bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-aged social behaviour based on artiodactyl tracks in an early Miocene palustrine wetland (Ebro Basin, Spain)
Authors: Díaz-Martínez Ignacio , Suarez-Hernando Oier , Larrasoaña Juan Cruz , Martínez-García Blanca María , Baceta Juan Ignacio , Murelaga Xabier
Published: January 2020

We present a new locality with at least 880 vertebrate tracks found at the top of a limestone bed from the lower Miocene Tudela Formation (Spain). The trampled surface was formed by artiodactyls that crossed a muddy carbonate accumulated under the influence of water level variations in a palustrine environment. The tracks reflect different types of morphological preservation. The well-preserved tracks have tetradactyl digit impressions caused by both manus and pes, and are the type series of a new artiodactyl ichnotaxon,Fustinianapodus arriazuiichnogen. nov. and ichnosp. nov. The rest of the tracks, which are not as well preserved, are didactyl and were classified as undetermined artiodactyl tracks. According to their preservation, morphology, size, arrangement and orientation, we propose that this tracksite is the product of a social behaviour, particularly gregariousness, of a multi-age group of artiodactyls ~19 Ma ago. The morphologic and palaeoecologic data presented here suggest that the trackmakers were a group of anthracotheres with a livelihood similar to current hippos. They crossed, periodically, a fresh water palustrine area along some preferential pathways (trails).
The association between mineralised tissue formation and the mechanical local in vivo environment: Time-lapsed quantification of a mouse defect healing model
Authors: Tourolle né Betts Duncan C. , Wehrle Esther , Paul Graeme R. , Kuhn Gisela A. , Christen Patrik , Hofmann Sandra , Müller Ralph
Published: January 2020

An improved understanding of how local mechanical stimuli guide the fracture healing process has the potential to enhance clinical treatment of bone injury. Recent preclinical studies of bone defect in animal models have used cross-sectional data to examine this phenomenon indirectly. In this study, a direct time-lapsed imaging approach was used to investigate the local mechanical strains that precede the formation of mineralised tissue at the tissue scale. The goal was to test two hypotheses: 1) the local mechanical signal that precedes the onset of tissue mineralisation is higher in areas which mineralise, and 2) this local mechanical signal is independent of the magnitude of global mechanical loading of the tissue in the defect. Two groups of mice with femoral defects of length 0.85 mm (n = 10) and 1.45 mm (n = 9) were studied, allowing for distinct distributions of tissue scale strains in the defects. The regeneration and (re)modelling of mineralised tissue was observed weekly usingin vivomicro-computed tomography (micro-CT), which served as a ground truth for resolving areas of mineralised tissue formation. The mechanical environment was determined using micro-finite element analysis (micro-FE) on baseline images. The formation of mineralised tissue showed strong association with areas of higher mechanical strain (area-under-the-curve: 0.91 ± 0.04, true positive rate: 0.85 ± 0.05) while surface based strains could correctly classify 43% of remodelling events. These findings support our hypotheses by showing a direct association between the local mechanical strains and the formation of mineralised tissue.
Cell release during perfusion reflects cold ischemic injury in rat livers
Authors: de Vries Reinier J. , Pendexter Casie A. , Cronin Stephanie E. J. , Marques Beatriz , Hafiz Ehab O. A. , Muzikansky Alona , van Gulik Thomas M. , Markmann James F. , Stott Shannon L. , Yeh Heidi , Toner Mehmet , Uygun Korkut , Tessier Shannon N.
Published: January 2020

The global shortage of donor organs has made it crucial to deeply understand and better predict donor liver viability. However, biomarkers that effectively assess viability of marginal grafts for organ transplantation are currently lacking. Here, we showed that hepatocytes, sinusoidal endothelial, stellate, and liver-specific immune cells were released into perfusates from Lewis rat livers as a result of cold ischemia and machine perfusion. Perfusate comparison analysis of fresh livers and cold ischemic livers showed that the released cell profiles were significantly altered by the duration of cold ischemia. Our findings show for the first time that parenchymal cells are released from organs under non-proliferative pathological conditions, correlating with the degree of ischemic injury. Thus, perfusate cell profiles could serve as potential biomarkers of graft viability and indicators of specific injury mechanisms during organ handling and transplantation. Further, parenchymal cell release may have applications in other pathological conditions beyond organ transplantation.
Novel insights on the geomagnetic field in West Africa from a new intensity reference curve (0-2000 AD)
Authors: Kapper Lisa , Serneels Vincent , Panovska Sanja , Ruíz Rafael García , Hellio Gabrielle , Groot Lennart de , Goguitchaichvili Avto , Morales Juan , Ruíz Rubén Cejudo
Published: January 2020

