bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beetroot powder supplementation prevents oxidative stress and inflammatory cells infiltration in isoprenaline-induced myocardial damage in rats
Authors: Kabir Fariha , Nahar Kamrun , Rahman Muhammad Mizanur , Al Mamun Abdullah , Faruk Muhammad , Hossain Muhammad Hemayet , Subhan Nusrat , Alam Muhammad Ashraful
Published: April 2019

Beetroot ( Beta vulgaris) has been reported to possess many benefits and medicinal properties. However, the protective effect of beetroot against isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial damage has not been clarified sufficiently yet. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of beetroot on oxidative stress, fibrosis, and myocardial damage in ISO-induced rats. Our investigation revealed that ISO administration markedly increased the oxidative stress parameters, while the level of cellular antioxidants and catalase activities were decreased in ISO-administered rats. Beetroot supplementation and gallic acid treatment to ISO-administered rats prevented the rises of lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde, nitric oxide and advanced protein oxidation product concentration. Moreover, elevated activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine kinase-muscle brain enzymes activities in ISO-administered rats were also lowered by both gallic acid and beetroot supplementation. Furthermore, gallic acid and beetroot supplementation prevented the inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis in ISO-induced rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that beetroot supplementation is capable of protecting ISO-administered myocardial infarction in rats probably by preventing oxidative stress.
Application of two-dimensional fractional-order convolution and bounding box pixel analysis for rapid screening of pleural effusion
Authors: Lin Chia-Hung , Kan Chung-Dann , Chen Wei-Ling , Huang Ping-Tzan
Published: April 2019

Pleural effusion is a pathologic symptom in which there is accumulation of body fluids around the lungs. A chest radiograph is a rapid examination technique and does not require complex setup for making a preliminary diagnosis of lung and heart diseases. In radiographic visualization, the symptom patterns appear as light or dark areas in the lung cavity. Computer-aided diagnosis is an automatic manner that can rapidly highlight the object region by preanalyzing medical images. It can improve the problems of manual inspection and allow diagnosis in remote medical facilities. Based on the ratios of lung anatomy, the automatic screening manner based on pattern recognition can be viewed as pixel value detection in the bilateral lung cavities. In this study, a fractional-order convolution (FOC) process is used to enhance the original image for an accurate extrapolation of the desired object in an image. The specific object image feature can be improved, and an accurate quantification of the pleural effusion region can be obtained using the suitable ranges of fractional-order parameters. Based on the boundaries of homogeneous regions, the pixel ratios of the lung anatomy between normal and abnormal conditions can be computed. The pleural effusion sizes and volumes can be rapidly estimated through the number of pixel changes. The experimental results reveal that the feature maps are similar and stable on image enhancement and segmentation with two fractional-order enhancement masks, as fractional-order v = 0.05 to 0.20 for mask 1# and v = 0.80 to 0.95 for mask 2#, respectively. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the study on combining two-dimensional image FOC-process and bounding box pixel analysis to estimate the moderate and large effusion sizes from 500–2,000 mL.
The resurgence of public space: from the Charter of Athens to the New Urban Agenda
Authors: Mehaffy Michael , Low Setha
Published: April 2019

This paper serves as an introduction to the December 2018 edition of The Journal of Public Space, and a reflection on the new importance of public space in international research, policy and practice. Nowhere is that more evident than in the New Urban Agenda, the ambitious new international agreement for the normative goals of urban development in the next two decades and beyond. In that document, public space is treated in no fewer than nine paragraphs – and that new emphasis constitutes a historic reversal of highly influential normative models of prior urban practice. Herein we examine the seminal 1933 Charter of Athens, and we draw out major differences between the two documents, with particular attention to urban form and public space. We conclude with an assessment of the challenges ahead for implementation, particularly as we face significant “lock in” of the older model.
Ontologías poéticas diferenciadas en la literatura amerindia : “Braconaje” y decolonialidad.
Authors: Beauclair Nicolas
Published: April 2019

Este artículo aborda la poesía amerindia contemporánea a partir de las teorías decoloniales latinoamericanas y examina poemas de dos poetas indígenas: Ariruma Kowii (Ecuador) y Humbert Ak’abal (Guatemala). Primero, se explora el fenómeno literario indígena con los conceptos de heterogeneidad (Antonio Cornejo Polar), colonialidad (Anibal Quijano y Walter Mignolo) y “braconaje” (Simon Harel). Luego, se problematiza la poesía de los dos autores a partir del uso de las lenguas amerindias junto con el castellano y del estatuto del texto que puede interpretarse en su pluralidad semiótica a partir del concepto de semiosis (Walter Mignolo). Finalmente, se muestra cómo los dos autores demuestran una ontología poética propia enraizada en la tradición oral y la cosmovisión de su pueblo. Ese recorrido a través de la poesía de los dos autores demuestra que la poesía indígena contemporánea se inscribe en la decolonialidad del saber.
Breve presentación de la filosofía del lenguaje de Wittgenstein
Authors: Moreno May Kenneth
Published: April 2019

