bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ag2O on ZrO2 as a Recyclable Catalyst for Multicomponent Synthesis of Indenopyrimidine Derivatives
Authors: Bhaskaruni Sandeep V. H. S. , Maddila Suresh , Van Zyl Werner E. , Jonnalagadda Sreekantha B.
Published: July 2018

We describe the synthesis of silver loaded on zirconia and its use as an efficient catalyst for a one-pot three-component reaction to synthesize 11 indenopyrimidine derivatives, of which 7 are new compounds. The procedure involves substituted benzaldehydes, indane-1,3-dione, and guanidinium hydrochloride, with ethanol as solvent. The proposed green protocol at room temperature is simple and efficient, giving excellent yields (90–96%) in short reaction times (<30 min). The protocol works well according to the green chemistry principles with respect to high atom economy, no need for column separation, and reusability of the catalyst, which are attractive features. XRD, TEM, SEM, and BET analysis were used to characterize the catalyst materials.
The Association of Vitamin D Levels with Common Pregnancy Complications
Authors: Dovnik Andraž , Mujezinović Faris
Published: July 2018

The association between vitamin D deficiency and various adverse pregnancy outcomes has been extensively investigated in recent years. The pregnant woman is the only source of vitamin D for the foetus. The main sources of vitamin D for pregnant women are sunlight, fortified dairy products, oily fish and dietary supplements. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with some adverse neonatal outcomes as well as an increased risk of late pregnancy complications. The outcomes of the published studies investigating preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus vary with some large trials suggesting a potential positive effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on the decreased risk of these complications. Research also suggests a possible connection between lower vitamin D concentrations and increased risk of preterm labour. In our manuscript, we aim to review the existing literature regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency, and possible pregnancy complications arising from it.
Phloretin as a Potent Natural TLR2/1 Inhibitor Suppresses TLR2-Induced Inflammation
Authors: Kim Jieun , Durai Prasannavenkatesh , Jeon Dasom , Jung In Duk , Lee Seung Jun , Park Yeong-Min , Kim Yangmee
Published: July 2018

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) responses are involved in various inflammatory immune disorders. Phloretin is a naturally occurring dietary flavonoid that is abundant in fruit. Here, we investigated whether the anti-inflammatory activity of phloretin is mediated through TLR2 pathways, and whether phloretin acts as an inhibitor of TLR2/1 heterodimerization using the TLR2/1 agonist Pam3CSK4. We tested the effects of phloretin on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production induced by various TLRs using known TLR-specific agonists. Phloretin significantly inhibited Pam3CSK4-induced TRL2/1 signaling in Raw264.7 cells compared to TLR signaling induced by the other agonists tested. Therefore, we further tested the effects of phloretin in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293-hTLR2 cells induced by Pam3CSK4, and confirmed that phloretin has comparable inhibition of TLR2/1 heterodimerization to that induced by the known TLR2 inhibitor CU-CPT22. Moreover, phloretin reduced the secretion of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-8 in Pam3CSK4-induced HEK293-hTLR2 cells, whereas it did not significantly reduce these cytokines under Pam2CSK4-induced activation. Western blot results showed that phloretin significantly suppressed Pam3CSK4-induced TLR2 and NF-κB p65 expression. The molecular interactions between phloretin and TLR2 were investigated using bio-layer interferometry and in silico docking. Phloretin bound to TLR2 with micromolar binding affinity, and we proposed a binding model of phloretin at the TLR2–TLR1 interface. Overall, we confirmed that phloretin inhibits the heterodimerization of TLR2/1, highlighting TLR2 signaling as a therapeutic target for treating TLR2-mediated inflammatory immune diseases.
Para-probiotics for Preterm Neonates—The Next Frontier
Authors: Deshpande Girish , Athalye-Jape Gayatri , Patole Sanjay
Published: July 2018