The geomagnetic field variations on the continent of Africa are still largely undeciphered for the past two millennia. In spite of archaeological artefacts being reliable recorders of the ancient geomagnetic field strength, only few data have been reported for this continent so far. Here we use the Thellier-Coe and calibrated pseudo-Thellier methods to recover archaeointensity data from Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast (West Africa) from well-dated archaeological artefacts. By combining our 18 new data with previously published data from West Africa, we construct a reference curve for West Africa for the past 2000 years. To obtain a reliable curve of the archaeointensity variation, we evaluate a penalized smoothing spline fit and a stochastic modelling method, both combined with a bootstrap approach. Both intensity curves agree well, supporting the confidence in our proposed intensity variation during this time span, and small differences arise from the different methodologies of treating data and uncertainties. Two prominent peaks at around 740 AD and 1050 AD appear to be common in ours and several reference curves from other locations, indicating a general westward movement from China to Hawaii of a rather stable feature of the geomagnetic field. However, independent smaller peaks that do not correlate in different locations may hint to localized expressions of the geomagnetic field as a result of temporarily varying non-dipole sources.
Mobile Real-Time Grasshopper Detection and Data Aggregation Framework
Authors: Chudzik Piotr , Mitchell Arthur , Alkaseem Mohammad , Wu Yingie , Fang Shibo , Hudaib Taghread , Pearson Simon , Al-Diri Bashir
Published: January 2020

Insects of the family Orthoptera: Acrididae including grasshoppers and locust devastate crops and eco-systems around the globe. The effective control of these insects requires large numbers of trained extension agents who try to spot concentrations of the insects on the ground so that they can be destroyed before they take flight. This is a challenging and difficult task. No automatic detection system is yet available to increase scouting productivity, data scale and fidelity. Here we demonstrate MAESTRO, a novel grasshopper detection framework that deploys deep learning within RBG images to detect insects. MAESTRO uses a state-of-the-art two-stage training deep learning approach. The framework can be deployed not only on desktop computers but also on edge devices without internet connection such as smartphones. MAESTRO can gather data using cloud storage for further research and in-depth analysis. In addition, we provide a challenging new open dataset (GHCID) of highly variable grasshopper populations imaged in Inner Mongolia. The detection performance of the stationary method and the mobile App are 78 and 49 percent respectively; the stationary method requires around 1000 ms to analyze a single image, whereas the mobile app uses only around 400 ms per image. The algorithms are purely data-driven and can be used for other detection tasks in agriculture (e.g. plant disease detection) and beyond. This system can play a crucial role in the collection and analysis of data to enable more effective control of this critical global pest.
Interactions of Cisplatin and Daunorubicin at the Chromatin Level
Authors: Firouzi Niaki Erfaneh , Van Acker Thibaut , Imre László , Nánási Péter , Tarapcsák Szabolcs , Bacsó Zsolt , Vanhaecke Frank , Szabó Gábor
Published: January 2020

Unexpectedly, the widely used anticancer agents Cisplatin (Cis-Pt) and Daunorubicin (Dauno) exhibited cell type- and concentration-dependent synergy or antagonism in vitro. We attempted to interpret these effects in terms of the changes elicited by the drugs in the chromatin, the target held primarily responsible for the cytotoxicity of both agents. We measured the effect of Cis-Pt on the levels of Dauno in different cell compartments, the effect of Cis-Pt on Dauno-induced nucleosome eviction, and assessed the influence of Dauno on DNA platination in flow- and laser scanning cytometry as well as in laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry assays. We show that the two drugs antagonize each other through a decrease of interstrand crosslinks upon co-treatment with Dauno, and also via the diminished Dauno uptake in the presence of Cis-Pt, and both effects are observed already at low Dauno concentrations. At high Dauno concentrations synergy becomes dominant because histone eviction by Dauno intercalation into the DNA is enhanced in the presence of co-treatment with Cis-Pt. These interactions may have an impact on the efficacy of combination treatment protocols, considering the long retention time of DNA adducts formed by both agents.
Growth, health aspects and histopathology of brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus L.): replacing fishmeal with soybean meal and brewer’s yeast
Authors: Matulić Daniel , Barišić Josip , Aničić Ivica , Tomljanović Tea , Safner Roman , Treer Tomislav , Gao Jian , Glojnarić Ines , Čož-Rakovac Rozelindra
Published: January 2020

A ten-week feeding trial was carried out to investigate the effects of replacing fishmeal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) and brewer’s yeast (BY) on growth performance, blood parameters, oxidative stress and micromorphology of liver and intestines in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus L.). Fish were fed nine feeds in which FM was replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% SBM (K1, K2, K3 and K4) and 17% + 8%, 42% + 8%, 67% + 8% and 92% + 8% of SBM/BY combination (K5, K6, K7, K8). Growth indices showed greater outcomes for the K2 group in comparison to all other groups. A decrease in plasma cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations was found after FM replacement. Activity of SOD was higher in groups K4, K7 and K8. The early inflammatory indications with abnormal vacuolization of lamina propria and basal epithelium were present in diets K4 and K8. Hepatocytes were irregular in shape with signs of inflammatory reaction in diet K8. A decreased perimeter of hepatocyte nuclei was detected in all experimental diets when compared with the control. This study demonstrates that the optimal replacement of FM with SBM/BY in brown bullhead diets contains up to 50% of FM replaced with SBM in order to obtain advantageous growth performance and adequate health condition.
Comparisons of the antibody repertoires of a humanized rodent and humans by high throughput sequencing
Authors: Joyce Collin , Burton Dennis R. , Briney Bryan
Published: January 2020