Resumen: En este trabajo pretendemos hacer una presentación de las reflexiones críticas de Wittgenstein en torno a la visión tradicional del lenguaje como una estructura cognitiva compuesta por reglas y por elementos asociados a cosas en la realidad. Nuestros dos motores expositivos serán el análisis que hace Wittgenstein de las expresiones que denotan sensaciones privadas, y su reflexión sobre el significado de la expresión “seguir una regla”. Al final esperamos ofrecer una visión panorámica de la visión del lenguaje que Wittgenstein nos propone y su relación con nuestras formas de vida.
Cartagena de Indias en la vitrina: configuración de imaginarios turísticos
Authors: Orozco Camacho Nidia
Published: April 2019

Resumen La presente investigación presenta los resultados de una investigación realizada en Cartagena de Indias sobre los imaginarios turísticos que construyen los comerciantes y las instituciones desde el proceso híbrido que se presenta en la exhibición de objetos que promueven a la ciudad, las estrategias discursivas utilizadas por los comerciantes para promocionarlos, y a partir de aquí, la forma como exteriorizan la ciudad que imaginan.
Bienvenido, papá
Authors: Fernández Imitola Carlos
Published: April 2019

Voces creativas
Del texto al discurso: una propuesta de análisis para abordar el componente textual en canciones con estructura narrativa
Authors: Ruíz Toro Danis Eduardo
Published: April 2019

En el trabajo que presentamos a continuación exponemos una propuesta metodológica para analizar el componente textual de canciones con estructura narrativa. La pretensión de esta forma de análisis es tomar como base la estructura temática, la estructura informativa y la estructura genérica de las letras de las canciones con el fin analizar 1) las herramientas de cohesión y de coherencia (elipsis, referencias anafóricas y exofóricas, deixis, relaciones léxicas, relaciones de causa-efecto, causa-consecuencia, etc.), y 2) las implicaciones discursivas presentes en la complejidad semiótica de distintos aires musicales que se expresan en el componente textual de las canciones. Este mé- todo de análisis se apoya en la Lingüística Sistémico-Funcional (LSF), propuesta por Halliday (2004), y se complementa con los aportesde autores como Barthes (1977) y Paz Gago (1989). Los ejemplos que se muestran giran alrededor de las primeras cláusulas de la canción “Camino a la delincuencia”, interpretada por el cantante cartagenero Papomán.
Condicionar, focalizar e Invertir en capital humano: El programa "Familias en Acción" o la receta internacional de lucha contra la pobreza para Colombia
Authors: Ayola-Betancourt Valeria
Published: April 2019

El presente artículo pone en contexto la construcción del paradigma de la lucha contra la pobreza en la agenda internacional, como marco para la implementación de programas de transferencias condicionadas (PTC) en países en desarrollo. Se plantea una reconstrucción teórica de los fundamentos conceptuales reunidos en la fórmula de condicionar, focalizar e invertir en capital humano, como elementos técnicos que permiten el posicionamiento de estos programas en la política de asistencia social de los países de América Latina. Finalmente, a partir del caso colombiano, y los resultados del PTC "Familias en Acción" establecen el consenso científico y político a su favor. En éste sentido, se propone una reflexión teórica y crítica, en el cruce de la sociología de la desigualdad y la economía del desarrollo.
The Influence of BIM Education Improvement on Raising BIM Awareness in Croatia and Slovakia
Authors: Kolarić Sonja , Mandičák Tomáš , Vukomanović Mladen , Mesároš Peter
Published: April 2019

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an intelligent 3D model-based process that enhances productivity and management performance of construction projects. Recognizing many benefits of BIM, governments of the most developed members of the European Union encourage BIM usage which results in a higher BIM awareness and BIM adoption. These facts suggest that BIM is becoming the norm within construction industry. On the contrary, Croatia and Slovakia have been very low in BIM application and have done little to support BIM initiatives. Previous studies suggested several strategies to increase the BIM application, where providing BIM education at university level is one of them, so universities need to update their curricula accordingly. In this study we compared implemented Construction Management (CM) BIM education on master’s study at the Faculty of Civil Engineering Košice and Zagreb. The results show that BIM education at the both faculties should be connected with other departments on the same faculty, other disciplines but also with real companies and projects. Such extension will provide civil engineers with wider BIM knowledge related to interoperability, integration, communication, collaboration, standardization and clash detection. Thus, BIM education improvement will have good impact on rising BIM awareness and will be good incentive for further BIM implementation in Croatia and Slovakia. This study is an extension of paper presented on Creative Construction Conference 2018 in Ljubljana. In this paper we showed deeper statistical analysis of CM educational programs in Croatia and Slovakia as well as relationship between BIM awareness and BIM education in both countries.
Outcome of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery with Coronary Endarterectomy
Authors: Ranjan R , Adhikary AB
Published: April 2019

Background: Coronary Endarterectomy (CE) is the expulsion of the atheromatous plaque, and isolating the outer media and adventitia layers of arterial wall. Objective of this study was to review the consequences of coronary endarterectomy (CE) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and demonstrate the outcomes of this surgical technique for patients with diffuse coronary artery disease in a single surgeon’s practice.

Methods: Retrospectively outcome of 1473 endarterectomised coronary artery in 1189 patients with diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) was reviewed, who have had experienced CE with OPCABG in the year of 2007 to 2016. CE was performed in multi-segmental diffuse CAD, or when a calcified or extremely thick plaque making anastomosis troublesome.

