bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LncRNA MALAT1 is dysregulated in diabetic nephropathy and involved in high glucose‐induced podocyte injury via its interplay with β‐catenin
Authors: Hu Mengsi , Wang Rong , Li Xiaobing , Fan Minghua , Lin Jiangong , Zhen Junhui , Chen Liqun , Lv Zhimei
Published: April 2017

Metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1(MALAT1) is a long non‐coding RNA, broadly expressed in mammalian tissues including kidney and up‐regulated in a variety of cancer cells. To date, its functions in podocytes are largely unknown. β‐catenin is a key mediator in the canonical and non‐canonical Wnt signalling pathway; its aberrant expression promotes podocyte malfunction and albuminuria, and contributes to kidney fibrosis. In this study, we found that MALAT1 levels were increased in kidney cortices from C57BL/6 mice with streptozocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic nephropathy, and dynamically regulated in cultured mouse podocytes stimulated with high glucose, which showed a trend from rise to decline. The decline of MALAT1 levels was accompanied with β‐catenin translocation to the nuclei and enhanced expression of serine/arginine splicing factor 1 (SRSF1), a MALAT1 RNA‐binding protein. Further we showed early interference with MALAT1 siRNA partially restored podocytes function and prohibited β‐catenin nuclear accumulation and SRSF1 overexpression. Intriguingly, we showed that β‐catenin was involved in MALAT1 transcription by binding to the promotor region of MALAT1; β‐catenin knock‐down also decreased MALAT1 levels, suggesting a novel feedback regulation between MALAT1 and β‐catenin. Notably, β‐catenin deletion had limited effects on SRSF1 expression, demonstrating β‐catenin might serve as a downstream signal of SRSF1. These findings provided evidence for a pivotal role of MALAT1 in diabetic nephropathy and high glucose‐induced podocyte damage.
Iranian clinical trials: An analysis of registered trials in International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP)
Authors: Feizabadi Mansoureh , Fahimnia Fatima , Mosavi Jarrahi Alireza , Naghshineh Nader , Tofighi Shahram
Published: April 2017

Objective

This study investigated and analyzed Iranian clinical trials registered in the ICTRP portal by the end of 2015. The goal was to determine which diseases are currently being studied and whether these are diseases that carry the greatest burden of disease according to regional and WHO statistics.

Materials and Methods

Information on clinical trials carried out in Iran was downloaded from the portal of the International Clinical Trials Registry website. By the end of 2015, 10,341 studies were registered from Iran. After removing duplicate and observational studies, 10,211 studies remained for analysis. The 2016 edition of the International Classification of Diseases was used to classify the diseases.

Results

The frequency of studies was found to be mental and behavioral disorders (10.44%), diseases of the genitourinary system (10.2%), and endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (10.01%). Gastrointestinal and dermatologic diseases made up more than 12% of studies, but bear only 0.84% of the burden of disease in Iran.

Conclusion

The results showed that, despite an increase in registration of clinical trials in Iran, most studies registered were conducted on diseases, which form only a small percentage of the total disease burden of the country.
The Standard of Proof in the Substantiation of Child Abuse and Neglect
Authors: Kahn Nicholas E. , Gupta‐Kagan Josh , Eschelbach Hansen Mary
Published: April 2017

We measure the extent to which requiring a high standard of proof for substantiation of child abuse or neglect by child protection agencies actually influences the disposition of a report of abuse or neglect. Using data on nearly 8 million reports from fiscal 2000–2012, we show that a high standard is associated with lower rates of substantiation and that an increase in the standard decreases the probability of substantiation by up to 14 percent. After a change to a high standard, children may be less likely to be placed in foster care, and children and families are more likely to receive other types of services. Increases in the standard seem to be driven by perceptions of the costs of Type 1 error—that is, substantiating a report when no abuse occurred. Indeed, states’ decisions to increase the standard are strongly correlated with fatalities in foster care and the size of the foster care system, suggesting that public concern about Type 1 error leading to overly invasive child protection agency action can spur a shift in the standard of proof.
Mandatory Minimum Policy Reform and the Sentencing of Crack Cocaine Defendants: An Analysis of the Fair Sentencing Act
Authors: Bjerk David
Published: April 2017

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA) affected the U.S. federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws for crack cocaine offenders, and represented the first congressional reform of sentencing laws in over 20 years. A primary goal of this legislation was to lessen the harshness of sentences for crack cocaine offenders and decrease the sentencing gap between crack defendants and powder cocaine defendants. While the mean sentence length for crack offenders fell following the implementation of the FSA, these changes appear to primarily reflect the continuation of ongoing sentencing trends that were initiated by a variety of noncongressional reforms to federal sentencing policy that commenced around 2007. However, the FSA appears to have been helpful in allowing these trends to continue past 2010.
Fermentation Effect on the Properties of Sweet Potato Starch and its Noodle's Quality by Lactobacillus plantarum
Authors: Liao Luyan , Wu Weiguo
Published: April 2017

The properties of sweet potato starch and its noodle qualities were investigated on fermentation day 0, 1, 2, 3, respectively, by using Lactobacillus plantarum. The pasting properties, water retention, expansion rate, starch granule and structure, starch noodles qualities (which include broken rate, hardness and extension) were revealed. It was found that the final viscosity and setback of sweet potato starch increased from 268.3 to 294.3 RVU, and 63 to 86.3 RVU, respectively, and the peak temperature increased from 79.25 to 82.5 °C after the first day of fermentation; the peak viscosity and the viscosity breakdown were decreased significantly. Both the water retention and the expansion rate of sweet potato starch increased after fermentation. The crystal structure of the fermented sweet potato starch was destroyed and the starch granule displayed corrosion. The starch noodles qualities for day 1 fermentation were improved significantly, with a decrease in the broken rate and a significant increase in the hardness and extension of the starch noodle.

