bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Longtime Neurologic Outcome of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Non Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors
Authors: Harnisch Lars-Olav , Riech Sebastian , Mueller Marion , Gramueller Vanessa , Quintel Michael , Moerer Onnen
Published: July 2019

Neurologic complications following acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are well described, however, information on the neurologic outcome regarding peripheral nervous system complications in critically ill ARDS patients, especially those who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are lacking. In this prospective observational study 28 ARDS patients who survived after ECMO or conventional nonECMO treatment were examined for neurological findings. Nine patients had findings related to cranial nerve innervation, which differed between ECMO and nonECMO patients (p = 0.031). ECMO patients had severely increased patella tendon reflex (PTR) reflex levels (p = 0.027 vs. p = 0.125) as well as gastrocnemius tendon reflex (GTR) (p = 0.041 right, p = 0.149 left) were affected on the right, but not on the left side presumably associated with ECMO cannulation. Paresis (14.3% of patients) was only found in the ECMO group (p = 0.067). Paresthesia was frequent (nonECMO 53.8%, ECMO 62.5%; p = 0.064), in nonECMO most frequently due to initial trauma and polyneuropathy, in the ECMO group mainly due to impairments of N. cutaneus femoris lateralis (4 vs. 0; p = 0.031). Besides well-known central neurologic complications, more subtle complications were detected by thorough clinical examination. These findings are sufficient to hamper activities of daily living and impair quality of life and psychological health and are presumably directly related to ECMO therapy.
Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein, a Biomarker of Intestinal Barrier, is Associated with Severity of Psoriasis
Authors: Sikora Mariusz , Stec Albert , Chrabaszcz Magdalena , Waskiel-Burnat Anna , Zaremba Michal , Olszewska Malgorzata , Rudnicka Lidia
Published: July 2019

Alterations of intestinal microbiota play a significant role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Dysbiosis may cause disruption of the intestinal barrier, which contributes to immune activation by translocation of microbial antigens and metabolites. Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) serves as a biomarker of enterocyte damage. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and metabolic factors affecting plasma concentration of I-FABP in patients with psoriasis. Eighty patients with psoriasis and 40 control subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum I-FABP (243.00 (108.88–787.10) vs. 114.38 (51.60–241.60) pg/ml, p < 0.001) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR; 2.59 (1.96–3.09) vs. 1.72 (1.36–47 2.11), p < 0.01) were significantly increased in patients with psoriasis compared to controls. A significant positive correlation was found between I-FABP and body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (r = 0.24, p < 0.001). Rising quartiles of I-FABP were associated with increasing values of BMI, PASI and NLR. The results of the logistic regression model confirmed an increased risk of higher disease severity with I-FABP concentration – odds ratio 3.34 per 100 pg/mL I-FABP increase. In conclusion, intestinal integrity in patients with psoriasis is affected by obesity, severity of the disease and systemic inflammation. The modulation of gut barrier may represent a new therapeutic approach for psoriasis.
Optimization on Emergency Materials Dispatching Considering the Characteristics of Integrated Emergency Response for Large-Scale Marine Oil Spills
Authors: Li Song , Grifoll Manel , Estrada Miquel , Zheng Pengjun , Feng Hongxiang
Published: July 2019

Many governments have been strengthening the construction of hardware facilities and equipment to prevent and control marine oil spills. However, in order to deal with large-scale marine oil spills more efficiently, emergency materials dispatching algorithm still needs further optimization. The present study presents a methodology for emergency materials dispatching optimization based on four steps, combined with the construction of Chinese oil spill response capacity. First, the present emergency response procedure for large-scale marine oil spills should be analyzed. Second, in accordance with different grade accidents, the demands of all kinds of emergency materials are replaced by an equivalent volume that can unify the units. Third, constraint conditions of the emergency materials dispatching optimization model should be presented, and the objective function of the model should be postulated with the purpose of minimizing the largest sailing time of all oil spill emergency disposal vessels, and the difference in sailing time among vessels that belong to the same emergency materials collection and distribution point. Finally, the present study applies a toolbox and optimization solver to optimize the emergency materials dispatching problem. A calculation example is presented, highlighting the sensibility of the results at different grades of oil spills. The present research would be helpful for emergency managers in tackling an efficient materials dispatching scheme, while considering the integrated emergency response procedure.
Coastal Processes and Influence on Damage to Urban Structures during Hurricane Irma (St-Martin & St-Barthélemy, French West Indies)
Authors: Rey Tony , Leone Frédéric , Candela Thomas , Belmadani Ali , Palany Philippe , Krien Yann , Cécé Raphael , Gherardi Monique , Péroche Matthieu , Zahibo Narcisse
Published: July 2019