The humanization of animal model immune systems by genetic engineering has shown great promise for antibody discovery, tolerance studies and for the evaluation of vaccines. Assessment of the baseline antibody repertoires of unimmunized model animals will be useful as a benchmark for future immunization experiments. We characterized the heavy chain and kappa light chain antibody repertoires of a model animal, the OmniRat, by high throughput antibody sequencing and made use of two novel datasets for comparison to human repertoires. Intra-animal and inter-animal repertoire comparisons reveal a high level of conservation in antibody diversity between the lymph node and spleen and between members of the species. Multiple differences were found in both the heavy and kappa chain repertoires between OmniRats and humans including gene segment usage, CDR3 length distributions, class switch recombination, somatic hypermutation levels and in features of V(D)J recombination. The Inference and Generation of Repertoires (IGoR) software tool was used to model recombination in VH regions which allowed for the quantification of some of these differences. Diversity estimates of the OmniRat heavy chain repertoires almost reached that of humans, around two orders of magnitude less. Despite variation between the species repertoires, a high frequency of OmniRat clonotypes were also found in the human repertoire. These data give insights into the development and selection of humanized animal antibodies and provide actionable information for use in vaccine studies.
Arrangement optimization of water-driven triboelectric nanogenerators considering capillary phenomenon between hydrophobic surfaces
Authors: Park Hong Ryul , Lee Jeong-Won , Kim Dong Sung , Sim Jae-Yoon , Song Insang , Hwang Woonbong
Published: January 2020

The rise in environmental issues has stimulated research on alternative energy. In this regard, triboelectric generation has received much attention as one of several new alternative energy sources. Among the triboelectric generation methods, solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (SLTENGs) have been actively investigated owing to their durability and broad applicability. In this paper, we report on the optimum arrangement of SLTENGs to increase the generation of electrical energy. When hydrophobic SLTENGs are arranged in parallel with a specific intervening gap, the friction area between the water and the surface of the SLTENGs is changed owing to the different penetration distances of water between them. This difference affects the amount of triboelectricity generated; this change in the water contact area is caused by the capillary phenomenon. Therefore, we investigated the effect of the gap on water penetration and formulated an optimum arrangement to achieve optimum electricity generation efficiency when multiple SLTENGs are contained in a limited volume. The proposed optimum arrangement of SLTENGs is expected to have high utilization in energy harvesting from natural environment sources such as wave energy or water flow.
Vertical migration by bulk phytoplankton sustains biodiversity and nutrient input to the surface ocean
Authors: Wirtz Kai , Smith S. Lan
Published: January 2020

Phytoplankton subsumes the great variety of unicellular photoautotrophs that perform roughly half of Earth’s primary production. They achieve this despite their challenging oceanic habitat, with opposing vertical gradients of nutrients (which often limit their growth near the surface) and light (which becomes limiting with increasing depth). Most phytoplankton species are commonly assumed to be incapable of moving actively between the zones of light and nutrient availability, which are separated vertically by from 30–120 m. Here we propose that a considerable fraction of phytoplankton vertically traverse these gradients over time scales from hours to weeks, employing variations of a common migration strategy to acquire multiple resources. We present a mechanistic Lagrangian model resolving phytoplankton growth linked to optimal migration behaviour and demonstrate unprecedented agreement of its calculated vertical CHL-a distributions with 773 profiles observed at five prominent marine time-series stations. Our simulations reveal that vertically cycling phytoplankton can pump up enough nutrient to sustain as much as half of oceanic Net Primary Production (NPP). Active locomotion is therefore a plausible mechanism enabling relatively high NPP in the oligotrophic surface ocean. Our simulations also predict similar fitness for a variety of very different migration strategies, which helps to explain the puzzling diversity of phytoplankton observed in the ocean.
Direct and sensitive detection of a microsporidian parasite of bumblebees using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)
Authors: Kato Yuto , Yanagisawa Takahiro , Nakai Madoka , Komatsu Ken , Inoue Maki N.
Published: January 2020

The reduction of bumblebee populations has been reported in the last decades, and the microsporidian parasite Nosema bombi is considered as one of the factors contributing to such reduction. Although the decline of bee populations affects both wild plants and human food supply, the effects of Nosema spp. infections are not known because it is difficult to obtain infective spores from wild bees due to their low prevalence. Microscopical observation of fecal samples or midgut homogenates and/or PCR are generally used for N. bombi detection. However, the germination rate of microsporidian spore declines if they are kept at 4 °C for a long time or frozen. It is therefore crucial to minimize the diagnosis and isolation time of infective spores from field-collected samples. Therefore, we performed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the direct detection of N. bombi in bumblebee midgut homogenates. Using this method, we could detect N. bombi from individuals from which it was visible under the microscope and directly from wild individuals.
Nutrimetabolomics reveals food-specific compounds in urine of adults consuming a DASH-style diet
Authors: Reisdorph Nichole A. , Hendricks Audrey E. , Tang Minghua , Doenges Katrina A. , Reisdorph Richard M. , Tooker Brian C. , Quinn Kevin , Borengasser Sarah J. , Nkrumah-Elie Yasmeen , Frank Daniel N. , Campbell Wayne W. , Krebs Nancy F.
Published: January 2020