Practical Applications

Lactic acid fermentation has been a practiced way to improve nutritional value and taste. Investigation of the changes in rice starch noodles taste has recently been considered. In this work, the degradation of sweet potato starch by Lactobacillus plantarum during fermentation could modify the properties of the starch. Information about these changed physicochemical properties is important to determine the usability of fermented sweet potato starch in various products. So the objective of this study is to study the effect of L. plantarum fermentation on physical properties of sweet potato starch and its noodle qualities, which can be used to develop a feasibility way in improving sweet potato starch noodle quality by lactic acid fermentation.
Modeling of drying kinetics of the non‐pomace residue of red grape (V. labrusca L.) juices: Effect on the microstructure and bioactive anthocyanins
Authors: Haas Isabel Cristina da Silva , Toaldo Isabela Maia , Müller Carmen Maria Oliveira , Bordignon‐Luiz Marilde T.
Published: April 2017

The clarification of grape juices produces a colored non‐pomace residue that is continuously discarded. This study evaluated the drying kinetics of the non‐pomace residue of organic and conventional grape juices (V. labrusca L.) and assessed the effect of drying process on the anthocyanins content and microstructure of this residue. Residue samples were subject to convective drying and the process kinetics was modeled using four semi‐empirical models. The Page model was selected as the best‐fit model obtaining the lowest chi‐square values (χ2 < 0.000733). The effective diffusivity values ranged from 9.08 × 10−4 to 1.52 × 10−3 m2/s and the activation energies values were 23.06 and 20.89 kJ/mol for organic and conventional residues, respectively. The drying rate was augmented by increasing temperature with maximum values at 65 °C, for which the micrographs revealed the formation of smaller particles in samples when compared with drying at 45 and 55 °C. The conventional residue showed the highest levels of anthocyanins, which were consistently decreased with temperature as function of time, indicating that those are critical parameters for technological applications of this polyphenol‐rich matrix.

Practical applications

The clarification process is an important technological stage for processing of fruit juices. Grape juices are widely appreciated worldwide and the accumulation of viticulture by‐products is a current concern in many producing regions. There is a global demand for reducing organic waste in food industries and alternatives for reutilization of plant materials emerge as a rewarding alternative to produce food ingredients. The non‐pomace residue of grape juices is a solid and highly‐colored material rich in polyphenols that is continuously discarded and currently unexplored. The study of its chemical properties as well as the use of drying processes to allow its technological application provides an important solution in order to achieve waste reduction in viticulture and discovering new matrices as sources of bioactive polyphenols.
Highly electronegative low‐density lipoprotein L5 evokes microglial activation and creates a neuroinflammatory stress via Toll‐like receptor 4 signaling
Authors: Yu Liang‐En , Lai Chiou‐Lian , Lee Ching‐Tien , Wang Jiz‐Yuh
Published: April 2017

Atherogenic risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, are associated with increased risk of neurodegeneration, especially Alzheimer's dementia. Human plasma electronegative low‐density lipoprotein [LDL(−)], especially L5, may serve as an important contributing factor. L5 promoting an inflammatory action in atherosclerosis has been extensively studied. However, the role of L5 in inducing neuroinflammation remains unknown. Here, we examined the impact of L5 on immune activation and cell viability in cultured BV‐2 microglia. BV‐2 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide or human LDLs (L1, L5, or oxLDL) were subjected to molecular/biochemical assays for measuring microglial activation, levels of inflammatory factors, and cell survival. A transwell BV‐2/N2a co‐culture was used to assess N2a cell viability following BV‐2 cell exposure to L5. We found that L5 enables the activation of microglia and elicits an inflammatory response, as evidenced by increased oxygen/nitrogen free radicals (nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and peroxides), elevated tumor necrosis factor‐α levels, decreased basal interleukin‐10 levels, and augmented production of pro‐inflammatory proteins (inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase‐2). L5 also triggered BV‐2 cell death primarily via apoptosis. These effects were markedly disrupted by the application of signaling pathway inhibitors, thus demonstrating that L5 interacts with Toll‐like receptor 4 to modulate multiple pathways, including MAPKs, PI3K/Akt, and NF‐κB. Decreased N2a cell viability in a transwell co‐culture was mainly ascribed to L5‐induced BV‐2 cell activation. Together, our data suggest that L5 creates a neuroinflammatory stress via microglial Toll‐like receptor 4, thereby leading to the death of BV‐2 microglia and coexistent N2a cells. Atherogenic L5 possibly contributes to neuroinflammation‐related neurodegeneration.