Current evidence supports the use of probiotics in preterm neonates for prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis, mortality and late onset sepsis. Despite the strong evidence, the uptake of this intervention has not been universal due to concerns including probiotic sepsis, pro-inflammatory response and transmission of antibiotic resistance. Critically ill extremely preterm neonates with potentially compromised gut integrity are at higher risk of probiotic sepsis due to translocation. In most countries, probiotics are sold as food supplements with poor quality control. The traditional definition of probiotics as “live microorganisms” has been challenged as many experts have questioned the importance of viability in the context of the beneficial effects of probiotics. Paraprobiotics (ghost probiotics), are defined as non-viable microbial cells (intact or broken) or crude cell extracts (i.e., with complex chemical composition), which, when administered (orally or topically) in adequate amounts, confer a benefit on the human or animal consumer. Current evidence indicates that paraprobiotics could be safe alternatives to probiotics in preterm neonates. High-quality pre-clinical and clinical studies including adequately powered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are warranted in preterm neonates to explore this new frontier.
Beet Stalks and Leaves (Beta vulgaris L.) Protect Against High-Fat Diet-Induced Oxidative Damage in the Liver in Mice
Authors: Lorizola Isabela M. , Furlan Cibele P. B. , Portovedo Mariana , Milanski Marciane , Botelho Patrícia B. , Bezerra Rosângela M. N. , Sumere Beatriz R. , Rostagno Maurício A. , Capitani Caroline D.
Published: July 2018

Some flavonoids identified in beet stalks can help the antioxidant endogenous defenses during a chronic inflammation process. The current study investigates the effect of polyphenols present in beet stalks and leaves on liver oxidative damage in mice fed a high-fat diet (HF). The control (CT) or HF diet groups were supplemented with dehydrated beet stalks and leaves (SL) or beet stalk and leaf ethanolic extract (EX). In terms of Vitexin-rhaminoside equivalents (VRE), EX groups received ~5.91 mg of VRE·100 g−1 diet, while the SL groups received ~3.07 mg VRE·100 g−1 diet. After 8 weeks, we evaluated fasting blood glucose; cholesterol, hepatic Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and hepatic Glutathione (GSH), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Glutathione reductase (GR) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Dehydrated beet stalks and leaves (HFSL) attenuated the deleterious effects of a HF diet on lipid metabolism, reduced fasting blood glucose levels, ameliorated cholesterol levels and reduced GPx and GR activities (p < 0.05) compared to the HF group. However; the addition of ethanolic extract from beet stalks and leaves was unable (p > 0.05) to prevent the liver damage caused by HF diet in mice. The presence of flavonoids, such as Vitexin derivatives in beet stalks and leaves can help the liver damage induced by HF diet.
CraterIDNet: An End-to-End Fully Convolutional Neural Network for Crater Detection and Identification in Remotely Sensed Planetary Images
Authors: Wang Hao , Jiang Jie , Zhang Guangjun
Published: July 2018

The detection and identification of impact craters on a planetary surface are crucially important for planetary studies and autonomous navigation. Crater detection refers to finding craters in a given image, whereas identification means to actually mapping them to particular reference craters. However, no method is available for simultaneously detecting and identifying craters with sufficient accuracy and robustness. Thus, this study proposes a novel end-to-end fully convolutional neural network (CNN), namely, CraterIDNet, which takes remotely sensed planetary images of any size as input and outputs detected crater positions, apparent diameters, and identification results. CraterIDNet comprises two pipelines, namely, crater detection pipeline (CDP) and crater identification pipeline (CIP). First, we propose a pre-trained model with high generalization performance for transfer learning. Then, anchor scale optimization and anchor density adjustment are proposed for CDP. In addition, multi-scale impact craters are detected simultaneously by using different feature maps with multi-scale receptive fields. These strategies considerably improve the detection performance of small craters. Furthermore, a grid pattern layer is proposed to generate grid patterns with rotation and scale invariance for CIP. The grid pattern integrates the distribution and scale information of nearby craters, which will remarkably improve identification robustness when combined with the CNN framework. We comprehensively evaluate CraterIDNet and present state-of-the-art crater detection and identification performance with a small network architecture (4 MB).
A Fast Dense Spectral–Spatial Convolution Network Framework for Hyperspectral Images Classification
Authors: Wang Wenju , Dou Shuguang , Jiang Zhongmin , Sun Liujie
Published: July 2018