Although health benefits of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet are established, it is not understood which food compounds result in these benefits. We used metabolomics to identify unique compounds from individual foods of a DASH-style diet and determined if these Food-Specific Compounds (FSC) are detectable in urine from participants in a DASH-style dietary study. We also examined relationships between urinary compounds and blood pressure (BP). Nineteen subjects were randomized into 6-week controlled DASH-style diet interventions. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was performed on 24-hour urine samples collected before and after each intervention and on 12 representative DASH-style foods. Between 66–969 compounds were catalogued as FSC; for example, 4-hydroxydiphenylamine was found to be unique to apple. Overall, 13–190 of these FSC were detected in urine, demonstrating that these unmetabolized food compounds can be discovered in urine using metabolomics. Although linear mixed effects models showed no FSC from the 12 profiled foods were significantly associated with BP, other endogenous and food-related compounds were associated with BP (N = 16) and changes in BP over time (N = 6). Overall, this proof of principle study demonstrates that metabolomics can be used to catalog FSC, which can be detected in participant urine following a dietary intervention.
Controllable unidirectional transport and light trapping using a one-dimensional lattice with non-Hermitian coupling
Authors: Du Lei , Zhang Yan , Wu Jin-Hui
Published: January 2020

We propose a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice with special non-Hermitian coupling, the imaginary part of which is modulated by an effective Peierls phase arising from the synthetic magnetic field. Such a non-Hermitian lattice supports robust unidirectional transport that is reflectionless and immune to defects; it thus can serve as a frequency-selectable light filter. To achieve more applications, we further construct two well-designed structures involving this lattice, namely a heterostructure and a sandwich structure. An optical diode can be realized using the heterostructure, while tunable light trapping and reversal can be realized through phase modulations on the sandwich structure. The results in this paper may not only open up a new path for unconventional light transport but also have potential applications for optical communication.
Integrated photonic guided metalens based on a pseudo-graded index distribution
Authors: Hassan Karim , Dallery Jacques-Alexandre , Brianceau Pierre , Boutami Salim
Published: January 2020

In this article, we report an integrated optical nanolens exhibiting a pseudo-graded index distribution in a guided configuration. This dielectric metalens relies on a permittivity distribution through dielectric strips of the core material, which is compatible with existing silicon photonic technology. We show in this paper that effective medium theory (EMT) inaccurately predicts the focal length of such devices, and we propose an efficient and accurate design approach based on 2D finite element method (FEM) mode calculations that are in good agreement with 3D FDTD simulations. The lens was fabricated on a 200 mm silicon on insulator pilot line, and fibre-to-fibre optical characterizations revealed an excellent transmission of 85% for TM polarization, in line with the simulated performance (90%). The proposed approach can be easily extended to width-variable strips, enabling the realization of all types of graded index devices, especially those derived from transformation optics.
Substrate specificity of plastid phosphate transporters in a non-photosynthetic diatom and its implication in evolution of red alga-derived complex plastids
Authors: Moog Daniel , Nozawa Akira , Tozawa Yuzuru , Kamikawa Ryoma
Published: January 2020

The triose phosphate transporter (TPT) is one of the prerequisites to exchange metabolites between the cytosol and plastids. In this study, we demonstrated that the four plastid TPT homologues in the non-photosynthetic diatom Nitzschia sp. NIES-3581 were highly likely integrated into plastid envelope membranes similar to counterparts in the model photosynthetic diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, in terms of target membranes and C-terminal orientations. Three of the four Nitzschia TPT homologues are capable of transporting various metabolites into proteo-liposomes including triose phosphates (TPs) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), the transport substrates sufficient to support the metabolic pathways retained in the non-photosynthetic diatom plastid. Phylogenetic analysis of TPTs and closely related transporter proteins indicated that diatoms and other algae with red alga-derived complex plastids possess only TPT homologues but lack homologues of the glucose 6-phosphate transporter (GPT), xylulose 5-phosphate transporter (XPT), and phosphoenolpyruvate transporter (PPT). Comparative sequence analysis suggests that many TPT homologues of red alga-derived complex plastids potentially have the ability to transport mainly TPs and PEP. TPTs transporting both TPs and PEP highly likely mediate a metabolic crosstalk between a red alga-derived complex plastid and the cytosol in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic species, which explains the lack of PPTs in all the lineages with red alga-derived complex plastids. The PEP-transporting TPTs might have emerged in an early phase of endosymbiosis between a red alga and a eukaryote host, given the broad distribution of that type of transporters in all branches of red alga-derived complex plastid-bearing lineages, and have probably played a key role in the establishment and retention of a controllable, intracellular metabolic connection in those organisms.
Terahertz Magneto-Optic Sensor/Imager
Authors: Bulgarevich Dmitry S. , Akamine Yusuke , Talara Miezel , Mag-usara Valynn , Kitahara Hideaki , Kato Hiroyuki , Shiihara Masaki , Tani Masahiko , Watanabe Makoto
Published: January 2020

We are reporting a new type of compact magneto-optic sensor constructed from terahertz-wave spintronic emitter and electro-optic detector. The corresponding terahertz polarization output of the emitter and the detection phase-sensitivity of the detector depend on the vector of the external magnetic field. The emitter/detector pair consists of two small and thin wafers sandwiched together and capped with a thin gold mirror. As a result, the use of bulky terahertz steering/collection optics was completely eliminated in our magneto-optic imager. With such simple on-chip generation/detection scheme for terahertz time-domain setup in reflection-type geometry, we were able to record the raster-scanned image contrast of a permanent magnet in the proximity of the sensor surface. The contrast strongly varies with the magnet orientation and its position with respect to the sensor. The imager spatial resolution depends on chip optical quality for tight femtosecond-laser pump/probe cross-focusing at detector/mirror interface and terahertz generation/detection efficiency. In this respect, the chip robustness to the pump/probe fluences is also an important factor to consider.
The prostaglandin receptor EP2 determines prognosis in EP3-negative and galectin-3-high cervical cancer cases
Authors: Dietlmeier Sebastian , Ye Yao , Kuhn Christina , Vattai Aurelia , Vilsmaier Theresa , Schröder Lennard , Kost Bernd P. , Gallwas Julia , Jeschke Udo , Mahner Sven , Heidegger Helene Hildegard
Published: January 2020