This study aims to better understand coastal processes associated with extreme cyclonic events through the study of the coastal changes, flooding and damage that resulted from the passage of a category 5 hurricane (Irma) on 6 September 2017 over the islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy in the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane Irma was contextualized from tropical cyclone track data and local weather observations collected by Météo-France, as well as high-resolution numerical modelling. Field work involved the study of accretion coasts through qualitative observations, topo-morphological and sedimentary surveys, as well as image acquisition with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys during two trips that were made 2 and 8 months after the catastrophe. Wave propagation and flood numerical models are presented and compared to field data. Our field analysis also reports on the devastating impacts of storm surges and waves, which reached 4 and 10 meters height, respectively, especially along east-facing shores. The approaches reveal a variety of morpho-sedimentary responses over both natural and highly urbanized coasts. The analysis shows the effects of coastal structures and streets on flow channeling, on the amplification of some erosion types, and on water level increase. Positive spatial correlation is found between damage intensity and marine flood depth. The signatures of ocean-induced damage are clear and tend to validate the relevance of the intensity scale used in this study.
L3 Sentence Processing: Language-Specific or Phenomenon-Sensitive?
Authors: Sokolova Marina , Slabakova Roumyana
Published: July 2019

The article investigates non-native sentence processing and examines the existing scholarly approaches to L2 processing with a population of L3 learners of English, whose native language is Russian. In a self-paced reading experiment, native speakers of Russian and English, as well as (low) intermediate L3 learners of English, read ambiguous relative clauses (RC) and decided on their attachment interpretation: high attachment (HA) or low attachment (LA). In the two-by-two design, linguistic decision-making was prompted by lexical semantic cues vs. a structural change caused by a certain type of matrix verb. The results show that whenever a matrix verb caused a change of syntactic modification, which entailed HA, both native and non-native speakers abandoned the default English-like LA and chose HA. Lexical semantic cues did not have any significant effect in RC attachment resolution. The study provides experimental evidence in favor of the similarity of native and non-native processing strategies. Both native speakers and L3 learners of English apply structural processing strategies and show similar sensitivity to a linguistic prompt that shapes RC resolution. Native and non-native processing is found to be prediction-based; structure building is performed in a top-down manner.
1-(Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-1-ium-1-yl)-2,3,4-trioxocyclobutan-1-ide
Authors: Grünefeld Johann , Kunick Conrad , Jones Peter G.
Published: July 2019

1-(Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-1-ium-1-yl)-2,3,4-trioxocyclobutan-1-ide was obtained by reaction of squaric acid with imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine in acetic anhydride.
Comparative Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Wear Ability of Five CAD/CAM Dental Blocks
Authors: Yin Ruizhi , Jang Yong-Seok , Lee Min-Ho , Bae Tae-Sung
Published: July 2019

This study compares the mechanical properties and wear ability of five CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) millable dental blocks. All the discs, including Amber Mill Hybrid, Vita Enamic, Katana Avencia, Lava Ultimate, and Amber Mill, were cut in dimensions of 1.2 mm in thickness and 12 mm in diameter, polished to a machined surface, and immersed in distilled water for seven days. Vickers hardness was measured and the indentations were observed using microscope. The discs were brushed under a 150 g load. Mean surface roughness (Ra) and topography were determined after 100,000 cycles. Finally the biaxial flexure strength of the discs was measured and the broken surfaces were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The data was subjected to Weibull analysis. All data were analyzed by one-way analysis (ANOVA). The results of Vickers hardness are shown as: Amber Mill > Vita Enamic > Amber Mill Hybrid > Lava Ultimate > Katana Avencia. Katana Avencia showed the highest volume percentage reduction and the roughest surface after toothbrushing. The biaxial flexural strength is shown as: Amber Mill > Katana Avencia > Lava Ultimate > Amber Mill Hybrid > Vita Enamic. All the tested materials exhibited varying degrees of mass loss and surface roughness. The properties of the composite materials are related to the filler content, filler volume, and polymerization methods.
Customer Exposure to Sellers, Probabilistic Optimization and Profit Research
Authors: Chalikias Miltiadis , Lalou Panagiota , Skordoulis Michalis
Published: July 2019

This paper deals with a probabilistic problem in which there is a specific probability for a customer to meet a seller in a specified area. It is assumed that the area in which a seller acts follows an exponential distribution and affects the probability of meeting with a customer. Furthermore, the range in which a customer can meet a seller is another parameter which affects the probability of a successful meeting. The solution to the problem is based on a bomb fragmentation model using Lagrange equations. More specifically, using Lagrange equations, the abovementioned dimensions will be calculated in order to optimize the probability of a customer meeting a seller.
The Forex Trading System for Speculation with Constant Magnitude of Unit Return
Authors: Piasecki Krzysztof , Stasiak Michał Dominik
Published: July 2019

The main purpose of this article is to investigate a speculative trading system with a constant magnitude of return rate. We consider speculative operations related to the exchange rate given as the quotient of the base exchange medium by the quoted currency. An exchange medium is understood as any currency or any precious metal. The unit return is defined as the return expressed in the quoted currency by the amount of base exchange medium. All possible states of the exchange market form a finite elemental space. All knowledge about the dynamics of this market is presented as a prediction table describing the conditional probability distributions of incoming exchange rate changes. On the other hand, in the proposed trading system each speculative operation is concluded in such a way that the gross payment is determined by the given magnitude of unit return. The paper contains an analysis of the following evaluation criteria: annual number of transaction, success probability, expected unit payment, expected unit profit, risk index, unit risk premium, return rate, interest rate, and interest risk premium. Both of these indices can be used to select the effective trading systems. Effectiveness is considered in the local sense and in the global sense.
Gliotoxin Enhances Autophagic Cell Death via the DAPK1-TAp63 Signaling Pathway in Paclitaxel-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cells
Authors: Park Ga-Bin , Jeong Jee-Yeong , Kim Daejin
Published: July 2019

Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) expression induced by diverse death stimuli mediates apoptotic activity in various cancers, including ovarian cancer. In addition, mutual interaction between the tumor suppressor p53 and DAPK1 influences survival and death in several cancer cell lines. However, the exact role and connection of DAPK1 and p53 family proteins (p53, p63, and p73) in drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells have not been studied previously. In this study, we investigated whether DAPK1 induction by gliotoxin derived from marine fungus regulates the level of transcriptionally active p63 (TAp63) to promote apoptosis in an autophagy-dependent manner. Pre-exposure of paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells to gliotoxin inhibited the expression of multidrug resistant-associated proteins (MDR1 and MRP1-3), disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis through autophagy induction after subsequent treatment with paclitaxel. Gene silencing of DAPK1 prevented TAp63-mediated downregulation of MDR1 and MRP1-3 and autophagic cell death after sequential treatment with gliotoxin and then paclitaxel. However, pretreatment with 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor, had no effect on the levels of DAPK1 and TAp63 or on the inhibition of MDR1 and MRP1-3. These results suggest that DAPK1-mediated TAp63 upregulation is one of the critical pathways that induce apoptosis in chemoresistant cancer cells.
Identification of A Novel Antibacterial Peptide from Atlantic Mackerel belonging to the GAPDH-Related Antimicrobial Family and Its In Vitro Digestibility
Authors: Offret Clément , Fliss Ismaïl , Bazinet Laurent , Marette André , Beaulieu Lucie
Published: July 2019

The Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, is one of the most fished species in the world, but it is still largely used for low-value products, such as bait; mainly for crustacean fishery. This resource could be transformed into products of high value and may offer new opportunities for the discovery of bioactive molecules. Mackerel hydrolysate was investigated to discover antibacterial peptides with biotechnological potential. The proteolytic process generated a hydrolysate composed of 96% proteinaceous compounds with molecular weight lower than 7 kDa. From the whole hydrolysate, antibacterial activity was detected against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. After solid phase extraction, purification of the active fraction led to the identification of 4 peptide sequences by mass spectrometry. The peptide sequence N-KVEIVAINDPFIDL-C, called Atlantic Mackerel GAPDH-related peptide (AMGAP), was selected for chemical synthesis to confirm the antibacterial activity and to evaluate its stability through in vitro digestibility. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of AMGAP revealed that Listeria strains were the most sensitive, suggesting potential as food-preservative to prevent bacterial growth. In addition, in vitro digestibility experiments found rapid (after 20 min) and early digestibility (stomach). This study highlights the biotechnological potential of mackerel hydrolysate due to the presence of the antibacterial AMGAP peptide.
Phytochemical Analysis, Ephedra Procera C. A. Mey. Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles, Their Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Potentials
Authors: Nasar Muhammad Qasim , Khalil Ali Talha , Ali Muhammad , Shah Mehwish , Ayaz Muhammad , Shinwari Zabta Khan
Published: July 2019

Background and Objectives: The current study focuses on an eco-friendly and cost-effective method of Ephedra procera C. A. Mey. mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles as potential cytotoxic, antimicrobial and anti-oxidant agents. Materials and Methods: Plant aqueous extracts were screened for Total Phenolic (TPC), Total Flavonoid contents (TFC), Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging potentials. Total reducing power estimated by potassium ferricyanide colorimetric assay. The biosynthesized E. procera nanoparticles (EpNPs) were characterized by UV-spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy. EpNPs were evaluated for their antimicrobial, bio-compatibility and cytotoxic potentials. Results: Initial phytocheimcal analysis of plant aqueous extract revealed TFC of 20.7 ± 0.21 µg/mg extract and TPC of 117.01 ± 0.78 µg/mg extract. TAC, DPPH free radical scavenging and reducing power were 73.8 ± 0.32 µg/mg extract, 71.8 ± 0.73% and 105.4 ± 0.65 µg/mg extract respectively. The synthesized EpNPs were observed to possess high cytotoxicity against HepG2 cancer cell lines with IC50 (61.3 µg/mL) as compared aqueous extract with IC50 of (247 µg/mL). EpNPs were found to be biocompatible and have less effect on human erythrocytes. EpNPs exhibited significant antioxidant potentials and exhibited considerable activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) of 11.12 μg/mL and 11.33 μg/mL respectively. Fungal species Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus were found susceptible to EpNPs. Conclusions: Results of the current study revealed that EpNPs exhibited considerable antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic potentials. Aqueous extract possesses significant anti-radical properties and thus can be useful in free radicals induced degenerative disorders.
Radioprotective Effect of Hesperidin: A Systematic Review
Authors: Musa Ahmed Eleojo , Omyan Gilnaz , Esmaely Farid , Shabeeb Dheyauldeen
Published: July 2019