Recent research shows that deep-learning-derived methods based on a deep convolutional neural network have high accuracy when applied to hyperspectral image (HSI) classification, but long training times. To reduce the training time and improve accuracy, in this paper we propose an end-to-end fast dense spectral–spatial convolution (FDSSC) framework for HSI classification. The FDSSC framework uses different convolutional kernel sizes to extract spectral and spatial features separately, and the “valid” convolution method to reduce the high dimensions. Densely-connected structures—the input of each convolution consisting of the output of all previous convolution layers—was used for deep learning of features, leading to extremely accurate classification. To increase speed and prevent overfitting, the FDSSC framework uses a dynamic learning rate, parametric rectified linear units, batch normalization, and dropout layers. These attributes enable the FDSSC framework to achieve accuracy within as few as 80 epochs. The experimental results show that with the Indian Pines, Kennedy Space Center, and University of Pavia datasets, the proposed FDSSC framework achieved state-of-the-art performance compared with existing deep-learning-based methods while significantly reducing the training time.
An Exploration of Terrain Effects on Land Surface Phenology across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Using Landsat ETM+ and OLI Data
Authors: An Shuai , Zhang Xiaoyang , Chen Xiaoqiu , Yan Dong , Henebry Geoffrey M.
Published: July 2018

Detecting spatial patterns of land surface phenology (LSP) with high spatial and temporal resolutions is crucial for accurately estimating phenological response and feedback to climate change and biogeochemical cycles. Numerous studies have revealed LSP across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) using a variety of coarse-resolution satellite data. However, detailed phenological spatial patterns along with changes of mountain topography remain poorly understood, which greatly limits efforts to predict the impacts of climate change on vegetation growth and ecosystem productivity in complex terrain regions. Combining Landsat 7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) and Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) observations in overlapping zones of adjacent images, this study detected Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)-based LSP metrics at a spatial resolution of 30 m, and explored how LSP varied with topographic factors along a 2600 km belt transect of the central QTP. The results show that the greenup onset date showed a delayed tendency with the increase of elevation at a mean rate of 1.52 days/100 m, while the dormancy onset date indicated an advanced tendency at a mean rate of −0.59 days/100 m. In general, greenup onset date was later but dormancy onset date was earlier on shaded slopes than on sunlit slopes in the meadow area. By contrast, greenup onset date did not significantly depend on aspect in the steppe area, while dormancy onset date indicated a similar response to aspect in the steppe area with that in the meadow area. With regard to the effect of slope on vegetation phenology in the meadow area, greenup onset date was significantly delayed but dormancy onset date significantly advanced with the increase of slope on both north and south slopes. In the steppe area, however, the influence pattern of slope on vegetation phenology was the opposite. Essentially, effects of topographical parameters on LSP were controlled by temperature and moisture combinations in complex terrain.
Nonlinear Flow Sensor Calibration with an Accurate Syringe
Authors: Biselli Paolo Jose Cesare , Nóbrega Raquel Siqueira , Soriano Francisco Garcia
Published: July 2018

Flow sensors are required for monitoring patients on mechanical ventilation and in respiratory research. Proper calibration is important for ensuring accuracy and can be done with a precision syringe. This procedure, however, becomes complex for nonlinear flow sensors, which are commonly used. The objective of the present work was to develop an algorithm to allow the calibration of nonlinear flow sensors using an accurate syringe. We first noticed that a power law equation could properly fit the pressure-flow relationship of nonlinear flow sensors. We then developed a software code to estimate the parameters for this equation using a 3 L syringe (calibration syringe). Finally, we tested the performance of a calibrated flow sensor using a different 3 L syringe (testing syringe) and a commercially available spirometer. After calibration, the sensor had a bias ranging from −1.7% to 3.0% and precision from 0.012 L to 0.039 L for volumes measured with the 3 L testing syringe. Calibrated sensor performance was at least as good as the commercial sensor. This calibration procedure can be done at the bedside for both clinical and research purposes, therefore improving the accuracy of nonlinear flow sensors.
Future Perspectives of Biomass Torrefaction: Review of the Current State-Of-The-Art and Research Development
Authors: Ribeiro Jorge Miguel Carneiro , Godina Radu , Matias João Carlos de Oliveira , Nunes Leonel Jorge Ribeiro
Published: July 2018