Recently our study identified EP3 receptor and galectin-3 as prognosticators of cervical cancer. The aim of the present study was the analysis of EP2 as a novel marker and its association to EP3, galectin-3, clinical pathological parameters and the overall survival rate of cervical cancer patients. Cervical cancer tissues (n = 250), as also used in our previous study, were stained with anti-EP2 antibodies employing a standardized immunohistochemistry protocol. Staining results were analyzed by the IRS scores and evaluated for its association with clinical-pathological parameters. H-test of EP2 percent-score showed significantly different expression in FIGO I-IV stages and tumor stages. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses indicated that EP3-negative/EP2-high staining patients (EP2 IRS score ≥2) had a significantly higher survival rate than the EP3-negative/EP2-low staining cases (p = 0.049). In the subgroup of high galectin-3 expressing patients, the group with high EP2 levels (IRS ≥2) had significantly better survival rates compared to EP2-low expressing group (IRS <2, p = 0.044). We demonstrated that the EP2 receptor is a prognostic factor for the overall survival in the subgroup of negative EP3 and high galectin-3 expressed cervical cancer patients. EP2 in combination with EP3 or galectin-3 might act as prognostic indicators of cervical cancer. EP2, EP3, and galectin-3 could be targeted for clinical diagnosis or endocrine treatment in cervical cancer patients, which demands future investigations.
Group membership dictates the neural correlates of social optimism biases
Authors: Dricu Mihai , Schüpbach Laurent , Bristle Mirko , Wiest Roland , Moser Dominik A. , Aue Tatjana
Published: January 2020

Optimism bias, i.e. expecting the future to hold more desirable than undesirable outcomes, also extends to people that we like or admire. However, it remains unknown how the brain generates this social optimism bias. In this study, respondents estimated the likelihood of future desirable and undesirable outcomes for an in-group and three out-groups: warm-incompetent, cold-competent, and cold-incompetent. We found a strong social optimism bias for the in-group and the warm out-group and an inverted pattern for the cold-incompetent out-group. For all groups, scores of social optimism bias correlated with the brain activity in structures that respondents differentially engaged depending on the target social group. In line with our hypotheses, evaluating the in-group recruited the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, whereas evaluating the warm out-group engaged the posterior insula, mid cingulate cortex, and somatosensory cortices. These findings suggest different underlying cognitive mechanisms of social optimism bias for these groups, despite similar behavioural patterns. Thinking about the cold out-groups recruited the right anterior temporal lobe, and temporoparietal junction. Evaluating the cold-incompetent out-group additionally recruited the anterior insula, inferior frontal cortex and dorsomedial frontal cortex. We discuss these neuroimaging findings with respect to their putative cognitive functions.
Structural characterization and in-silico analysis of Momordica charantia 7S globulin for stability and ACE inhibition
Authors: Kesari Pooja , Pratap Shivendra , Dhankhar Poonam , Dalal Vikram , Mishra Manisha , Singh Pradyumna Kumar , Chauhan Harsh , Kumar Pravindra
Published: January 2020

Momordica charantia (Mc) seeds are widely used edible crop with high nutritional quality. The food and pharmaceutical industries use it as a natural anti-oxygenic agent. Herein, a ~52 kDa protein, which is a major part of seed proteome has been purified, biochemically characterized and structure has been determined. MALDI-ESI-MS identified peptide fragments and contig-deduced sequence suggested the protein to be homologous to 7S globulins. The crystal structure shows that protein has a bicupin fold similar to 7S globulins and the electron density for a copper and acetate ligand were observed in the C-terminal barrel domain. In silico study reveals that a tripeptide (VFK) from Mc7S possess a higher binding affinity for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) than already reported drug Lisinopril (LPR). The protein is a glycoprotein and highly stable under varying thermal and pH conditions due to its secondary structures. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) assay showed the protein to have an anti-oxygenic nature and can aid in scavenging free radical from sample. The protein can assist to enhance the nutritional and functional value of food by acting as a food antioxidant. Further, characterization of Mc7S required which might add in importance of Mc7S as antioxidant, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive.
Sulfate-mediated Drought Tolerance in Maize Involves Regulation at Physiological and Biochemical Levels
Authors: Usmani Muhammad Munir , Nawaz Fahim , Majeed Sadia , Shehzad Muhammad Asif , Ahmad Khawaja Shafique , Akhtar Gulzar , Aqib Muhammad , Shabbir Rana Nauman
Published: January 2020