Background and objectives: Ionizing radiation (IR) has been of immense benefit to man, especially for medical purposes (diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy). However, the risks of toxicity in healthy normal cells, leading to cellular damage as well as early and late side effects, have been major drawbacks. The aim of this study was to evaluate the radioprotective effect of hesperidin against IR-induced damage. Materials and Methods: The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) were applied in reporting this study. A search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and www.ClinicalTrials.gov for information about completed or ongoing clinical trials. Results: From our search results, 24 studies involving rats, mice, and cultured human and animal cells were included. An experimental case—control design was used in all studies. The studies showed that the administration of hesperidin reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in all investigated tissues. Furthermore, it increased 30-day and 60-day survival rates and protected against DNA damage. The best radioprotection was obtained when hesperidin was administered before irradiation. Conclusions: The results of the included studies support the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic abilities of hesperidin as a potential radioprotective agent against IR-induced damage. We recommend future clinical trials for more insights.
Ultrasonic Vibration as a Primary Mixing Tool in Accelerating Aluminum–Copper Alloys Preparation from Their Pure Elements
Authors: Muhrat Abdulsalam , Puga Hélder , Barbosa Joaquim
Published: July 2019

In this study, ultrasonic vibration (USV) was evaluated in preparation of Al–8wt.%Cu alloys at a lab-scale. Moreover, the role of Ti–6Al–4V sonotrode erosion and its contribution in grain refining were analyzed. Based on the experimental conditions/parameters, it was found that the amount of impurities and the associated porosity were significantly reduced in USV treated alloys. Furthermore, USV reduced the time needed for dissolving the alloying element Cu, nevertheless, the best dissolving of Cu in this study was not possible without introducing further holding time. As a result of using a titanium-based sonotrode, a noticeable content of Ti was found in the ultrasonically treated alloys due to sonotrode erosion under USV. The dispersion of TiAl3 promoted, as a main factor, a grain refining effect at relatively constant and high melt temperature, other possible mechanisms of grain refining have been discussed.
Functional and Pharmacological Analyses of the Role of Penicillium digitatum Proteases on Virulence
Authors: Ballester Ana-Rosa , López-Pérez Mario , de la Fuente Beatriz , González-Candelas Luis
Published: July 2019

Penicillium digitatum is the major postharvest pathogen of citrus fruit under Mediterranean climate conditions. Previous results have shown that proteases is the largest enzyme family induced by P. digitatum during fruit infection. In the present work, we addressed the study of the role of P. digitatum’s proteases in virulence following two complementary approaches. In the first approach, we undertook the functional characterization of the P. digitatum prtT gene, which codes for a putative transcription factor previously shown to regulate extracellular proteases in other filamentous fungi. Deletion of prtT caused a significant loss in secreted protease activity during in vitro growth assays. However, there was no effect on virulence. Gene expression of the two major secreted acid proteases was barely affected in the ΔprtT deletant during infection of citrus fruit. Hence, no conclusion could be drawn on the role of these secreted acidic proteases on the virulence of P. digitatum. In the second approach, we studied the effect of different protease inhibitors and chelators on virulence. Co-inoculation of citrus fruit with P. digitatum conidia and a cocktail of protease inhibitors resulted in almost a complete absence of disease development. Analysis of individual inhibitors revealed that the metalloprotease inhibitor, 1,10-phenanthroline, was responsible for the observed effect. The application of metal ions reverted the protective effect caused by the metallopeptidase inhibitor. These results may set the basis for the development of new alternative treatments to combat this important postharvest pathogen.
Factors Controlling Hydrothermal Nickel and Cobalt Mineralization—Some Suggestions from Historical Ore Deposits in Italy
Authors: Moroni Marilena , Rossetti Piergiorgio , Naitza Stefano , Magnani Lorenzo , Ruggieri Giovanni , Aquino Andrea , Tartarotti Paola , Franklin Andrea , Ferrari Elena , Castelli Daniele , Oggiano Giacomo , Secchi Francesco
Published: July 2019

We compare three poorly known, historical Ni–Co-bearing hydrothermal deposits in different geological settings in Italy: The Ni–Co–As–Sb–Au-bearing Arburese vein system (SW Sardinia), the Co–Ni–As-rich Usseglio vein system (Piedmont), and the small Cu–Ag–Co–Ni–Pb–Te–Se stockwork at Piazza (Liguria). These deposits share various (mineralogical, chemical, thermal, and stable isotopic) similarities to the Five Element Vein-type ores but only the first two were economic for Co–Ni. The Sardinian Ni-rich veins occur in Paleozoic basement near two Variscan plutons. Like the Co-rich Usseglio vein system, the uneconomic Piazza deposit is hosted in an ophiolite setting anomalous for Co. The Sardinian and Usseglio deposits share a polyphasic assemblage with Ni–Co–As–Sb–Bi followed by Ag-base metal sulfides, in siderite-rich gangue, whereas Piazza shows As-free, Ag–Pb–Te–Se-bearing Co–Ni–Cu sulfides, in prehnite–chlorite gangue. Fluid inclusions indicated Co–Ni arsenide precipitation at ≈170 °C for Usseglio, whereas for the Sardinian system late sulfide deposition occurred within the 52–126 °C range. Ore fluids in both systems are NaCl-CaCl2-bearing basinal brines. The chlorite geothermometer at Piazza provides the range of 200–280 °C for ore deposition from CO2-poor fluids. Enrichments in Se and negative δ13C in carbonates suggest interaction with carbonaceous shales. These deposits involve issues about source rocks, controls on Co/Ni and possible role of arsenic and carbonate components towards economic mineralization.
Marine Organisms as Potential Sources of Bioactive Peptides that Inhibit the Activity of Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme: A Review
Authors: Pujiastuti Dwi Yuli , Ghoyatul Amin Muhamad Nur , Alamsjah Mochammad Amin , Hsu Jue-Liang
Published: July 2019