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Endoplasmic reticulum stress mediates distinct impacts of sevoflurane on different subfields of immature hippocampus
Authors: Zhu Gang , Tao Lei , Wang Ronglin , Xue Ying , Wang Xingqin , Yang Shaosong , Sun Xude , Gao Guodong , Mao Zixu , Yang Qian
Published: April 2017

Sevoflurane, a typical inhaled anesthetic, is widely used in patients of all ages during surgery. The negative effects, such as inducing cell death and damaging spatial memory, of sevoflurane on neurodevelopment have raised increasing concerns in recent years. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study focused on the crucial role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in sevoflurane‐induced hippocampal injury. Three‐week‐old rats were exposed to sevoflurane or control air for 5 h with or without ER stress inhibitor (4‐phenylbutyric acid, 4‐PBA) injection. The hippocampus was harvested to measure the ER stress sensors by western immunoblotting. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end‐labeling staining was used to detect cell apoptosis and electrophysiology was used to measure the intrinsic excitability of neurons in hippocampus. We measured learning and memory ability by Morris water maze tests 5 weeks after sevoflurane exposure. Interestingly, persistent sevoflurane exposure significantly increased the levels of ER stress sensors in hippocampus. But it resulted in different effects in CA1 and dentate gyrus. Greatly increased caspase‐12‐mediated apoptotic cells, which were proved to be the neural stem cells, were detected in the dentate gyrus. Meanwhile, CA1 pyramidal neurons exhibited significantly reduced intrinsic excitability. Furthermore, the administration of ER stress inhibitor attenuated the above mentioned detrimental effects evidently and prevented the following relevant learning and memory deficits. In conclusion, sevoflurane‐mediated ER stress performs distinct effects on the different subfields of the immature hippocampus and inhibiting ER stress during sevoflurane anesthesia will be a potential method to prevent the following learning and memory deficits in adulthood.

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Moral Hazard, Risk Sharing, and the Optimal Pool Size
Authors: von Bieberstein Frauke , Feess Eberhard , Fernando José F. , Kerzenmacher Florian , Schiller Jörg
Published: April 2017

We examine the optimal size of risk pools with moral hazard. In risk pools, the effective share of the own loss borne is the sum of the direct share (the retention rate) and the indirect share borne as residual claimant. In a model with identical individuals with mixed risk‐averse utility functions, we show that the effective share required to implement a specific effort increases in the pool size. This is a downside of larger pools as it, ceteris paribus, reduces risk sharing. However, we find that the benefit from diversifying the risk in larger pools always outweighs the downside of a higher effective share. We conclude that, absent transaction costs, the optimal pool size converges to infinity. In our basic model, we restrict attention to binary effort levels, but we show that our results extend to a model with continuous effort choice.
The effect of grapeseed oil on performance, rumen fermentation, antioxidant status and subcutaneous adipose fatty acid profile in lambs
Authors: Sharifi M. , Bashtani M. , Naserian A. A. , Farhangfar H. , Emami A.
Published: April 2017

This experiment was carried out to examine the effect of grapeseed oil (GSO) on performance, rumen fermentation, antioxidant status and subcutaneous adipose fatty acid (FA) profile in lambs. Eighteen Baluchi lambs, 196 ± 14 days of age and 39.8 ± 1.7 kg body weight, were randomly assigned to three experimental diets: (i) diet without GSO (control), (ii) diet containing 2% of GSO (GSO2) and (iii) diet containing 4% of GSO (GSO4) for 42 days. Results showed that the experimental diets had no significant effect on dry matter intake and performance (p > 0.05). The supplemented diets with GSO had no effect on pH and NH3‐N of rumen fluid (p > 0.05), but GSO4 increased (p = 0.003) the concentration of propionic acid and reduced (p = 0.002) the concentration of acetate acid compared to the control. Inclusion 4% of GSO to the diet increased total antioxidant activity and decreased malondialdehyde in serum and muscle (p < 0.001). The level of blood glutathione peroxidase in diets containing GSO was higher than control diet (p = 0.02), but diets had no effect on superoxide dismutase in blood and muscle tissues (p > 0.05). The concentration of vaccenic acid, rumenic acid and linoleic acid and thus polyunsaturated fatty acid in subcutaneous fat was affected by experimental diets (p < 0.001), as control had the lowest amount of these FAs and GSO4 had the highest amount of them. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of GSO up to 4% improves the antioxidant status and adipose fatty acid profile in lambs without effects on performance.
Swine foetal myogenesis in different gestation periods
Authors: Palencia J. Y. P. , Garbossa C. A. P. , Betarelli R. P. , Fonseca L. S. , Lanferdini E. , Guimarães G. C. , Zangeronimo M. G. , Schinckel A. P. , Abreu M. L. T.
Published: April 2017