Restriction in nutrient acquisition is one of the primary causes for reduced growth and yield in water deficient soils. Sulfur (S) is an important secondary macronutrient that interacts with several stress metabolites to improve performance of food crops under various environmental stresses including drought. Increased S supply influences uptake and distribution of essential nutrients to confer nutritional homeostasis in plants exposed to limited water conditions. The regulation of S metabolism in plants, resulting in synthesis of numerous S-containing compounds, is crucial to the acclimation response to drought stress. Two different experiments were laid out in semi-controlled conditions to investigate the effects of different S sources on physiological and biochemical mechanisms of maize (Zea mays L. cv. P1574). Initially, the rate of S application in maize was optimized in terms of improved biomass and nutrient uptake. The maize seedlings were grown in sandy loam soil fertigated with various doses (0, 15, 30 and 45 kg ha−1) of different S fertilizers viz. K2SO4, FeSO4, CuSO4 and Na2SO4. The optimized S dose of each fertilizer was later tested in second experiment to determine its role in improving drought tolerance of maize plants. A marked effect of S fertilization was observed on biomass accumulation and nutrients uptake in maize. In addition, the optimized doses significantly increased the gas exchange characteristics and activity of antioxidant enzymes to improve yield of maize. Among various S sources, application of K2SO4 resulted in maximum photosynthetic rate (43%), stomatal conductance (98%), transpiration rate (61%) and sub-stomatal conductance (127%) compared to no S supply. Moreover, it also increased catalase, guaiacol peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities by 55, 87 and 65%, respectively that ultimately improved maize yield by 33% with respect to control under water deficit conditions. These results highlight the importance of S fertilizers that would likely be helpful for farmers to get better yield in water deficient soils.
Specialized structures on the border between rhizocephalan parasites and their host’s nervous system reveal potential sites for host-parasite interactions
Authors: Miroliubov A. , Borisenko I. , Nesterenko M. , Lianguzova A. , Ilyutkin S. , Lapshin N. , Dobrovolskij A.
Published: January 2020

Rhizocephalan barnacles are a unique group of endoparasitic crustaceans. In their extreme adaptation to endoparasitism, rhizocephalan adults have lost almost all features of their free-living relatives but acquired an outstanding degree of control over the body of their hosts (mostly decapods). The subtle influence exercised by rhizocephalans on the physiology, morphology and behaviour of their hosts is a vivid example of the most intimate host-parasite interactions but their mechanisms are very poorly known. In this study we examined the morphology and the adaptive ultrastructure of the organs invading the nervous system of the host in two rhizocephalan species from the families Peltogastridae, (Peltogaster paguri) and Peltogasterellidae (Peltogasterella gracilis). We found two essentially different types of structures involved in interactions of these two rhizocephalans with the nervous system of their hosts: modified rhizocephalan rootlets lying inside the ganglia and the neural fibres of the host enlacing the trophic rootlets of the parasites. We suggest that both these structures may be highly specialized tools allowing the parasite to interact with the host on the humoral level via neuromediators, hormones, attractants and trophic factors.
Author Correction: Shape fidelity and structure of 3D printed high consistency nanocellulose
Authors: Klar Ville , Pere Jaakko , Turpeinen Tuomas , Kärki Pyry , Orelma Hannes , Kuosmanen Petri
Published: January 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Characteristics of Patients Referred To A Specialized Headache Clinic
Authors: Fejes Eva , Feher Gergely , Gurdan Zsuzsanna , Gombos Katalin , Koltai Katalin , Pusch Gabriella , Tibold Antal
Published: January 2020

Headache is a common problem with great effect both on the individual and on the society. Recent studies raised the possibility of increasing rate of specialty referrals, inappropiate treatment and advanced imaging for simple headache. The aim of our study was to analyze the characteritics of patients (including duration of symptoms, headache type, brain imaging, treatment) referred to our specialized headache clinic between 01/01/2014 and 01/01/2015 by their general practitioners and primary care neurologists due to chronic/treatment-resistant headache syndromes. 202 patients (mean age 53.6 ± 17.6 years) were evaluated in our clinic (102 females, mean age 50.14 ± 16.11 years and 100 males, mean age 57 ± 18.1 years). Migraine (84/202) and tension-type (76/202) were the most common syndromes. 202 plain brain CT, 60 contrast-enhanced CT and 128 MRI were carried out by their general practitioners or other healthcare professioners including neurologists before referral to our headache centre. Despite of extensive brain imaging appropiate treatment was started less than 1/3 of all patients and significant proportion received benzodiazepines or opioid therapy. Furthermore, more than 10% of referred patients presented with secondary headache including one meningitis. The management of headache is still a challenge for primary care physicians leading to medical overuse. Vast majority of our patients should not be referred to our specialized headache clinic as they had uncomplicated headache or other underlying conditions than pain.
Critical Depressed Brain Volume Influences the Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma after Surgical Evacuation
Authors: Jang Kyoung Min , Choi Hyun Ho , Mun Hah Yong , Nam Taek Kyun , Park Yong Sook , Kwon Jeong Taik
Published: January 2020