The growing search for alternative energy sources is not only due to the present shortage of non-renewable energy sources, but also due to their negative environmental impacts. Therefore, a lot of attention is drawn to the use of biomass as a renewable energy source. However, using biomass in its natural state has not proven to be an efficient technique, giving rise to a wide range of processing treatments that enhance the properties of biomass as an energy source. Torrefaction is a thermal process that enhances the properties of biomass through its thermal decomposition at temperatures between 200 and 300 °C. The torrefaction process is defined by several parameters, which also have impacts on the final quality of the torrefied biomass. The final quality is measured by considering parameters, such as humidity, heating value (HV), and grindability. Studies have focused on maximizing the torrefied biomass’ quality using the best possible combination for the different parameters. The main objective of this article is to present new information regarding the conventional torrefaction process, as well as study the innovative techniques that have been in development for the improvement of the torrefied biomass qualities. With this study, conclusions were made regarding the importance of torrefaction in the energy field, after considering the economic status of this renewable resource. The importance of the torrefaction parameters on the final properties of torrefied biomass was also highly considered, as well as the importance of the reactor scales for the definition of ideal protocols.
Multi-Criteria Life Cycle Approach to Develop Weighting of Sustainability Indicators for Pavement
Authors: Yang Shih-Hsien , Liu Jack Yen Hung , Tran Nam Hoai
Published: July 2018

In the past decade, sustainable practices have been adopted in transportation infrastructure projects to reduce adverse environmental effects. To evaluate the sustainability levels of engineering projects holistically, rating systems have been developed to assess and reward points based on various sustainable best practices (indicators). This study aimed to establish a systematic methodology to weight indicators related to materials and resources most commonly used by various transportation infrastructure rating systems based on their contributions to sustainability. A multi-criteria approach for assessing the indicators based on three criteria, indicator performance, environment, and cost, was designed. The criteria were then used to evaluate the indicators and assessed points based on their contributions toward sustainability. Results revealed that state-of-the-art engineering practices could differentiate weighting of points from the typical linear point increase that is traditionally used. In addition, a maximum cap is crucial to ensure that some indicators do not end up being weighted disproportionately.
Management of Power Quality Issues from an Economic Point of View
Authors: Beleiu Horia Gheorghe , Beleiu Ioana Natalia , Pavel Sorin Gheorghe , Darab Cosmin Pompei
Published: July 2018

In a context with an increased level of competitiveness, companies are more and more interested in aspects concerning sustainable development. The implications of inadequate power quality (PQ) can determine important financial losses and influence companies’ sustainable development through the generated effects. This article aims to facilitate the management of PQ by proposing a method for estimating the economic consequences of a poor PQ, with priority for the disturbances with significant economic effects. To determine the total cost for each type of PQ perturbation that may occur a classification of cost categories was made such as interruptions, process slowdowns, equipment failure, equipment downtime, reduced energy efficiency, lower product quality, lower labor productivity, and other indirect costs. Each PQ disturbance affects the final end-user differently. For calculating the total value for each type of PQ issues, different calculation formulas have been proposed so that each perturbation includes only those components associated with that perturbation. A case study was used to validate the proposed method. Also, the paper includes a technical and economic analysis of the possible compensation solutions for PQ disturbances that may affect the studied company. In conclusion, an understanding of PQ issues’ consequences and an appropriate approach to PQ compensation solutions can be beneficial to any electrical power end-user.
Extracting Shipping Route Patterns by Trajectory Clustering Model Based on Automatic Identification System Data
Authors: Sheng Pan , Yin Jingbo
Published: July 2018