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of sex and uterus position on swine foetal myogenesis at different gestational ages. Fifteen primiparous sows were divided into three groups according to gestational age: 50, 80, and 106 days. The experiment was a block randomized factorial design with two sexes (male and female) and three uterine regions (apex, middle, and base). After slaughter, each uterus horn was divided into three segments of equal length: apex region near the ovary; base region near the uterine body; and the middle region, lying between the apex and base regions. The foetuses were weighed, identified, and longitudinally opened to harvest the semitendinosus muscle for later morphological analysis. After 50 days of pregnancy, male foetuses had greater (p < .05) weight than females. The number of primary fibres at 50 days of gestation was negatively correlated (r = −.29, p = .04) with the number of foetuses in utero. After 80 days, foetuses in the base region had less (p < .05) secondary area of muscle fibres compared to the apex region, which was accompanied by differences in the weight of the foetuses, the lowest weight were for foetuses located in the base region (p < .05). In the same period, the ratio of secondary to primary fibres had a positive correlation with weight. In conclusion, sex did not influence myogenesis in the gestational ages studied and the development of secondary muscle fibres of the foetuses at 80 days of gestation was affected by their uterine position with foetuses at the base of the uterine horn being less developed.
Effect of resistant starch on the intestinal health of old dogs: fermentation products and histological features of the intestinal mucosa
Authors: Peixoto M. C. , Ribeiro É. M. , Maria A. P. J. , Loureiro B. A. , di Santo L. G. , Putarov T. C. , Yoshitoshi F. N. , Pereira G. T. , Sá L. R. M. , Carciofi A. C.
Published: April 2017

The effects of resistant starch (RS) intake on nutrient digestibility, microbial fermentation products, faecal IgA, faecal pH, and histological features of the intestinal mucosa of old dogs were evaluated. The same formulation was extruded in two different conditions: one to obtain elevated starch cooking degree with low RS content (0.21%) and the other lower starch cooking with high RS content (1.46%). Eight geriatric Beagles (11.5 ± 0.38 years old) were fed each diet for 61 days in a crossover design. Food intake, nutrient digestibility, fermentation products, faecal pH, and faecal IgA were examined via variance analysis. Histological results of intestinal biopsies were assessed via Wilcoxon test for paired data. The morphometric characteristics of large intestine crypts were evaluated via paired t tests (p < .05). Protein, fat, and energy digestibilities were higher for the low‐RS diet (p < .05). Dogs receiving the high‐RS diet had lower faecal pH and higher values for propionate, butyrate, total volatile fatty acids, and lactate (p < .05). No differences between diets were found in the histological parameters of the gut mucosa, and only a tendency for deeper crypts in the descending colon was observed for dogs fed the high‐RS diet (p = .083). The intake of a corn‐based kibble diet manufactured with coarse ground raw material and low starch gelatinization to obtain 1.4% of RS affected microbial fermentation products and faecal pH and tended to increase crypt depth in the descending colon of old dogs.
A New Era for Labor Activism? Strategic Mobilization of Human Rights Against Blacklisting
Authors: Kahraman Filiz
Published: April 2017

This article examines whether and how international human rights law transforms the grassroots mobilization strategies of labor activists. Drawing on original ethnographic research on the activism of blacklisted workers in the United Kingdom, I show that there is a two-tier process through which human rights norms are interpreted and mobilized, first by legal advocacy groups, then by grassroots activists. Contrary to skeptics who argue that human rights have a “mainstreaming” and “individualizing” effect on labor movements, this research shows that by strategically embedding human rights language in their campaigns, blacklisted workers leveraged media attention and facilitated changes in trade union rights discourse. Findings suggest that the strategic mobilization of human rights differs from other mobilization efforts, since labor activists use human rights language primarily to find a sympathetic audience within a political environment in which trade unions are viewed as a regressive force in the economy.
Concordant and divergent strategies to improve postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism
Authors: Edinburgh R. M. , Betts J. A. , Burns S. F. , Gonzalez J. T.
Published: April 2017

Following ingestion of a mixed‐macronutrient meal, blood glucose and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations are elevated for approximately 2 and 8 hours, respectively, depending on factors such as the amount and type of food ingested. For many individuals who consume at least three meals per day, the majority of waking hours are thus spent in a postprandial state. Exaggerated postprandial glycaemia and triglyceridemia are associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and so strategies to alleviate such perturbations are desirable (e.g. exercise and/or diet). An acute bout of endurance, resistance or high‐intensity and interval exercise typically mitigates postprandial glucose and TAG responses to subsequent meals. Regular exercise training also facilitates adaptations that beneficially alter postprandial metabolism. The health benefits of various dietary protocols have been debated in research and in the media over recent decades. To complicate matters, these strategies may be beneficial for glucose metabolism but simultaneously impair TAG metabolism or vice versa. Finally, despite the finding that diet and exercise can independently alter postprandial metabolism, there are fewer investigations of their ability to act synergistically to achieve a prophylactic response on postprandial blood glucose and TAG concentrations. This may provide the basis for future public health guidelines and is an important consideration in the context of the current worldwide prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Outcomes of acute kidney injury in a department of internal medicine in ABIDJAN (cote D'IVOIRE)
Authors: Yao Kouamé Hubert , Konan Serge Didier , Tia Weu Melanie , Diopoh Sery Patrick , Moh Raoul , Sanogo Sindou
Published: April 2017

Aim

To investigate the prognostic factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in our daily practice.