Recurrence of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) frequently occurs after surgical evacuation. However, the value of follow-up postoperative imaging and measuring volumetric factors to predict recurrence are still controversial. Herein, we aimed to assess the optimal timing for follow-up referential imaging and the critical depressed brain volume for CSDH recurrence. A total of 291 patients with CSDH who underwent burr hole craniotomy between January 2012 and December 2018 were consecutively enrolled in this study. Patients’ medical records and radiologic data were evaluated to predict the recurrence and analyzed using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and binary logistic regression. Of the 291 patients, 29 (10.0%) showed recurrence after surgical evacuation. Based on ROC analysis, comparisons of depressed brain volume pre-operation, 24 h post-operation, and 7 days post-operation showed that the depressed brain volume at 7 days after surgery featured the largest area under the curve (AUC: 0.768, 95% CI, 0.709–0.811). The cut-off value of the depressed brain volume on postoperative day 7 was 51.6 cm3; this value predicted the recurrence of CSDH with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.3% and 67.9%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the depressed brain volume (>50 cm3) at 7 days was the sole significant risk factor related to the recurrence of CSDH in this series (OR: 6.765, 95% CI, 2.551–17.942, p < 0.001). The depressed brain volume > 50 cm3 visualized on CT scans at postoperative 7 day is the critical volume affecting recurrence of CSDHs. This result could be helpful carrying in patients with CSDH to determine the proper postoperative treatment strategy.
Author Correction: 20 Years of DIEAP Flap Breast Reconstruction: A Big Data Analysis
Authors: Depypere Bernard , Herregods Sofie , Denolf Jacob , Kerkhove Louis-Philippe , Mainil Laurent , Vyncke Tom , Blondeel Phillip , Depypere Herman
Published: January 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Zinc phthalocyanines as light harvesters for SnO2-based solar cells: a case study
Authors: Milan Riccardo , Singh Selopal Gurpreet , Cavazzini Marco , Orlandi Simonetta , Boaretto Rita , Caramori Stefano , Concina Isabella , Pozzi Gianluca
Published: January 2020

SnO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized and used as electron transport material (ETM) in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), featuring two peripherally substituted push-pull zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) bearing electron donating diphenylamine substituents and carboxylic acid anchoring groups as light harvesters. These complexes were designed on the base of previous computational studies suggesting that the integration of secondary amines as donor groups in the structure of unsymmetrical ZnPcs might enhance photovoltaics performances of DSSCs. In the case of TiO2-based devices, this hypothesis has been recently questioned by experimental results. Herein we show that the same holds for SnO2, despite the optimal matching of the optoelectronic characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles and diphenylamino-substituted ZnPcs, thus confirming that other parameters heavily affect the solar cells performances and should be carefully taken into account when designing materials for photovoltaic applications.
Superadiabatic demixing in nonequilibrium colloids
Authors: Geigenfeind Thomas , de las Heras Daniel , Schmidt Matthias
Published: January 2020

Dispersed colloidal particles that are set into systematic motion by a controlled external field constitute excellent model systems for studying structure formation far from equilibrium. Here we identify a unique demixing force that arises from repulsive interparticle interactions in driven binary colloids. The corresponding demixing force density is resolved in space and in time and it counteracts diffusive currents which arise due to gradients of the local mixing entropy. We construct a power functional approximation for overdamped Brownian dynamics that describes superadiabatic demixing as an antagonist to adiabatic mixing as originates from the free energy. We apply the theory to colloidal lane formation. The theoretical results are in excellent agreement with our Brownian dynamics computer simulation results for adiabatic, structural, drag and viscous forces. Superadiabatic demixing allows to rationalize the emergence of mixed, laned and jammed states in the system.
An enzyme-free and label-free visual sensing strategy for the detection of thrombin using a plasmonic nanoplatform
Authors: Yin Cuiyun , Jiang Dagang , Xiao Dan , Zhou Cuisong
Published: January 2020

An enzyme-free and label-free visual sensing strategy was developed for sensitively detecting thrombin using a plasmonic nanoplatform.
A differential pulse voltammetric method for submicromolar determination of antihistamine drug desloratadine using an unmodified boron-doped diamond electrode
Authors: Nagao Kayque Y. H. , Salamanca-Neto Carlos A. R. , Coldibeli Bruna , Sartori Elen R.
Published: January 2020

A very sensitive voltammetric method for DESL using a BDDE was developed and applied to pharmaceutical, water and human urine samples.
Aggregation-induced emission and solid fluorescence of fluorescein derivatives
Authors: Feng Shumin , Gong Shengyi , Feng Guoqiang
Published: January 2020

The AIE and strong solid fluorescence of fluorescein derivatives can be realized in a simple way.
Nonmetallic boron nitride embedded graphitic carbon catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene
Authors: Sheng Jian , Yan Bing , He Bin , Lu Wen-Duo , Li Wen-Cui , Lu An-Hui
Published: January 2020

Nonmetallic BN embedded graphitic carbon hybrid had abundant carbonyl groups as the active site and enriched BO species as the oxygen adsorption sites, exhibiting a high catalytic performance for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene with high yield.
Graphene quantum dots: efficient mechanosynthesis, white-light and broad linear excitation-dependent photoluminescence and growth inhibition of bladder cancer cells
Authors: Deng Maojun , Cao Xiaocong , Guo Lifang , Cao Hui , Wen Zhongliang , Mao Chaochao , Zuo Kaimin , Chen Xin , Yu Xiaolong , Yuan Wenbing
Published: January 2020

The mechanochemically-obtained GQDs show unique photoluminescence and growth inhibition on bladder cancer cells.
Structure, conductivity and magnetism of orthorhombic and fluorite polymorphs in MoO3–Ln2O3 (Ln = Gd, Dy, Ho) systems
Authors: Shlyakhtina A. V. , Avdeev M. , Lyskov N. V. , Abrantes J. C. C. , Gomes E. , Denisova K. N. , Kolbanev I. V. , Chernyak S. A. , Volkova O. S. , Vasiliev A. N.
Published: January 2020