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a paramount therapeutic target to treat hypertension. ACE inhibitory peptides derived from food protein sources are regarded as safer alternatives to synthetic antihypertensive drugs for treating hypertension. Recently, marine organisms have started being pursued as sources of potential ACE inhibitory peptides. Marine organisms such as fish, shellfish, seaweed, microalgae, molluscs, crustaceans, and cephalopods are rich sources of bioactive compounds because of their high-value metabolites with specific activities and promising health benefits. This review aims to summarize the studies on peptides from different marine organisms and focus on the potential ability of these peptides to inhibit ACE activity.
Anticancer Function and ROS-Mediated Multi-Targeting Anticancer Mechanisms of Copper (II) 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde Complexes
Authors: Khan Muhammad , Cai Meiling , Deng Jungang , Yu Ping , Liang Hong , Yang Feng
Published: July 2019

Multi-targeting of oncoproteins by a single molecule represents an effectual, rational, and an alternative approach to target therapy. We carried out a systematic study to reveal the mechanisms of action of newly synthesized Cu2+ compounds of 2-naphthalenol and 1-(((2-pyridinylmethyl)imino)methyl)- (C1 and C2). The antiproliferative activity of the as-synthesized complexes in three human cancer cell lines indicates their potential as multi-targeted antitumor agents. Relatively, C1 and C2 showed better efficacy in vitro relative to Cisplatin and presented promising levels of toxicity against A-549 cells. On the whole, the Cu2+ complexes exhibited chemotherapeutic effects by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and arresting the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase by competent regulation of cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinases. Fascinatingly, the Cu2+ complexes were shown to activate the apoptotic and autophagic pathways in A-549 cells. These complexes effectively induced endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis, inhibited topoisomerase-1, and damaged cancer DNA through a ROS-mediated mechanism. The synthesized Cu2+ complexes established ROS-mediated targeting of multiple cell signaling pathways as a fabulous route for the inhibition of cancer cell growth.
Non-K Region Disubstituted Pyrenes (1,3-, 1,6- and 1,8-) by (Hetero)Aryl Groups—Review
Authors: Zych Dawid
Published: July 2019

Disubstituted pyrenes at the non-K region by the same or different (hetero)aryl groups have proven to be an increasingly interesting area of research for scientists over the last decade due to their optical and photophysical properties. However, in this area, there is no systematization of the structures and synthesis methods nor their limitations. In this review, all approaches to the synthesis of these compounds, starting from the commercially available pyrene are described. Herein, the ways of obtaining of disubstituted intermediates based on bromination and acylation reaction are presented. This is crucial in the determination of the possibility of further functionalization by using coupling, cycloaddition, condensation, etc. reactions. Moreover, the application of disubstituted pyrenes in the synthesis of 1,3,6,8-tetrasubstituted was also reviewed. This review describes the directions of research on chemistry of disubstituted pyrenes.
Citicoline: A Superior Form of Choline?
Authors: Synoradzki Kamil , Grieb Paweł
Published: July 2019

Medicines containing citicoline (cytidine-diphosphocholine) as an active principle have been marketed since the 1970s as nootropic and psychostimulant drugs available on prescription. Recently, the inner salt variant of this substance was pronounced a food ingredient in the major world markets. However, in the EU no nutrition or health claim has been authorized for use in commercial communications concerning its properties. Citicoline is considered a dietetic source of choline and cytidine. Cytidine does not have any health claim authorized either, but there are claims authorized for choline, concerning its contribution to normal lipid metabolism, maintenance of normal liver function, and normal homocysteine metabolism. The applicability of these claims to citicoline is discussed, leading to the conclusion that the issue is not a trivial one. Intriguing data, showing that on a molar mass basis citicoline is significantly less toxic than choline, are also analyzed. It is hypothesized that, compared to choline moiety in other dietary sources such as phosphatidylcholine, choline in citicoline is less prone to conversion to trimethylamine (TMA) and its putative atherogenic N-oxide (TMAO). Epidemiological studies have suggested that choline supplementation may improve cognitive performance, and for this application citicoline may be safer and more efficacious.
Comparisons of Visceral Adiposity Index, Body Shape Index, Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference and Their Associations with Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
Authors: Wei Junxiang , Liu Xin , Xue Hong , Wang Youfa , Shi Zumin
Published: July 2019