Methods

We analyzed the cohort of patients hospitalized for AKI in the period from January 2010 to December 2015 in the Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Treichville. Kaplan–Meier curves were built for survival analysis. Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of mortality.

Results

We collected 414 cases of AKI during the study period. The mean age was 48.3 ± 16.8 years. We observed a male predominance with a sex ratio (236/178) of 1.32. In multivariate analysis, the predictive factors of death were age ≥ 65 years (HR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.28–3.55; P = 0.004), AKI stage 3 (HR = 1.69; 95%CI = 1.13–2.50; P = 0.009), haemoglobin <8 g/dL (HR = 2.91; 95% CI = 1.79–4.72; P = 0.0001), infection (HR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.21–2.83; P = 0.004) and drug‐induced AKI (HR = 3.23; 95% CI = 1.65–6.29; P = 0.001). Factors associated with incomplete recovery or non‐recovery of renal function beyond 3 months were age ≥ 65 years (OR = 4.76; 95% CI = 1.85–12.50;P = 0.001), hypertension (OR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.07–4.34; P = 0.03), haemoglobin <8 g/dL (OR = 6.66; 95% CI = 2.94–8.28; P < 0.001), AKI stage 3 (OR = 9.09; 95% CI = 4.54–16.66; P < 0.001) malignant hypertension (OR = 5; 95% CI = 1.67–7.27; P = 0.005) and cancer (OR = 4.69; 95% CI = 2.22–6.63; P = 0.001).

Conclusion

The aetiologies are dominated by infections. The fatality rate is high and its risk factors are advanced age, low haemoglobin level, severe AKI, infection and drug intake. Prevention is essential.
Symplocos parvibracteata sp. nov. (Symplocaceae) from the Western Ghats, Kerala, India
Authors: Stephan Jeyamary , Fritsch Peter W. , Mohanan Narayanan Nair
Published: April 2017

Symplocos parvibracteata sp. nov. (Symplocaceae) from Chemunji Hills, south Western Ghats, Kerala State, India, is described and illustrated. It is most similar to S. wynadensis and S. tenella, a putative synonym of S. wynadensis, but differs in having shorter racemes, shorter bracts and bracteoles that are persistent in flower and caducous in fruit, narrowly ellipsoid flower buds, and fewer stamens per flower. It is also similar to S. sumuntia, from which it differs by its pubescent branchlets, generally more stamens per flower, and a pubescent floral disk, and to S. macrophylla, from which it differs by the combination of 3 to 5 leaf secondary veins on each side of the midvein, 1–2‐cm long inflorescences, and bracts that are persistent in flower, caducous in fruit, and < 1.5 mm long.
Lepanthes aures‐ursinae and L. vertebrata spp. nov. (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) from Panama
Authors: Bogarín Diego , Fernández Melania , Serracín Zuleika
Published: April 2017

Panama is still far from completing its orchid flora inventories, where large genera such as Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae) reveal novelties regularly. Here, we describe and illustrate two new species of Lepanthes. Lepanthes aures‐ursinae is similar to L. micellilabia but differs by the orbicular‐ovate, obtuse, convex leaves, larger sepals 2.7–3.0 × 2.2–2.3 mm the yellow petals, shorter column to 1 mm long and Y‐shaped bi‐laminate lip with the blades embracing the column and the body elongated towards the base of the column forming a cylindric structure. Lepanthes vertebrata is most similar to L. demissa, from which it can be distinguished by the inflorescences bearing 20–73 pedicels in well‐developed inflorescences, the vinaceous flowers, the larger lateral sepals to 6.0 × 2.3 mm, wider petals to 4.5 mm with the lower lobe longer than the blades of the lip, narrowly oblong upper lobe of petals, oblong lower lobe, shorter lip ca 1 mm long with ovate pink blades and ventral stigma. Data on distribution, habitat and ecology, etymology and phenology are provided for each species.
Sonerila janakiana sp. nov., a stoloniferous species of Melastomataceae from India
Authors: Narayanan M. K. Ratheesh , Sunil C. N. , Sivadasan M. , Nandakumar M. K. , Kumar V. V. Naveen , Alfarhan A. H. , Sameh M. H.
Published: April 2017

Sonerila janakiana, a new tuberous, scapigerous and stoloniferous species of Melastomataceae collected from exposed wet rocks of evergreen and semi evergreen forests in the Nilgiris and Wayanad districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states on the Western Ghats in India is described and illustrated. Apart from other characteristics, it is distinguished from all hitherto known species of the genus in India by having stolons and dimorphic leaves. The stolons produced from tubers terminate and develop into new tubers producing new plants.
Primula chimingiana sp. nov. (Primulaceae) from Sichuan, China
Authors: Yuan Shuai , Zhang Dian‐Xiang , Hao Gang
Published: April 2017