Structure, conductivity and magnetism of orthorhombic and fluorite Ln10Mo2O21 (Ln = Gd, Dy, Ho) polymorphs.
Facile and scalable synthesis of Ti6Mn2 oxo-cluster nanocrystals with flower-like morphology and excellent photocatalytic properties
Authors: Zhang Kai , Lin Ping , Du Shao-Wu
Published: January 2020

Flower-like nanocrystals of a Ti6Mn2 oxo-cluster with excellent photocatalytic activity toward degradation of RhB were prepared in gram-scale quantities.
Comprehensive screening of quaternary ammonium surfactants and ionic liquids in wastewater effluents and lake sediments
Authors: Pati Sarah G. , Arnold William A.
Published: January 2020

Quaternary ammonium compounds were found at substantial levels in wastewater effluents and sediment samples with wastewater treatment practices and usage rates determining their environmental prevalence.
Waterborne isocyanate-free polyurethane epoxy hybrid coatings synthesized from sustainable fatty acid diamine
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Wang Haoran , Zhou Qixin
Published: January 2020

This study proposed an effective method to prepare environmental-friendly waterborne epoxy modified non-isocyanate polyurethanes.
Scrap waste automotive converters as efficient catalysts for the continuous-flow hydrogenations of biomass derived chemicals
Authors: Cova Camilla Maria , Zuliani Alessio , Manno Roberta , Sebastian Victor , Luque Rafael
Published: January 2020

The catalytic activity of scrap ceramic-cores of automotive catalytic converters (SCATs) was investigated in the continuous-flow hydrogenation of different biomass-derived chemicals.
Highly sensitive hair springs to measure the contraction force of engineered cardiac tissues
Authors: Xiao Qian-Ru , Sun Si , Cheraga Nihad , Wu Kai-Hong , Jiang Yong , Huang Ning-Ping
Published: January 2020

Highly sensitive springs based on human hair are developed for measuring the contraction force of engineered cardiac tissues.
Effects of particle size on bifunctional Pt/SAPO-11 catalysts in the hydroisomerization ofn-dodecane
Authors: Ge Lixia , Yu Gan , Chen Xinqing , Li Wenqian , Xue Wenjie , Qiu Minghuang , Sun Yuhan
Published: January 2020

SAPO-11 zeolites with different particle size are successfully synthesized by controlling the nucleation and the growth rate of the crystal.
CO2-triggered reversible phase transfer of graphene quantum dots for visible light-promoted amine oxidation
Authors: Tu Xianjun , Wang Qin , Zhang Feng , Lan Fang , Liu Hongbo , Li Run
Published: January 2020

Graphene quantum dots with switchable phase transfer for photocatalytic imine synthesis under visible light.
Controlling release kinetics of pH-responsive polymer nanoparticles
Authors: Dararatana Naruphorn , Seidi Farzad , Hamel Juliette , Crespy Daniel
Published: January 2020

Polymers with pH-responsive properties display anticorrosion performance.
A highly-effective nitrogen-doped porous carbon sponge electrode for advanced K–Se batteries
Authors: Huang Xianglong , Deng Jianhua , Qi Yuruo , Liu Dingyu , Wu Yuanke , Gao Wei , Zhong Wei , Zhang Fang , Bao Shujuan , Xu Maowen
Published: January 2020

A rechargeable K–Se battery is emerging as an energy storage system because of its much higher specific capacity than that of the traditional alkali metal-ion batteries, but is facing some critical issues and challenges.
First principles study of ferroelectric hexagonal compounds RInO3(R = Dy, Er, and Ho): electronic structure, optical and dielectric properties
Authors: Yu Yifei , Lin Na , Wang Haoyuan , Xu Ran , Ren Hao , Zhao Xian
Published: January 2020

The 4f-shell electrons of rare-earth ion R have a certain influence on both the electrical and optical properties of RInO3.
Palladium-coated narrow groove plasmonic nanogratings for highly sensitive hydrogen sensing
Authors: Subramanian Senthil , Kumar Kamal , Dhawan Anuj
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we propose novel plasmonic hydrogen sensors based on palladium coated narrow-groove plasmonic nanogratings for sensing of hydrogen gas at visible and near-infrared wavelengths.
Coronary artery decision algorithm trained by two-step machine learning algorithm
Authors: Kim Young Woo , Yu Hee-Jin , Kim Jung-Sun , Ha Jinyong , Choi Jongeun , Lee Joon Sang
Published: January 2020

A two-step machine learning (ML) algorithm for coronary artery decision making is introduced, to increase the data quality by providing flow characteristics and biometric features by aid of computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Exploiting the native inspiratory ability of a mass spectrometer to improve analysis efficiency
Authors: Zhang Qian , Lin Lin , Yu Quan , Wang Xiaohao
Published: January 2020

In this study, a new approach to perform self-aspirating sampling in mass spectrometry (MS) analysis was developed by using the native inspiratory ability of a mass spectrometer.
Electrochemical heavy metal removal from water using PVC waste-derived N, S co-doped carbon materials
Authors: Chang Yingna , Dang Qidong , Samo Imran , Li Yaping , Li Xuejin , Zhang Guoxin , Chang Zheng
Published: January 2020

N, S-codoped carbon materials derived from PVC plastic wastes were used for electrochemically removing heavy metal pollutants from water.