Results: Approximately 75.0% coronary endarterectomy were performed in the left coronary territory and most commonly left anterior descending artery was endarterectomized (42.83%). An average of 1.2 coronary endarterectomies performed per patient. Post-operative ICU and 30-days mortality rate was 2.2%, and 0.6% respectively in CE group. Post-operative atrial fibrillation, acute MI, neurological complication, and blood transfusion were significantly higher in CE group. Following CE, Kaplan–Meier cumulative survival rate was 89.5%, and about 85% patients were free from angina at follow-up of 5 years.

Conclusion: Coronary endarterectomy with OPCABG is attainable, and accomplishes surgical revascularization in patients; when there is no other alternative for total myocardial revascularization.

Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2018; 44: 124-131
Nurses’ roles in patient care in tertiary level hospitals in Bangladesh
Authors: Rozario MD , Adhikary H , Gazi HR , Begum D
Published: April 2019

Background: Nurses are hands-on caregivers that make major healthcare contributions. The study was aimed to assess nurses’ roles in providing care to the patients admitted in tertiary level hospitals in Bangladesh.

Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among the registered nurses, during the period of June 2015 - October 2016 in five tertiary level hospitals located Dhaka, from government and private sectors. Using convenience sampling technique, 225 registered nurses were selected. Data were collected using a pretested structured self-administered questionnaire.

Results: More than 64.0% of the respondents were in the age group of 31- 50 years and only 5.7% belonged to oldest age (51-60 years) group. Ninety one percent respondents were female, 64.0% were Muslim and 81.0% were married. Sixty seven percent were diploma nurses and 89.0% worked as senior staff nurse and 52.0% had working experience between 11-30 years. All the respondents played the role of care provider and administering medication. More than 90.0% of them have played the role of decision maker, communicator and care coordinator. As educator, manager and supervisor 80.0%, 71.0% and 67.0% of the respondents respectively carried out their responsibility. Only 44.0% of the respondents played the role of administrator, and 30.0% played the role as a patient advocator. Ninety nine percent provided bed side care. Documentation, admission, transfer and discharge related activities and patient teaching activities performed by the nurses were found to be respectively 98.0%, 92.0% and 90.0%. Eighty eight percent made round after taking over charge from previous nurse, 81.0% did planning for nursing care and 78.0% communicate and coordinate with others. Only 15.0% respondents were involved in research and 53.0% with policy making. About half of the respondents had no idea regarding evidence based health service practice (EBHSP).

Conclusion: Nurses in tertiary level hospitals carry out their assigned roles and responsibilities quite satisfactorily. However, due to lack of facilities and knowledge they rarely take part in research. Almost half of the respondents did not have idea about evidence based practices. Appropriate policy and strategy needs to be undertaken by the competent authority to involve nurses in research field and policy making issues. Nurses should be trained on evidence based nursing practice.

Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2018; 44: 138-144
TEKNIK RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN BOOTSTRAP 4 SERTA PENERAPANNYA DALAM RANCANG BANGUN LAYOUT WEB
Authors: Santoso Miftah Faroq
Published: April 2019

Technology development makes influences the way to access the internet, which generally uses Desktop and Notebook computers, giving to other alternatives, namely accessing the internet using Tablets and Smartphones. The problem is that the majority of web layout designs cannot adjust the layout size automatically for these devices, because the resolution size of each device is different. To overcome the existing problems, we need a responsive web design method and technique in order to produce web layouts that can adjust the size of screen resolution automatically. The method used by applying the concept of Responsive Web Design (RWD), so that web layouts can adapt to screen size. Responsive web design techniques can be done in several ways, including using manual techniques using CSS Media Query and implementing CSS Frameworks such as Bootstrap CSS. The test results showed that the implementation of responsive web layouts using Bootstrap was very effective and efficient because web designers only needed the main library from Bootstrap, which was then combined by modifying according to the wishes of the user.
SERVER-SIDE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR OPTIMIZING THE SPEED OF PRESENTING BIG DATA
Authors: Sulastri Heni , Rahmatulloh Alam , Hidayat Deri Kurnia
Published: April 2019

Big data is the latest industry keyword to describe large volumes of structured and unstructured data that are difficult to process and analyze. Most organizations are looking for the best approach to managing and analyzing large volumes of data, especially in decision making. Large data causes the process of presenting information to be slow because all the large amounts of data must be displayed so that specific techniques are needed so that the presentation of information remains fast even though the data is already large. The website generally processes requests to the server, and then if the required data is available, the server will send all the data. This causes all processes to be based on the client-side. So that the client load becomes heavy in displaying all the data. In this study, server-side processing techniques will be applied so that all processes will be handled by the server and the data sent is not all direct but based on periodic requests from the client. The results of this study indicate the use of server-side processing techniques is more optimal. Based on the results of testing the data presentation speed comparison with server-side processing techniques 98.6% is better than client-side processing.
La evolución de la literatura de demercadear
Authors: Quiñones Cintrón Víctor , Von Hack Jonathan , Pérez Rivera Myra Mabel , Medina Velázquez Angely Yomara , Pellot José Davis
Published: April 2019