A new species of Primula, P. chimingiana G. Hao, S. Yuan & D.X. Zhang, is illustrated and described from Sichuan province, China. The new species is assigned to P. sect. Petiolares based on general morphology. It is similar to P. odontocalyx in the lack of farina and of hairs, the absence of basal scales at anthesis, and the occasional toothing of the calyx lobes, but can be easily distinguished by its calyx being as long as or slightly longer than the corolla tube, and cut to two‐thirds of its length into lanceolate lobes, and by its leaves with recurved teeth on the margin.
Ranunculus giordanoi sp. nov. from the R. auricomus complex (Ranunculaceae), central Apennines (Italy)
Authors: Conti Fabio , Bartolucci Fabrizio
Published: April 2017

A new species, Ranunculus giordanoi, belonging to the R. auricomus complex is described from Latium, central Apennines (Italy). It grows in damp meadows on Monti della Laga (National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga), the largest sandstone massif of central Italy. The new species differs from the closely related R. silanus, endemic to Sila (Calabria, southern Apennines), by leaf aperture, shape of the basal leaves, entire or sometimes deeply lobed cauline leaves, gynoclinium without intervallum and longer carpellophores.
The transcription factor MYB115 contributes to the regulation of proanthocyanidin biosynthesis and enhances fungal resistance in poplar
Authors: Wang Lijun , Ran Lingyu , Hou Yisu , Tian Qiaoyan , Li Chaofeng , Liu Rui , Fan Di , Luo Keming
Published: April 2017

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are major defense phenolic compounds in the leaves of poplar (Populus spp.) in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Transcriptional regulation of PA biosynthetic genes by the MYB‐basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH)‐WD40 complexes in poplar is not still fully understood.

Here, an Arabidopsis TT2‐like gene MYB115 was isolated from Populus tomentosa and characterized by various molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches.

MYB115 restored PA productions in the seed coat of the Arabidopsis tt2 mutant. Overexpression of MYB115 in poplar activated expression of PA biosynthetic genes, resulting in a significant increase in PA concentrations. By contrast, the CRISPR/Cas9‐generated myb115 mutant exhibited reduced PA content and decreased expression of PA biosynthetic genes. MYB115 directly activated the promoters of PA‐specific structural genes. MYB115 interacted with poplar TT8. Coexpression of MYB115, TT8 and poplar TTG1 significantly enhanced the expression of ANR1 and LAR3. Additionally, transgenic plants overexpressing MYB115 had increased resistance to the fungal pathogen Dothiorella gregaria, whereas myb115 mutant exhibited greater sensitivity compared with wild‐type plants.

Our data provide insight into the regulatory mechanisms controlling PA biosynthesis by MYB115 in poplar, which could be effectively employed for metabolic engineering of PAs to improve resistance to fungal pathogens.
Two common human CLDN5 alleles encode different open reading frames but produce one protein isoform
Authors: Cornely Ronald M. , Schlingmann Barbara , Shepherd Whitney S. , Chandler Joshua D. , Neujahr David C. , Koval Michael
Published: April 2017

Claudins provide tight junction barrier selectivity. The human CLDN5 gene contains a high‐frequency single‐nucleotide polymorphism (rs885985), where the G allele codes for glutamine (Q) and the A allele codes for an amber stop codon. Thus, these different CLDN5 alleles define nested open reading frames (ORFs) encoding claudin‐5 proteins that are 303 or 218 amino acids in length. Interestingly, human claudin‐16 and claudin‐23 also have long ORFs. The long form of claudin‐5 contrasts with the majority of claudin‐5 proteins in the National Center for Biotechnology Information protein database, which are less than 220 amino acids in length. Screening of genotyped human lung tissue by immunoblot revealed only the 218 amino acid form of claudin‐5 protein; the long‐form claudin‐5 protein was not detected. Moreover, when forcibly expressed in transfected cells, the long form of human claudin‐5 was retained in intracellular compartments and did not localize to the plasma membrane, in contrast to the 218 amino acid form, which localized to intercellular junctions. This suggests that the 303 amino acid claudin‐5 protein is rarely expressed, and, if so, is predicted to adversely affect cell function. Potential roles for upstream ORFs in regulating claudin‐5 expression are also discussed.
Endobronchial ultrasound elastography for the differentiation of benign and malignant lymph nodes
Authors: Mittal Saurabh , Mohan Anant , Madan Karan
Published: April 2017

See Reply

See article, page 972
A Double‐Edged Sword: The Countervailing Effects of Religion on Cross‐National Violent Crime
Authors: Corcoran Katie E. , Pettinicchio David , Robbins Blaine
Published: April 2017

Objective

There has been a growing interest in the relationship between culture and crime in recent years, but there is little research investigating the role of religion. To clarify this empirical cleavage, we propose a Durkheimian model of the countervailing effects of religion on violent crime.

Methods

We test our propositions with robust linear models and a large country sample (N = 100).

Results

We show that religious intensity and belief in an active God are not significantly associated with intentional homicide. However, religious intensity is positively and significantly associated with assault. We also find that belief in an active God is negatively and significantly associated with assault and has a stronger effect than several structural variables.