The associations between visceral adiposity index (VAI), body shape index and diabetes in adults were inconsistent. We assessed the predictive capacity of VAI and body shape index for diabetes by comparing them with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). We used the data of 5838 Chinese men and women aged ≥18 years from the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the independent associations between Chinese VAI (CVAI) or body shape index and diabetes. The predictive power of the two indices was assessed using the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and compared with those of BMI and WC. Both CVAI and body shape index were positively associated with diabetes. The odds ratios for diabetes were 4.9 (2.9–8.1) and 1.8 (1.2–2.8) in men, and 14.2 (5.3–38.2) and 2.0 (1.3–3.1) in women for the highest quartile of CVAI and body shape index, respectively. The area under the ROC (AUC) and Youden index for CVAI was the highest among all four obesity indicators, whereas BMI and WC are better indicators for diabetes screening. Higher CVAI and body shape index scores are independently associated with diabetes risk. CVAI has a higher overall diabetes diagnostic ability than BMI, WC and body shape index in Chinese adults. BMI and WC, however, are more appealing as screening indicators considering their easy use.
Iminosugars: Effects of Stereochemistry, Ring Size, and N-Substituents on Glucosidase Activities
Authors: Zamoner Luís O. B. , Aragão-Leoneti Valquiria , Carvalho Ivone
Published: July 2019

N-substituted iminosugar analogues are potent inhibitors of glucosidases and glycosyltransferases with broad therapeutic applications, such as treatment of diabetes and Gaucher disease, immunosuppressive activities, and antibacterial and antiviral effects against HIV, HPV, hepatitis C, bovine diarrhea (BVDV), Ebola (EBOV) and Marburg viruses (MARV), influenza, Zika, and dengue virus. Based on our previous work on functionalized isomeric 1,5-dideoxy-1,5-imino-D-gulitol (L-gulo-piperidines, with inverted configuration at C-2 and C-5 in respect to glucose or deoxynojirimycin (DNJ)) and 1,6-dideoxy-1,6-imino-D-mannitol (D-manno-azepane derivatives) cores N-linked to different sites of glucopyranose units, we continue our studies on these alternative iminosugars bearing simple N-alkyl chains instead of glucose to understand if these easily accessed scaffolds could preserve the inhibition profile of the corresponding glucose-based N-alkyl derivatives as DNJ cores found in miglustat and miglitol drugs. Thus, a small library of iminosugars (14 compounds) displaying different stereochemistry, ring size, and N-substitutions was successfully synthesized from a common precursor, D-mannitol, by utilizing an SN2 aminocyclization reaction via two isomeric bis-epoxides. The evaluation of the prospective inhibitors on glucosidases revealed that merely D-gluco-piperidine (miglitol, 41a) and L-ido-azepane (41b) DNJ-derivatives bearing the N-hydroxylethyl group showed inhibition towards α-glucosidase with IC50 41 µM and 138 µM, respectively, using DNJ as reference (IC50 134 µM). On the other hand, β-glucosidase inhibition was achieved for glucose-inverted configuration (C-2 and C-5) derivatives, as novel L-gulo-piperidine (27a) and D-manno-azepane (27b), preserving the N-butyl chain, with IC50 109 and 184 µM, respectively, comparable to miglustat with the same N-butyl substituent (40a, IC50 172 µM). Interestingly, the seven-membered ring L-ido-azepane (40b) displayed near twice the activity (IC50 80 µM) of the corresponding D-gluco-piperidine miglustat drug (40a). Furthermore, besides α-glucosidase inhibition, both miglitol (41a) and L-ido-azepane (41b) proved to be the strongest β-glucosidase inhibitors of the series with IC50 of 4 µM.
The NAC Protein from Tamarix hispida, ThNAC7, Confers Salt and Osmotic Stress Tolerance by Increasing Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Capability
Authors: He Zihang , Li Ziyi , Lu Huijun , Huo Lin , Wang Zhibo , Wang Yucheng , Ji Xiaoyu
Published: July 2019

Plant specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in response to abiotic stress. In this study, we identified and characterized a NAC protein, ThNAC7, from Tamarix hispida. ThNAC7 is a nuclear localized protein and has transcriptional activation activity. ThNAC7 expression was markedly induced by salt and osmotic stresses. Transiently transformed T. hispida seedlings overexpressing ThNAC7 (OE) or with RNA interference (RNAi) silenced ThNAC7 were generated to investigate abiotic stress tolerance via the gain- and loss- of function. Overexpressing ThNAC7 showed an increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capabilities and proline content, which was accomplished by enhancing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) in transiently transformed T. hispida and stably transformed Arabidopsis plants. Additionally, ThNAC7 activated these physiological changes by regulating the transcription level of P5CS, SOD and POD genes. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) comparison between wild-type and ThNAC7-transformed Arabidopsis showed that more than 40 known salt tolerance genes might regulated by ThNAC7, including stress tolerance-related genes and TF genes. The results indicated that ThNAC7 induces the transcription level of genes associated with stress tolerance to enhance salt and osmotic stress tolerance via an increase in osmotic potential and enhanced ROS scavenging.
Applications of the COST Plasma Jet: More than a Reference Standard
Authors: Gorbanev Yury , Golda Judith , Gathen Volker Schulz-von der , Bogaerts Annemie
Published: July 2019