El término demercadear se refiere a una estrategia destinada a regular el nivel y la forma de la demanda actual y futura de las organizaciones (con y sin fines de lucro así como de gobierno). Dicho de otra manera, el demercadear es la respuesta estratégica u hoja de ruta diseñada por las organizaciones, para gestionar la demanda excesiva de bienes, servicios, experiencias y otros productos, por sus mercados actuales o futuros. Este trabajo investiga la evolución de la literatura sobre el demercadear entre 1971 y 2014, su desarrollo teórico y conceptual, y los contextos prácticos en los que se ha aplicado para regular la demanda. Su objetivo es plantear preguntas y comentarios sobre el enfoque sostenido por quienes han estudiado y aplicado el demercadear como una forma de gestionar la demanda.
Un estudio de caso sobre la implementación de la manufactura esbelta
Authors: Motwani Jaideep G. , Otero Luis A.
Published: April 2019

Este trabajo presenta un caso de estudio de una aplicación de la manufactura esbelta (LM, por sus siglas en inglés) en una organización. Los autores explican los elementos más importantes de LM, las estrategias utilizadas por la empresa para la implementación de LM y los beneficios importantes que fueron devengados en las operaciones de fabricación y en los valores de inventario total. Los datos para este estudio se obtuvieron mediante un cuestionario, entrevistas y documentos internos
Análisis crítico de la literatura sobre métodos de costeo basado en actividades y tradicionales y su impacto en la toma de decisiones gerenciales
Authors: Rosario Rodríguez Michelle
Published: April 2019

Sinopsis de las siguientes tesis: El impacto del SAS 82-Consideraciones de fraude en la auditoría de estados financieros- en la práctica de la contabilidad pública de firmas locales y practicantes independientes en Puerto Rico, Análisis financiero, operacional y de valorización de activos de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica, Proceso de gestión estratégica y diseño de un caso para una compañia puertorriqueña, Análisis crítico de la literatura sobre métodos de costeo basado en actividades y tradicionales y su impacto en la toma de decisiones gerenciales, La percepción de los estudiantes de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, sobre los servicios ofrecidos por la Unidad de Servicios Médicos de dicha Institución Universitaria, Evaluación del desempeño de una muestra de fondos mutuos internacionales para el periodo de 1986-1996.
Estudio exploratorio sobre los valores culturales relacionados con el trabajo de un grupo de estudiantes puertorriqueños de la Escuela Graduanda de Administración de Empresas usando el modelo desarrollado por el Dr. Geert Hofstede
Authors: Matos Díaz Carlos A.
Published: April 2019

Sinopsis de las siguientes tesis: Comunicación integrada en mercadeo: Definición y valor percibido en las empresas de los miembros de la Asociación de Ejecutivos de Ventas y Mercadeo en Puerto Rico, La afinidad de los métodos estadísticos Chow-Lin, Fernández y Litterman para la distribución de series de tiempo: El caso del Producto Nacional Bruto real de Puerto Rico, Estudio crítico sobre las fuentes de información en la Internet dirigidas a los empresarios interesados en el proceso de exportación e importación en Latinoamérica y el Caribe, Estudio exploratorio sobre los valores culturales relacionados con el trabajo de un grupo de estudiantes puertorriqueños de la Escuela Graduanda de Administración de Empresas usando el modelo desarrollado por el Dr. Geert Hofstede.
El trabajo a distancia y los beneficios económicos para las empresas
Authors: Rosa Ramos Lymaris E.
Published: April 2019

Sinopsis de las siguientes tesis: Detectar irregularidades de contabilidad: Un estudio de transacciones específicas indicativas de prácticas inapropiadas, El puerto de las Américas: La puerta al futuro de Puerto Rico,El efecto a corto plazo en el precio de una acción de capital de una compañía tenedora de bancos en Puerto Rico cuando la compañía anuncia una recompra de acciones, El trabajo a distancia y los beneficios económicos para las empresas, Los costos de transacción en el mercado secundario de capital de Puerto Rico.
A Cross-Layer Optimization QoS Scheme in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks
Authors: Fan Shu
Published: April 2019

There are two main challenges in wireless multimedia sensors networks: energy constraints and providing DiffServ. In this paper, a joint flow control, routing, scheduling, and power control scheme based on a Lyapunov optimization framework is proposed to increase network lifetime and scheduling fairness. For an adaptive distribution of transmission opportunities, a differentiated queueing services (DQS) scheme is adopted for maintaining data queues. In the Lyapunov function, different types of queues are normalized for a unified dimension. To prolong network lifetime, control coefficients are designed according to the characteristics of the wireless sensor networks. The power control problem is proved to be a convex optimization problem and two optimal algorithms are discussed. Simulation results show that, compared with existing schemes, the proposed scheme can achieve a better trade-off between QoS performances and network lifetime. The simulation results also show that the scheme utilizing the distributed media access control scheme in scheduling performs best in the transmission of real-time services.
Task Assignment of the Improved Contract Net Protocol under a Multi-Agent System
Authors: Zhang Jiarui , Wang Gang , Song Yafei
Published: April 2019