Conclusion

The findings provide partial support for our Durkheimian model and suggest that cultural factors are important for predicting certain types of violent crime.
Characterization of porcine endogenous retrovirus expression in neonatal and adult pig pancreatic islets
Authors: Mourad Nizar I. , Crossan Claire , Cruikshank Victoria , Scobie Linda , Gianello Pierre
Published: April 2017

Background

Pig islets represent an alternative to the current modes of treatment for patients with diabetes. However, the concerns over pathogen transmission including that of PERV limit their immediate, widespread usage in humans. It has been previously demonstrated that PERV copy number and particularly expression levels can vary considerably between individuals and within different tissues of a single animal. In general, expression levels have been found to be particularly low in the pancreas compared to other porcine tissues suggesting a reduced risk associated with the use of this tissue. Data regarding this crucial aspect, however, remain limited and little is known about PERV status of islets themselves, which represent the final product to be transplanted. In addition, comparative analysis of the PERV status of neonatal piglets with adults is important as they are increasingly considered as potential islet donors for xenotransplantation.

Methods

Tissue samples from 51 neonatal piglets (age between 14 and 21 days) and 29 adult pigs were collected from Belgian landrace pigs used for pancreas procurement and islet isolation. Tissue biopsies were used to extract DNA for PERV copy number quantification by qPCR and RNA for PERV expression by qRT‐PCR.

Results

As expected, PERV expression demonstrated great variation and was significantly lower in pancreas compared to other tissues. More importantly, PERV RNA expression was found to be specifically enriched in pancreatic islets reaching values similar to those found in other tissues such as liver and kidney. Interestingly, this expression was not coupled with the detection of reverse transcriptase in islet cultures or indeed detection of PERV virus. Lung, spleen, and lymph node consistently showed the highest levels of PERV expression. Comparison of PERV in neonatal and adult pigs showed that copy number did not vary significantly from birth to adulthood. PERV expression on the other hand was significantly lower in neonatal pig islets compared to adult islets and did not increase over the period of culture.

Conclusion

Our study confirms the low level of PERV expression in whole pancreas in a large population of both neonatal and adult pigs (n=80). The level of PERV expression was however higher in the endocrine tissue than in the exocrine cells. There was no correlation between PERV status in donor PBMCs and islet cells, and no evidence of active replication in in vitro regardless of PERV expression in islet cells. Moreover, neonatal pig islets were found to have significantly lower PERV expression compared to adult islets. Neonatal islets have been suggested as the best choice for xenotransplantation in terms of economic and procurement considerations; the PERV status reported here would also potentially support their use.
Reviewer Acknowledgements
Authors: Young James
Published: April 2017

International Journal of Social Science Studies (IJSSS) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether IJSSS publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue.Reviewers for Volume 5, Number 5 Abdul Azim Akhtar, Independent Academic & Researcher, Delhi, IndiaAdrienne L. Edwards, University of Nevada, USAAntónio Calha, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, PortugalFernando Aragón-Durand, National Autonomous University of Mexico, MexicoGhazali Bello Abubakar, Sokoto State University, NigeriaHyejin Lee, Tufts University, MA, USA and Konkuk University, Seoul, South KoreaImran Ali Sandano, Zhejiang University, ChinaJehu Onyekwere Nnaji, University of Naples II, Italy and Globe Visions Network Italy, ItalyJulia M. Mack, Gannon University, USAK.O. Aramide, The Polytechnic Ibadan, NigeriaLaura Diaconu Maxim, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza University" of Iasi, RomaniaMohammad Naji Shah Mohammadi, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaRachita Shrivastava Roy, Department of Higher Education, Chhatisgarh-India, IndiaSudershan Pasupuleti, The University of Texas, USAYaghoob Foroutan , The University of Waikato, New ZealandYanzhe Zhang, Jilin University, ChinaZafer İbrahimoglu, Marmara University, Turkey
Raf kinase inhibitor protein: lessons of a better way for β‐adrenergic receptor activation in the heart
Authors: Lorenz Kristina , Rosner Marsha Rich , Brand Theresa , Schmitt Joachim P
Published: April 2017

Stimulation of β‐adrenergic receptors (βARs) provides the most efficient physiological mechanism to enhance contraction and relaxation of the heart. Activation of βARs allows rapid enhancement of myocardial function in order to fuel the muscles for running and fighting in a fight‐or‐flight response. Likewise, βARs become activated during cardiovascular disease in an attempt to counteract the restrictions of cardiac output. However, long‐term stimulation of βARs increases the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmias, adverse ventricular remodelling, decline of cardiac performance and premature death, thereby limiting the use of βAR agonists in the treatment of heart failure. Recently the endogenous Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) was found to activate βAR signalling of the heart without adverse effects. This review will summarize the current knowledge on RKIP‐driven compared to receptor‐mediated signalling in cardiomyocytes. Emphasis is given to the differential effects of RKIP on β1‐ and β2‐ARs and their downstream targets, the regulation of myocyte calcium cycling and myofilament activity.