Shipping route analysis is essential for vessel traffic management and relies on professional technical facilities for collecting and recording specific information about vessel behaviors. The recent Automatic Identification System (AIS) onboard has been made available to provide ship-related information for the research. However, the complexity and large quantity of AIS data overload traditional surveillance operations and increase the difficulty of vessel traffic analysis. An unsupervised approach is urgently desired to effectively convert the raw AIS data to regular shipping route patterns. In this paper, we proposed a trajectory clustering model based on AIS data to analyze the shipping routes. The whole model consists of four parts: Data preprocessing, structure similarity measurement, clustering, and representative trajectory extraction. Our model comprehensively considered the geospatial information and contextual features of ship trajectory. The revised density-based clustering algorithm could automatically classify different shipping routes with trajectory features without prior knowledge. The experimental evaluation showed the effectiveness of the proposed model by real AIS data from Port of Tianjin. The results contribute to the further understanding of shipping route patterns and assists maritime authorities and the officers in stable and sustainable vessel traffic management.
Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework
Authors: Ranjbari Meisam , Morales-Alonso Gustavo , Carrasco-Gallego Ruth
Published: July 2018

In recent years, through the advances in technology and highlighting the sustainability concepts in different aspects of human lives, the sharing economy has become an interesting topic for researchers, and also, many businesses claim to be active in this environment. However, a comprehensive definition, which is generally accepted, does not yet exist in the literature. In this paper, through a systematic literature review, analysis, and coding, a comprehensive definition, and also, an inclusive framework is presented for the sharing economy. This can help scientists and businesses to clarify which companies or parts of their activities fall into the SE category, and which do not. Such clarification in a small scale is done for five companies at the end of the paper.
Adsorption and Desorption of Cd by Soil Amendment: Mechanisms and Environmental Implications in Field-Soil Remediation
Authors: Li Shanshan , Wang Meng , Zhao Zhongqiu , Ma Changbao , Chen Shibao
Published: July 2018

In China, 1/5 of the total farmland area is Cd-enriched; the wide occurrence of Cd-contaminated soil in China has already posed significant public health risk and deserves immediate action. In situ immobilization has been regarded as one of the most promising agricultural extension-technologies for remediating low-to-medium levels of heavy metal contaminated land in China. Although extensive research has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of different amendments on remediation of Cd-contaminated soils, the influence of changed soil properties on secondary release of Cd from Cd-amendment to soil is rarely known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of four soil amendments (denoted as Ad1, Ad2, Ad3 and Ad4, their main components being clay mineral, base mineral, humus and biochar, respectively) on reducing Cd availability and increasing Cd stability in soil. The maximum adsorption capacity of test amendments on Cd ranged from 7.47 to 17.67 mg g−1. The characterizations of test amendments before and after Cd loading provided the evidence that surface precipitation and ion exchange were the main reasons for Ad1 and Ad2 to adsorb Cd, and complexation was for Ad3 and Ad4. In addition, there was significant increase in the desorption percentages of Cd from amendments as pH decreased (from 7 to 1) or ion strength increased (from 0 to 0.2 M). Comparatively, Ad3 and Ad4 could be more effective for in situ immobilization of Cd in contaminated soils, due to their high adsorption capacities (12.82 and 17.67 mg g−1, respectively) and low desorption percentages (4.46–6.23%) at pH from 5 to 7 and ion strengths from 0.01 to 0.1 mol L−1. The results obtained in this study could provide a guideline for in-situ remediation of Cd polluted field-soil in China.
Trust Repair after Opportunistic Behaviors in the Chinese Construction Projects
Authors: Zheng Xiaodan , Zhang Shuibo , Wang Conghan
Published: July 2018