Background: The existing contract net protocol has low overall efficiency during the bidding and release period, and a large amount of redundant information is generated during the negotiation process. Methods: On the basis of an ant colony algorithm, the dynamic response threshold model and the flow of pheromone model were established, then the complete task allocation process was designed. Three experimental settings were simulated under different conditions. Results: When the number of agents was 20 and the maximum load value was L max = 3 , the traffic and run-time of task allocation under the improved contract net protocol decreased. When the number of tasks and L max was fixed, the improved contract net protocol had advantages over the dynamic contract net and classical contract net protocols in terms of both traffic and run-time. Setting up the number of agents, tasks and L max to improve the task allocation under the contract net not only minimizes the number of errors, but also the task completion rate reaches 100%. Conclusions: The improved contract net protocol can reduce the traffic and run-time compared with classical contract net and dynamic contract net protocols. Furthermore, the algorithm can achieve better assignment results and can re-forward all erroneous tasks.
Helicopter Rotor Thickness Noise Control Using Unsteady Force Excitation
Authors: Shi Yongjie , Li Teng , He Xiang , Dong Linghua , Xu Guohua
Published: April 2019

The low-frequency in-plane thickness noise generating from the displacement of air by rotating blades has an important influence on helicopter detection. An on-blade control technique to reduce thickness noise is developed in this paper based on the principle of sound field cancellation. Following the theoretical study on the mechanism of thickness noise reduction using in-plane unsteady force, a 2-m diameter rotor with an active trailing-edge winglet are designed and tested in a fully anechoic chamber. The winglet installed on the outboard blade is used to generate the unsteady force and anti-noise to counteract the thickness noise. The results demonstrate that effective reduction of thickness noise up to 3 dB is achieved in the front of the rotor when the winglet is under the one-harmonic control with 3 ° of deflection angle. Moreover, the experiments of frequency, amplitude, and phase scanning are carried out to study the parametric effects of winglet motions on noise reduction. The ability of noise reduction is proportional to the deflection amplitude of the winglet in each frequency. The control phase determines where noise can be reduced. There is an optimal phase angle at each frequency to minimize the noise at the observations, and it varies with different frequencies. The relationship among observation position, control phase, and frequency is derived, and the approximate expression of the optimal phase is presented.
A Hybrid Crow Search Algorithm for Solving Permutation Flow Shop Scheduling Problems
Authors: Huang Ko-Wei , Girsang Abba Suganda , Wu Ze-Xue , Chuang Yu-Wei
Published: April 2019

The permutation flow shop scheduling problem (PFSP) is a renowned problem in the scheduling research community. It is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem that has useful real-world applications. In this problem, finding a useful algorithm to handle the massive amounts of jobs required to retrieve an actionable permutation order in a reasonable amount of time is important. The recently developed crow search algorithm (CSA) is a novel swarm-based metaheuristic algorithm originally proposed to solve mathematical optimization problems. In this paper, a hybrid CSA (HCSA) is proposed to minimize the makespans of PFSPs. First, to make the CSA suitable for solving the PFSP, the smallest position value rule is applied to convert continuous numbers into job sequences. Then, the HCSA uses a Nawaz–Enscore–Ham (NEH) technique to create a population with the required levels of quality and diversity. We apply a local search to enhance the quality of the solutions and avoid premature convergence; simulated annealing enhances the local search of a method based on a variable neighborhood search. Computational tests are used to evaluate the algorithm using PFSP benchmarks with job sizes between 20 and 500. The tests indicate that the performance of the proposed HCSA is significantly superior to that of other algorithms.
Efficient Two-Step Fifth-Order and Its Higher-Order Algorithms for Solving Nonlinear Systems with Applications
Authors: Sivakumar Parimala , Jayaraman Jayakumar
Published: April 2019

This manuscript presents a new two-step weighted Newton’s algorithm with convergence order five for approximating solutions of system of nonlinear equations. This algorithm needs evaluation of two vector functions and two Frechet derivatives per iteration. Furthermore, it is improved into a general multi-step algorithm with one more vector function evaluation per step, with convergence order 3 k + 5 , k ≥ 1 . Error analysis providing order of convergence of the algorithms and their computational efficiency are discussed based on the computational cost. Numerical implementation through some test problems are included, and comparison with well-known equivalent algorithms are presented. To verify the applicability of the proposed algorithms, we have implemented them on 1-D and 2-D Bratu problems. The presented algorithms perform better than many existing algorithms and are equivalent to a few available algorithms.
Study on Differential Protein Expression in Natural Selenium-Enriched and Non-Selenium-Enriched Rice Based on iTRAQ Quantitative Proteomics
Authors: Zeng Rui , Farooq Muhammad Umer , Wang Li , Su Yang , Zheng Tengda , Ye Xiaoying , Jia Xiaomei , Zhu Jianqing
Published: April 2019