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Wind–Wave Interaction Effects on a Wind Farm Power Production
Authors: AlSam A. , Szasz R. , Revstedt J.
Published: April 2017

In the current study, the effects of the nonlocally generated long sea surface waves (swells) on the power production of a 2 × 2 wind farm are investigated by using large-eddy simulations (LES) and actuator-line method (ALM). The short sea waves are modeled as a roughness height, while the wave-induced stress accounting for swell effects is added as an external source term to the momentum equations. The results show that the marine atmospheric boundary layers (MABLs) obtained in this study have similar characteristics as the MABLs observed during the swell conditions by many other studies. The current results indicate also that swells have significant impacts on the MABL. As a consequence of these changes in the MABL, swells moving faster than the wind and aligned with the local wind direction increase the power extraction rate.
Effects of Iron Nanoparticles Blended Biodiesel on the Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine
Authors: Debbarma S. , Misra R. D.
Published: April 2017

The technology for use of biodiesels (up to 20%) as alternative fuel in diesel engines has already been established. In this regard, some suitable modification of biodiesel with appropriate additives may help in increasing the biodiesel component in the biodiesel fuel blends. In order to evaluate the effects of iron nanoparticles (INP) blended palm biodiesel (PB) on the performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine, an experimental investigation is carried out in a single cylinder diesel engine. Methodically, biodiesel prepared from palm oil and commercially available nanosized INP is used in this study. Iron nanoparticles are suspended in the biodiesel in proportions of 40 ppm to 120 ppm using an ultrasonicator. The intact study is conducted in the diesel engine using the four fuel samples, namely diesel, PB20, INP50PB30, and INP75PB30, consecutively. The addition of nano-additive has resulted in higher brake thermal efficiency (BTE) by 3% and break-specific energy consumption (BSEC) by 3.3%, compared to diesel fuel. The emission levels of carbon monoxide (∼56%) and NOx (∼4%) are appreciably reduced with the addition of INP. Increase of INP in the blend from 50 ppm to 75 ppm, BTE and BSEC tend to reduce, but CO and NOx emissions are reduced.
On the Spatio-Temporal End-User Energy Demands of a Dense Urban Environment
Authors: Ahmed Krarti , Ortiz Luis E. , González J. E.
Published: April 2017

Buildings in major metropolitan centers face increased peak electrical load during the warm season, especially during extreme heat events. City-wide, the increased demand for space cooling can stress the grid, increasing generation costs. It is therefore imperative to better understand building energy consumption profiles at the city scale. This understanding is not only paramount for users to avoid peak demand charges but also for utilities to improve load management. This study aims to develop a city-scale energy demand forecasting tool using high resolution weather data interfaced with a single building energy model. The forecasting tool was tested in New York City (NYC) due to the availability of building morphology data. We identified 51 building archetypes, based on the building function (residential, educational, or office), the age of the building, and the land use type. The single building simulation software used is energyplus which was coupled to an urbanized weather research and forecasting (uWRF) model for weather forecast input. Individual buildings were linked to the archetypes and scaled using the building total floor area. The single building energy model is coupled to the weather model resulting in energy maps of the city. These maps provide an energy end-use profile for NYC for total and individual components including lighting, equipment and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC). The methodology was validated with single building energy data for a particular location, and with city-scale electric load archives, showing good agreements in both cases.
The Fundamental Bandwidth Limit of Piezoelectrically Actuated Nanopositioners With Motion Amplification
Authors: Jayanth G. R.
Published: April 2017

This paper proposes a simple reduced-order model for a general flexure-guided piezoelectrically actuated nanopositioner and employs it to derive the upper limit of achievable bandwidth for a specified travel range. It is shown that flexure-based motion amplification enables achieving higher bandwidth than that obtained when they are used for guiding motion alone. The optimal amplification and the corresponding maximum bandwidth are studied as functions of the mass carried by the positioner and the stiffness of the flexure. Simple analytical expressions are derived for the two in case of stiff flexures carrying small mass. The proposed reduced-order model is validated by means of finite element analysis.
Topology Optimization of Multicell Tubes Under Out-of-Plane Crushing Using a Modified Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm
Authors: Fang Jianguang , Sun Guangyong , Qiu Na , Steven Grant P. , Li Qing
Published: April 2017

Multicell tubal structures have generated increasing interest in engineering design for their excellent energy-absorbing characteristics when crushed through severe plastic deformation. To make more efficient use of the material, topology optimization was introduced to design multicell tubes under normal crushing. The design problem was formulated to maximize the energy absorption while constraining the structural mass. In this research, the presence or absence of inner walls were taken as design variables. To deal with such a highly nonlinear problem, a heuristic design methodology was proposed based on a modified artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm, in which a constraint-driven mechanism was introduced to determine adjacent food sources for scout bees and neighborhood sources for employed and onlooker bees. The fitness function was customized according to the violation or the satisfaction of the constraints. This modified ABC algorithm was first verified by a square tube with seven design variables and then applied to four other examples with more design variables. The results demonstrated that the proposed heuristic algorithm is capable of handling the topology optimization of multicell tubes under out-of-plane crushing. They also confirmed that the optimized topological designs tend to allocate the material at the corners and around the outer walls. Moreover, the modified ABC algorithm was found to perform better than a genetic algorithm (GA) and traditional ABC in terms of best, worst, and average designs and the probability of obtaining the true optimal topological configuration.