Developing the trust of contractors is important for subcontractors since the trust can help subcontractors obtain a sound reputation and more chances of subcontracting. Nonetheless, the trust can be broken by opportunistic behaviors. Thus, subcontractors should utilize effective trust repair strategies to repair trust after it is violated, so as to maintain the role of trust. As a result, this study compares denial, apology, and penance as strategies for trust repair, after subcontractors demonstrate opportunistic behaviors to violate contractors’ trust in construction projects. And this study also discusses the effect of the frequency of opportunistic behaviors on the three trust repair strategies in construction projects. Scenario-based experiments are utilized as a research methodology. According to the experimental results, when a subcontractor demonstrates a single opportunistic behavior to break a contractor’s trust, the most effective strategy to repair trust is penance. The least effective strategy is denial. However, when a subcontractor has repeated opportunistic behaviors to break contractor’s trust, denial, apology, or penance has only a very limited effectiveness in trust repair. In addition, the effectiveness of the three trust repair strategies does not have significant differences. This study benefits the development of a trust repair theory applicable to construction projects. Moreover, this study offers information to assist subcontractors in utilizing the most efficient strategy to repair the trust that has been violated by opportunistic behaviors in Chinese subcontractors.
What Gets Measured, Gets Done: Development of a Circular Economy Measurement Scale for Building Industry
Authors: Nuñez-Cacho Pedro , Górecki Jaroslaw , Molina-Moreno Valentín , Corpas-Iglesias Francisco A.
Published: July 2018

The construction industry is among the sectors that need closer attention due to their environmental impact. The Circular Economy (CE) model promotes the transition to more sustainable production models, which are based on careful management of resources and the reduction of negative externalities generated by such businesses. Its application in this industry can foster significant improvements in sustainability. However, the measurement of the degree of implementation of CE is difficult, owing to an absence of psychometrically sound measures. In this paper, the development of the CE scale for the building industry was described, treated as an instrument that allows for a direct measurement of the importance of CE for companies. The processes used to generate items by applying the e-Delphi research technique were explained in the article, and the developed scale was tested and validated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The final construction is composed of seven different weighted dimensions: four related to Resource Management: 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), Efficient Management of Energy, Water, and Materials; two dimensions regarding environmental impact: Emissions and Wastes generated; and, one providing indicators of transition to the CE.
The Application of a Double CUSUM Algorithm in Industrial Data Stream Anomaly Detection
Authors: Li Guang , Wang Jie , Liang Jing , Yue Caitong
Published: July 2018

The effect of the application of machine learning on data streams is influenced by concept drift, drift deviation, and noise interference. This paper proposes a data stream anomaly detection algorithm combined with control chart and sliding window methods. This algorithm is named DCUSUM-DS (Double CUSUM Based on Data Stream), because it uses a dual mean value cumulative sum. The DCUSUM-DS algorithm based on nested sliding windows is proposed to satisfy the concept drift problem; it calculates the average value of the data within the window twice, extracts new features, and then calculates accumulated and controlled graphs to avoid misleading by interference points. The new algorithm is simulated using drilling engineering industrial data. Compared with automatic outlier detection for data streams (A-ODDS) and with sliding nest window chart anomaly detection based on data streams (SNWCAD-DS), the DCUSUM-DS can account for concept drift and shield a small amount of interference deviating from the overall data. Although the algorithm complexity increased from 0.1 second to 0.19 second, the classification accuracy receiver operating characteristic (ROC) increased from 0.89 to 0.95. This meets the needs of the oil drilling industry data stream with a sampling frequency of 1 Hz, and it improves the classification accuracy.
Anti-Influenza A Viral Butenolide from Streptomyces sp. Smu03 Inhabiting the Intestine of Elephas maximus
Authors: Li Fangfang , Chen Daiwei , Lu Shengsheng , Yang Guang , Zhang Xiaoling , Chen Zhao , Fan Sheng , Wu Shaohua , He Jian
Published: July 2018

Actinobacteria are a phylum of bacteria known for their potential in producing structurally diversified natural products that are always associated with a broad range of biological activities. In this paper, using an H5N1 pseudo-typed virus drug screening system combined with a bioassay guided purification approach, an antiviral butanolide (1) was identified from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. SMU03, a bacterium isolated from the feces of Elephas maximus in Yunnan province, China. This compound displayed broad and potent activity against a panel of influenza viruses including H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes, as well as influenza B virus and clinical isolates with half maximal inhibitory concentration values (IC50) in the range of 0.29 to 12 µg/mL. In addition, 1 was also active against oseltamivir-resistant influenza virus strain of A/PR/8/34 with NA-H274Y mutation. Studies on the detailed modes of action suggested that 1 functioned by interfering with the fusogenic process of hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A virus (IAV), thereby blocking the entry of virus into host cells. Furthermore, the anti-IAV activity of 1 was assessed with infected BALB/c mice, of which the appearance, weight, and histopathological changes in the infected lungs were significantly alleviated compared with the no-drug-treated group. Conclusively, these results provide evidence that natural products derived from microbes residing in animal intestines might be a good source for antiviral drug discovery.
L’environnement dans la nouvelle constitution tunisienne du 27 janvier 2014
Authors: Ferchichi Wahid
Published: July 2018