This work was designated to scrutinize the protein differential expression in natural selenium-enriched and non-selenium-enriched rice using the Isobaric-tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomics approach. The extracted proteins were subjected to enzyme digestion, desalting, and identified by iTRAQ coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technology. High pH C18 separation analysis was performed, and the data were then analyzed by Protein PilotTM (V4.5) search engine. Protein differential expression was searched out by comparing relatively quantified proteins. The analysis was conducted using gene ontology (GO), cluster of orthologous groups of proteins (COG) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways. A total of 3235 proteins were detected and 3161 proteins were quantified, of which 401 were differential proteins. 208 down-regulated and 193 up-regulated proteins were unveiled. 77 targeted significant differentially expressed proteins were screened out for further analysis, and were classified into 10 categories: oxidoreductases, transferases, isomerases, heat shock proteins, lyases, hydrolases, ligases, synthetases, tubulin, and actin. The results indicated that the anti-stress, anti-oxidation, active oxygen metabolism, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism of natural selenium-enriched rice was higher than that of non-selenium rice. The activation of the starch synthesis pathway was found to be bounteous in non-selenium-enriched rice. Cysteine synthase (CYS) and methyltransferase (metE) might be the two key proteins that cause amino acid differences. OsAPx02, CatC, riPHGPX, HSP70 and HSP90 might be the key enzymes regulating antioxidant and anti-stress effect differences in two types of rice. This study provides basic information about deviations in protein mechanism and secondary metabolites in selenium-enriched and non-selenium-enriched rice.
Stem Cell-Based Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis: Current Perspectives
Authors: Cuascut Fernando X. , Hutton George J.
Published: April 2019

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Disease-modifying therapies (DMT) targeting inflammation have been shown to reduce disease activity in patients with relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS). The current therapeutic challenge is to find an effective treatment to halt disease progression and reverse established neural damage. Stem cell-based therapies have emerged to address this dilemma. Several types of stem cells have been considered for clinical use, such as autologous hematopoietic (aHSC), mesenchymal (MSC), neuronal (NSC), human embryonic (hESC), and induced pluripotent (iPSC) stem cells. There is convincing evidence that immunoablation followed by hematopoietic therapy (aHSCT) has a high efficacy for suppressing inflammatory MS activity and improving neurological disability in patients with RRMS. In addition, MSC therapy may be a safe and tolerable treatment, but its clinical value is still under evaluation. Various studies have shown early promising results with other cellular therapies for CNS repair and decreasing inflammation. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge and limitations of different stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of patients with MS.
Concomitant Inhibition of Cytoprotective Autophagy Augments the Efficacy of Withaferin A in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Siddharth Sumit , Muniraj Nethaji , Saxena Neeraj K. , Sharma Dipali
Published: April 2019

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality, and despite recent advances in early diagnosis and therapeutics, HCC related morbidity and mortality rate continue to rise. Clearly, it is imperative to develop novel effective therapies for HCC to improve long-term survival of HCC patients. We found that Withaferin A (WFA), a bioactive compound derived from Withania somnifera, is an effective agent for HCC inhibition. Interestingly, we observed that in addition to inducing apoptotic cell death, WFA also induces autophagy in HCC cells. Utilizing mRFP-EGFP-LC3B, LC3B-GFP/Lysotracker and LC3B-GFP/Rab7-RFP, we show that WFA induces autophagosomes-lysosomes fusion. WFA-induced autolysosomes exhibit intact protein degradation activity as evident with cathepsin-D activation and DQ-BSA assays. Importantly, we present that inhibiting WFA-induced autophagy either by blocking autophagosome-formation or by elevating lysosomal pH (Chloroquine and Bafilomycin) enhances WFA-induced growth-inhibition and apoptosis, indicating the presence of cytoprotective autophagy. Indeed, WFA and CQ combination shows synergism and higher efficacy in comparison to either monotherapy. Collectively, we reveal that the efficacy of WFA is somewhat diminished by the concomitant induction of cytoprotective autophagy which can be successfully conquered by cotreatment with CQ, and we pave the way for development of a novel combination therapeutic strategy for HCC.
Assessment of a High Sensitivity Method for Identification of IDH1 R132x Mutations in Tumors and Plasma of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patients
Authors: Peraldo-Neia Caterina , Scatolini Maria , Grosso Enrico , Lombardi Pasquale , Filippi Roberto , Raggi Chiara , Marchiò Caterina , Cavalloni Giuliana , Aglietta Massimo , Leone Francesco
Published: April 2019

Hotspot codon 132 mutations (R132xIDH1m) are frequent in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), are druggable by anti-IDH1m agents, and could represent a marker of disease progression. Developing an assay to identify R132xIDH1m would provide a useful tool to select patients benefitting from targeted treatments. We tested a quantitative real-time allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based method to detect the main R132xIDH1m in an Italian ICC series (n = 61) of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, and on circulating-free DNA samples. The outcomes were compared with nested PCR/Sanger sequencing. Reconstitution experiments of plasmids harboring the different R132xIDH1m mixed with wild-type (WT) DNA demonstrated that qPCR is able to detect at least 2% of all mutated allele. High efficiency was also observed on patient-derived mutated DNA mixed with WT DNA (up to 10% and 0.3 ng of mutated template); qPCR detected 16.4% of mutated samples (one R132G, three R132C and six R132L) while nested PCR/Sanger sequencing only 8.2% (four R132L and one R132G). In a single patient with an R132C-mutated tumor, qPCR was also performed on plasma samples collected at four time-points, observing an increase correlating with disease progression. In conclusion, we developed a qPCR assay which could represent a fast, inexpensive and sensitive tool both for detection of R132xIDH1m in ICC samples and monitoring disease progression from liquid biopsy.
STIM-Orai Channels and Reactive Oxygen Species in the Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Frisch Janina , Angenendt Adrian , Hoth Markus , Prates Roma Leticia , Lis Annette
Published: April 2019

