop, a new current loop inside rate loop is particularly designed to suppress the influences of voltage fluctuation from power supply and motor back electromotive force (BEMF) on control precision. In this way, the stabilization accuracy of the ISP is greatly improved. The rate loop, which is the middle one, is used to improve sensor’s stability precision through compensating for various disturbances. To ensure the pointing accuracy of the line of sight (LOS) of multi-sensors, the position loop is designed to be the outer one and acts as the main feedback path, by which the accurate pointing angular position is achieved. To validate the scheme, a series of experiments were carried out. The results show that the proposed compound control scheme can achieve reliable control precision and satisfy the requirements of real APLI tasks.
Development of Mobile Mapping System for 3D Road Asset Inventory
Authors: Sairam Nivedita , Nagarajan Sudhagar , Ornitz Scott
Published: March 2016

Asset Management is an important component of an infrastructure project. A significant cost is involved in maintaining and updating the asset information. Data collection is the most time-consuming task in the development of an asset management system. In order to reduce the time and cost involved in data collection, this paper proposes a low cost Mobile Mapping System using an equipped laser scanner and cameras. First, the feasibility of low cost sensors for 3D asset inventory is discussed by deriving appropriate sensor models. Then, through calibration procedures, respective alignments of the laser scanner, cameras, Inertial Measurement Unit and GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna are determined. The efficiency of this Mobile Mapping System is experimented by mounting it on a truck and golf cart. By using derived sensor models, geo-referenced images and 3D point clouds are derived. After validating the quality of the derived data, the paper provides a framework to extract road assets both automatically and manually using techniques implementing RANSAC plane fitting and edge extraction algorithms. Then the scope of such extraction techniques along with a sample GIS (Geographic Information System) database structure for unified 3D asset inventory are discussed.