The rapid advances in the field of cold plasma research led to the development of many plasma jets for various purposes. The COST plasma jet was created to set a comparison standard between different groups in Europe and the world. Its physical and chemical properties are well studied, and diagnostics procedures are developed and benchmarked using this jet. In recent years, it has been used for various research purposes. Here, we present a brief overview of the reported applications of the COST plasma jet. Additionally, we discuss the chemistry of the plasma-liquid systems with this plasma jet, and the properties that make it an indispensable system for plasma research.
Study of High Performance Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone Composite Electrolyte Membranes
Authors: Wu Gwomei , Lin Sheng-Jen , Hsu I-Chan , Su Juin-Yih , Chen Dave W.
Published: July 2019

In this study, high performance composite electrolyte membranes were prepared from polyether ether ketone polymeric material. An initial sulfonation reaction improved the membrane hydrophilicity and its water absorbability and thus enhanced the ionic conductivity in electrochemical cells. Protonic conductivity was improved from 10−4 to 10−2 S cm−1 with an increasing sulfonation time from 72 to 175 h. The effects of blending nano SiO2 into the composite membranes were devoted to improve thermal and mechanical properties, as well as methanol permeability. Methanol permeability was reduced to 3.1 × 10−7 cm2 s−1. Finally, a further improvement in ionic conductivity was carried out by a supercritical carbon dioxide treatment under 20 MPa at 40°C for 30 min with an optimum SiO2 blend ratio of 10 wt-%. The plasticizing effect by the Lewis acid-base interaction between CO2 and electron donor species on polymer chains decreased the glass transition and melting temperatures. The results show that sulfonated composite membranes blended with SiO2 and using a supercritical carbon dioxide treatment exhibit a lower glass transition temperature, higher ionic conductivity, lower methanol permeability, good thermal stability, and strong mechanical properties. Ionic conductivity was improved to 1.55 × 10−2 S cm−1. The ion exchange capacity and the degree of sulfonation were also investigated.
How to Improve the Quality and Speed of Green New Product Development?
Authors: Yin Shi , Li Baizhou , Zhang Xiaoyan , Zhang Meili
Published: July 2019

With the deep integration of supply chain with Internet and Internet of things, it is an important way for enterprises to win market competition and seek sustainable development to develop green new products through external green supply chain integration (GSCI). This study established a unified research framework of external GSCI, knowledge spiral (KS), green new product development (NPD), and top management’s environmental awareness (TMEA). Structural equation modeling and analytic hierarchy process are used to explore the mechanism of the established research framework. The research results of this paper are as follows: (i) Green supplier integration (SI) and green consumer integration (CI) have significant positive effects on green NPD speed (GS), green NPD quality (GQ), and KS, and KS has a significant positive effect on GS and GS, respectively. Compared with green CI, green SI has a greater impact on KS, GS, and GQ. In addition, compared with GS, KS has a greater impact on GQ; (ii) KS has a significant partial mediating effect in the relationship between green CI, GS, and GQ. Compared with GS, KS has stronger mediating effect between green CI and GQ. Compared with green SI, the equivalent KS capability is more significant in integrating green customer information; (iii) TMEA has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between KS, and GQ and has no significant moderating effect on the relationship between KS and GS. Future research will analyze the mediating effect of the four dimensions of KS in the relationship between external GSCM and the green NPD speed and green NPD quality.
Making the Most of Parameter Estimation: Terpolymerization Troubleshooting Tips
Authors: Scott Alison J. , Gabriel Vida A. , Dubé Marc A. , Penlidis Alexander
Published: July 2019

Multi-component polymers can provide many advantages over their homopolymer counterparts. Terpolymers are formed from the combination of three unique monomers, thus creating a new material that will exhibit desirable properties based on all three of the original comonomers. To ensure that all three comonomers are incorporated (and to understand and/or predict the degree of incorporation of each comonomer), accurate reactivity ratios are vital. In this study, five terpolymerization studies from the literature are revisited and the ‘ternary’ reactivity ratios are re-estimated. Some recent studies have shown that binary reactivity ratios (that is, from the related copolymer systems) do not always apply to ternary systems. In other reports, binary reactivity ratios are in good agreement with terpolymer data. This investigation allows for the comparison between previously determined binary reactivity ratios and newly estimated ‘ternary’ reactivity ratios for several systems. In some of the case studies presented herein, reactivity ratio estimation directly from terpolymerization data is limited by composition restrictions or ill-conditioned systems. In other cases, we observe similar or improved prediction performance (for ternary systems) when ‘ternary’ reactivity ratios are estimated directly from terpolymerization data (compared to the traditionally used binary reactivity ratios). In order to demonstrate the advantages and challenges associated with ‘ternary’ reactivity ratio estimation, five case studies are presented (with examples and counter-examples) and troubleshooting suggestions are provided to inform future work.
Realization of a Robot System That Plays “Darumasan-Ga-Koronda ” Game with Humans
Authors: Hiroi Yutaka , Ito Akinori
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we describe the development of a robot that plays the “darumasan-ga- koronda” game with human players. It is a big challenge to develop a robot that can play with human players. We first observed the human–human game play and listed the problems for a robot to play the game with human players. We pointed out the following six tasks: detect players, track the detected players, decide if players are freezing (the “out” judgment), move to the nearest player, touch the player, and move back to the original position. Then, we designed a robot that uses a laser range finder (LRF) to measure the players and a robot avatar to interact with the players. Then, we developed the components needed to play the game. In this paper, we describe the details of the development of the arm to touch the player, the “out” judgment, and a function to return to the origin after finishing the game. Then, we describe an experimental result of the evaluation of the total system, as well as the track record of the demonstrations in the events.
Deep PPG: Large-Scale Heart Rate Estimation with Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Reiss Attila , Indlekofer Ina , Schmidt Philip , Van Laerhoven Kristof
Published: July 2019