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is shaped by cancer and noncancerous cells, the extracellular matrix, soluble factors, and blood vessels. Interactions between the cells, matrix, soluble factors, and blood vessels generate this complex heterogeneous microenvironment. The TME may be metabolically beneficial or unbeneficial for tumor growth, it may favor or not favor a productive immune response against tumor cells, or it may even favor conditions suited to hijacking the immune system for benefitting tumor growth. Soluble factors relevant for TME include oxygen, reactive oxygen species (ROS), ATP, Ca2+, H+, growth factors, or cytokines. Ca2+ plays a prominent role in the TME because its concentration is directly linked to cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, or migration but also to immune cell function. Stromal-interaction molecules (STIM)-activated Orai channels are major Ca2+ entry channels in cancer cells and immune cells, they are upregulated in many tumors, and they are strongly regulated by ROS. Thus, STIM and Orai are interesting candidates to regulate cancer cell fate in the TME. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the function of ROS and STIM/Orai in cancer cells; discuss their interdependencies; and propose new hypotheses how TME, ROS, and Orai channels influence each other.
The Human Microbiota and Prostate Cancer: Friend or Foe?
Authors: Massari Francesco , Mollica Veronica , Di Nunno Vincenzo , Gatto Lidia , Santoni Matteo , Scarpelli Marina , Cimadamore Alessia , Lopez-Beltran Antonio , Cheng Liang , Battelli Nicola , Montironi Rodolfo , Brandi Giovanni
Published: April 2019

The human microbiome is gaining increasing attention in the medical community, as knowledge on its role not only in health but also in disease development and response to therapies is expanding. Furthermore, the connection between the microbiota and cancer, especially the link between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal tumors, is becoming clearer. The interaction between the microbiota and the response to chemotherapies and, more recently, to immunotherapy has been widely studied, and a connection between a peculiar type of microbiota and a better response to these therapies and a different incidence in toxicities has been hypothesized. As knowledge on the gut microbiota increases, interest in the residing microbial population in other systems of our body is also increasing. Consequently, the urinary microbiota is under evaluation for its possible implications in genitourinary diseases, including cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the male population; thus, research regarding its etiology and possible factors correlated to disease progression or the response to specific therapies is thriving. This review has the purpose to recollect the current knowledge on the relationship between the human microbiota and prostate cancer.
Natural Killer Cells as Key Players of Tumor Progression and Angiogenesis: Old and Novel Tools to Divert Their Pro-Tumor Activities into Potent Anti-Tumor Effects
Authors: Bassani Barbara , Baci Denisa , Gallazzi Matteo , Poggi Alessandro , Bruno Antonino , Mortara Lorenzo
Published: April 2019

Immune cells, as a consequence of their plasticity, can acquire altered phenotype/functions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Some of these aberrant functions include attenuation of targeting and killing of tumor cells, tolerogenic/immunosuppressive behavior and acquisition of pro-angiogenic activities. Natural killer (NK) cells are effector lymphocytes involved in tumor immunosurveillance. In solid malignancies, tumor-associated NK cells (TANK cells) in peripheral blood and tumor-infiltrating NK (TINK) cells show altered phenotypes and are characterized by either anergy or reduced cytotoxicity. Here, we aim at discussing how NK cells can support tumor progression and how induction of angiogenesis, due to TME stimuli, can be a relevant part on the NK cell-associated tumor supporting activities. We will review and discuss the contribution of the TME in shaping NK cell response favoring cancer progression. We will focus on TME-derived set of factors such as TGF-β, soluble HLA-G, prostaglandin E2, adenosine, extracellular vesicles, and miRNAs, which can exhibit a dual function. On one hand, these factors can suppress NK cell-mediated activities but, on the other hand, they can induce a pro-angiogenic polarization in NK cells. Also, we will analyze the impact on cancer progression of the interaction of NK cells with several TME-associated cells, including macrophages, neutrophils, mast cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Then, we will discuss the most relevant therapeutic approaches aimed at potentiating/restoring NK cell activities against tumors. Finally, supported by the literature revision and our new findings on NK cell pro-angiogenic activities, we uphold NK cells to a key host cellular paradigm in controlling tumor progression and angiogenesis; thus, we should bear in mind NK cells like a TME-associated target for anti-tumor therapeutic approaches.
On the Effects of Doping on the Catalytic Performance of (La,Sr)CoO3. A DFT Study of CO Oxidation
Authors: Glisenti Antonella , Vittadini Andrea
Published: April 2019

The effects of modifying the composition of LaCoO3 on the catalytic activity are predicted by density functional calculations. Partially replacing La by Sr ions has benefical effects, causing a lowering of the formation energy of O vacancies. In contrast to that, doping at the Co site is less effective, as only 3d impurities heavier than Co are able to stabilize vacancies at high concentrations. The comparison of the energy profiles for CO oxidation of undoped and of Ni-, Cu-m and Zn-doped (La,Sr)CoO3(100) surface shows that Cu is most effective. However, the effects are less spectacular than in the SrTiO3 case, due to the different energetics for the formation of oxygen vacancies in the two hosts.
Dry Reforming of Methane over NiLa-Based Catalysts: Influence of Synthesis Method and Ba Addition on Catalytic Properties and Stability
Authors: Gomes Ruan , Costa Denilson , Junior Roberto , Santos Milena , Rodella Cristiane , Fréty Roger , Beretta Alessandra , Brandão Soraia
Published: April 2019