The environment in the new Tunisian Constitution of january 27, 2014. Tunisia has just adopted a new constitution that includes a set of principles concerning the environment. Indeed, the new constitution clearly recognizes the right to a healthy and balanced environment, the objective of a sustainable development governing much of the constitutional provisions, a right to water, heritage protection, the fight against pollution and climate protection ... Thus, the Tunisian constitution is taking a part of the new generation of 21st century constitutions.
β-Hydroxy sulfides and their syntheses
Authors: Marakalala Mokgethwa Bruce , Mmutlane Edwin M , Kinfe Henok H
Published: July 2018

Sulfur-containing natural products are ubiquitous in nature, their most abundant source being marine organisms since sulfur, in the form of the sulfate ion, is the second most abundant anion in sea water after chloride. As part of natural products, sulfur can appear in a multitude of combinations and oxidation states: thiol, sulfide (acyclic or heterocyclic), disulfide, sulfoxide, sulfonate, thioaminal, hemithioacetal, various thioesters, thiocarbamate and isothiocyanate. This review article focuses on β-hydroxy sulfides and analogs; their presence in natural products, general protocols for their synthesis, and examples of their application in target oriented synthesis.
Identification of Novel Genomic Loci Associated with Soybean Shoot Tissue Macro and Micronutrient Concentrations
Authors: Dhanapal Arun Prabhu , Ray Jeffery D. , Smith James R. , Purcell Larry C. , Fritschi Felix B.
Published: July 2018

The mineral composition of crop shoot tissues is important for yield formation and nutrient remobilization to seeds. The natural diversity that exists within crop species can be used to investigate mechanisms that define plant mineral composition and to identify important genomic loci for these processes. The objective of this study was to determine shoot mineral nutrient concentrations in genetically diverse soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes and to identify genomic regions associated with concentrations of different nutrients in shoot tissue. The genotypes were grown at two locations in 2 yr and characterized for macronutrient (Ca, Mg, P, K, and S) and micronutrient (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) concentrations in shoot tissues. Genome‐wide association studies were conducted with 31,748 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) via a unified mixed model to identify SNPs associated with macro‐ and micronutrient concentrations. The number of putative loci identified for the macronutrients ranged from 11 for Ca to 20 for K. For the micronutrients, the number ranged from 10 for Mn to 24 for Fe. In addition to colocated loci for multiple nutrients, 22 individual SNPs were associated with more than one nutrient such that 11 different nutrient combinations were encompassed by these SNPs. Ultimately, the putative loci identified in this study will need to be confirmed and are expected to aid in the identification of new sources of variation for use in soybean breeding programs as well as for mechanistic studies aimed at understanding the regulation of mineral nutrient uptake, translocation, and shoot tissue concentrations.
Gas-assisted Growth of Protoplanets in a Turbulent Medium
Authors: Rosenthal M. M. , Murray-Clay R. A. , Perets H. B. , Wolansky N.
Published: July 2018

Pebble accretion is a promising process for decreasing growth timescales of planetary cores, allowing gas giants to form at wide orbital separations. However, nebular turbulence can reduce the efficiency of this gas-assisted growth. We present an order-of-magnitude model of pebble accretion that calculates the impact of turbulence on the average velocity of small bodies, the radius for binary capture, and the sizes of the small bodies that can be accreted. We also include the effect of turbulence on the particle scale height, which has been studied in previous works. We find that turbulence does not prevent rapid growth in the high-mass regime: the last doubling time to the critical mass to trigger runaway gas accretion (M ∼ 10 M
⊕) is well within the disk lifetime, even for strong (α ≳ 10−2) turbulence. We find that, while the growth timescale is quite sensitive to the local properties of the protoplanetary disk, there are large regimes of parameter space over which large cores grow in less than the disk lifetime, if appropriately sized small bodies are present. Instead, the effects of turbulence are most pronounced for low planetary masses. For strong turbulence, the growth timescale is longer than the gas disk lifetime until the core reaches masses