Photoplethysmography (PPG)-based continuous heart rate monitoring is essential in a number of domains, e.g., for healthcare or fitness applications. Recently, methods based on time-frequency spectra emerged to address the challenges of motion artefact compensation. However, existing approaches are highly parametrised and optimised for specific scenarios of small, public datasets. We address this fragmentation by contributing research into the robustness and generalisation capabilities of PPG-based heart rate estimation approaches. First, we introduce a novel large-scale dataset (called PPG-DaLiA), including a wide range of activities performed under close to real-life conditions. Second, we extend a state-of-the-art algorithm, significantly improving its performance on several datasets. Third, we introduce deep learning to this domain, and investigate various convolutional neural network architectures. Our end-to-end learning approach takes the time-frequency spectra of synchronised PPG- and accelerometer-signals as input, and provides the estimated heart rate as output. Finally, we compare the novel deep learning approach to classical methods, performing evaluation on four public datasets. We show that on large datasets the deep learning model significantly outperforms other methods: The mean absolute error could be reduced by 31 % on the new dataset PPG-DaLiA, and by 21 % on the dataset WESAD.
Carbon-Nanotube-Based Monolithic CMOS Platform for Electrochemical Detection of Neurotransmitter Glutamate
Authors: Dudina Alexandra , Frey Urs , Hierlemann Andreas
Published: July 2019

We present a monolithic biosensor platform, based on carbon-nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs), for the detection of the neurotransmitter glutamate. We used an array of 9′216 CNTFET devices with 96 integrated readout and amplification channels that was realized in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology (CMOS). The detection principle is based on amperometry, where electrochemically active hydrogen peroxide, a product of the enzymatic reaction of the target analyte and an enzyme that was covalently bonded to the CNTFET, modulated the conductance of the CNTFET-based sensors. We assessed the performance of the CNTs as enzymatic sensors by evaluating the minimal resolvable concentration change of glutamate in aqueous solutions. The minimal resolvable concentration change amounted to 10 µM of glutamate, which was one of the best values reported for CMOS-based systems so far.
Investigation of Acoustic Injection on the MPU6050 Accelerometer
Authors: Zhang Yunfan , Li Hui , Shen Shengnan , Zhang Guohao , Yang Yun , Liu Zefeng , Xie Qisen , Gao Chaofu , Zhang Pengfei , Zhao Wu
Published: July 2019

Acoustic injection is one of the most dangerous ways of causing micro-electro–mechanical systems (MEMS) failures. In this paper, the failure mechanism of acoustic injection on the microprocessor unit 6050 (MPU6050) accelerometer is investigated by both experiment and simulation. A testing system was built to analyze the performance of the MPU6050 accelerometer under acoustic injection. A MEMS disassembly method was adopted and a MATLAB program was developed to establish the geometric model of MPU6050. Subsequently, a finite element model of MPU6050 was established. Then, the acoustic impacts on the sensor layer of MPU6050 were studied by acoustic–solid coupling simulations. The effects of sound frequencies, pressures and directions were analyzed. Simulation results are well agreed with the experiments which indicate that MPU6050 is most likely to fail under the sounds of 11,566 Hz. The failure mechanism of MPU6050 under acoustic injection is the relative shift of the capacitor flats caused by acoustic–solid resonance that make the sensor detect false signal and output error data. The stress is focused on the center linkage. MPU6050 can be reliable when the sound pressure is lower than 100 dB.
Software-Defined Doppler Radar Sensor for Human Breathing Detection
Authors: Costanzo Sandra
Published: July 2019

Non-contact wireless sensing approaches have emerged in recent years, in order to enable novel enhanced developments in the framework of healthcare and biomedical scenarios. One of these technologically advanced solutions is given by software-defined radar platforms, a low-cost radar implementation, where all operations are implemented and easily changed via software. In the present paper, a software-defined radar implementation with Doppler elaboration features is presented, to be applied for the non-contact monitoring of human respiration signals. A quadrature receiver I/Q (In-phase/Quadrature) architecture is adopted in order to overcome the critical issues related to the occurrences of null detection points, while the phase-locked loop components included in the software defined radio transceiver are successfully exploited to guarantee the phase correlation between I/Q signal components. The proposed approach leads to a compact, low-cost, and flexible radar solution, whose application abilities may be simply changed via software, with no need for hardware modifications. Experimental results on a human target are discussed so as to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach for vital signs detection.