CO2 reforming of CH4 to produce CO and H2 is a traditional challenge in catalysis. This area is still very active because of the potentials offered by the combined utilization of two green-house gases. The development of active, stable, and economical catalysts remains a key factor for the exploitation of natural gas (NG) with captured CO2 and biogas to produce chemicals or fuels via syngas. The major issue associated with the dry reforming process is catalyst deactivation by carbon deposition. The development of suitable catalyst formulations is one strategy for the mitigation of coking which becomes especially demanding when noble metal-free catalysts are targeted. In this work NiLa-based catalyst obtained from perovskite precursors La1−xBaxNiO3 (x = 0.0; 0.05; 0.1 and 0.2) and NiO/La2O3 were synthesized, characterized by in situ and operando XRD and tested in the dry reforming of methane. The characterization results showed that the addition of barium promoted BaCO3 segregation and changes in the catalyst structure. This partly affected the activity; however, the incorporation of Ba improved the catalyst resistance to deactivation process. The Ba-containing and Ba-free NiLa-based catalysts performed significantly better than NiO/La2O3 catalysts obtained by wet impregnation.
Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on Graphene Oxide as Catalysts for the Synthesis of Diarylketones
Authors: Trzeciak Anna M. , Wojcik Przemyslaw , Lisiecki Radoslaw , Gerasymchuk Yuriy , Strek Wieslaw , Legendziewicz Janina
Published: April 2019

Three palladium catalysts supported on graphene oxide (GO) and on its composite with TiO2 (GO-TiO2) were prepared and characterized. The presence of Pd NPs of different diameters (4–89 nm) and size distributions was evidenced by TEM measurements. GO-supported palladium efficiently catalysed the carbonylative coupling of iodobenzenes with aryl boronic acids forming relevant diarylketones at 1 atm CO. The highest activity and recyclability were obtained for Pd/GO-TiO2. The emission behaviour of Pd/GO and Pd/GO-TiO2 catalysts indicated structural changes occurring during the catalytic reaction.
The Role of ZNF143 in Breast Cancer Cell Survival Through the NAD(P)H Quinone Dehydrogenase 1–p53–Beclin1 Axis Under Metabolic Stress
Authors: Paek A Rome , Mun Ji Young , Jo Mun Jeong , Choi Hyosun , Lee Yun Jeong , Cheong Heesun , Myung Jae Kyung , Hong Dong Wan , Park Jongkeun , Kim Kyung-Hee , You Hye Jin
Published: April 2019

Autophagy is a cellular process that disrupts and uses unnecessary or malfunctioning components for cellular homeostasis. Evidence has shown a role for autophagy in tumor cell survival, but the molecular determinants that define sensitivity against autophagic regulation in cancers are not clear. Importantly, we found that breast cancer cells with low expression levels of a zinc-finger protein, ZNF143 (MCF7 sh-ZNF143), showed better survival than control cells (MCF7 sh-Control) under starvation, which was compromised with chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor. In addition, there were more autophagic vesicles in MCF7 sh-ZNF143 cells than in MCF7 sh-Control cells, and proteins related with the autophagic process, such as Beclin1, p62, and ATGs, were altered in cells with less ZNF143. ZNF143 knockdown affected the stability of p53, which showed a dependence on MG132, a proteasome inhibitor. Data from proteome profiling in breast cancer cells with less ZNF143 suggest a role of NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1(NQO1) for p53 stability. Taken together, we showed that a subset of breast cancer cells with low expression of ZNF143 might exhibit better survival via an autophagic process by regulating the p53–Beclin1 axis, corroborating the necessity of blocking autophagy for the best therapy.
miR-1306 Mediates the Feedback Regulation of the TGF-β/SMAD Signaling Pathway in Granulosa Cells
Authors: Yang Liu , Du Xing , Liu Lu , Cao Qiuyu , Pan Zengxiang , Li Qifa
Published: April 2019

Transforming growth factor-β receptor II (TGFBR2), the type II receptor of the TGF-β/SMA- and MAD-related protein (SMAD) signaling pathway, plays a crucial role in TGF-β signal transduction and is regulated by multiple factors. Nevertheless, the modulation of the non-coding RNA involved in the process of TGFBR2 expression in ovaries is not well studied. In our study, we isolated and characterized the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the porcine TGFBR2 gene and microRNA-1306 (miR-1306) was identified as the functional miRNA that targets TGFBR2 in porcine granulosa cells (GCs). Functional analysis showed that miR-1306 promotes apoptosis of GCs as well as attenuating the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway targeting and impairing TGFBR2 in GCs. Moreover, we identified the miR-1306 core promoter and found three potential SMAD4-binding elements (SBEs). Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed that the transcription factor SMAD4 directly binds to the miR-1306 core promoter and inhibits its transcriptional activity. Furthermore, the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway is modulated by SMAD4 positive feedback via inhibition of miR-1306 expression in GCs. Collectively, our findings provide evidence of an epigenetic mechanism that modulates as well as mediates the feedback regulation of the classical TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway in GCs from porcine ovaries.