. A “flow isolation mass,” at which binary capture ceases, emerges naturally from our model framework. We comment that the dependence of this mass on orbital separation is similar to the semimajor axis distribution of solar system cores.
The Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks: Probing the Inner Disk of Very Low Accretors
Authors: Thanathibodee Thanawuth , Calvet Nuria , Herczeg Gregory , Briceño César , Clark Catherine , Reiter Megan , Ingleby Laura , McClure Melissa , Maucó Karina , Hernández Jesús
Published: July 2018

We report FUV, optical, and NIR observations of three T Tauri stars in the Orion OB1b subassociation with Hα equivalent widths consistent with low or absent accretion and various degrees of excess flux in the mid-infrared. We aim to search for evidence of gas in the inner disk in HST Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel spectra, and to probe the accretion flows onto the star using Hα and He i
λ10830 in spectra obtained at the Magellan and SOAR telescopes. At the critical age of 5 Myr, the targets are at different stages of disk evolution. One of our targets is clearly accreting, as shown by redshifted absorption at freefall velocities in the He i line and wide wings in Hα; however, a marginal detection of FUV H2 suggests that little gas is present in the inner disk, although the spectral energy distribution indicates that small dust still remains close to the star. Another target is surrounded by a transitional disk, with an inner cavity in which little sub-micron dust remains. Still, the inner disk shows substantial amounts of gas, accreting onto the star at a probably low but uncertain rate. The third target lacks both a He i line or FUV emission, consistent with no accretion or inner gas disk; its very weak IR excess is consistent with a debris disk. Different processes occurring in targets with ages close to the disk dispersal time suggest that the end of the accretion phase is reached in diverse ways.
ALMA Resolves C i Emission from the β Pictoris Debris Disk
Authors: Cataldi Gianni , Brandeker Alexis , Wu Yanqin , Chen Christine , Dent William , Vries Bernard L. de , Kamp Inga , Liseau René , Olofsson Göran , Pantin Eric , Roberge Aki
Published: July 2018

The debris disk around β Pictoris is known to contain gas. Previous ALMA observations revealed a CO belt at ∼85 au with a distinct clump, interpreted as a location of enhanced gas production. Photodissociation converts CO into C and O within ∼50 a. We resolve C i emission at 492 GHz using ALMA and study its spatial distribution. C i shows the same clump as seen for CO. This is surprising, as C is expected to quickly spread in azimuth. We derive a low C mass (between 5 × 10−4 and 3.1 × 10−3

), indicating that gas production started only recently (within ∼5000 a). No evidence is seen for an atomic accretion disk inward of the CO belt, perhaps because the gas did not yet have time to spread radially. The fact that C and CO share the same asymmetry argues against a previously proposed scenario where the clump is due to an outward-migrating planet trapping planetesimals in a resonance, nor can the observations be explained by an eccentric planetesimal belt secularly forced by a planet. Instead, we suggest that the dust and gas disks should be eccentric. Such a configuration, we further speculate, might be produced by a recent tidal disruption event. Assuming that the disrupted body has had a CO mass fraction of 10%, its total mass would be ≳3 M
Moon.
Glycinamide, a Glycine Precursor, Caught in the Gas Phase: A Laser-ablation Jet-cooled Rotational Study
Authors: Alonso E. R. , Kolesniková L. , Białkowska-Jaworska E. , Kisiel Z. , León I. , Guillemin J.-C. , Alonso J. L.
Published: July 2018

Glycinamide, a glycine precursor, has been successfully generated in the gas phase by laser ablation of its hydrochloride salt, and its microwave spectrum, recorded from 6 to 16 GHz using a Chirped Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave (LA-CP-FTMW) spectrometer, is reported for the first time. The existence of a single structure stabilized by a Na–H ⋯ NtH2 hydrogen bond has been revealed in the supersonic expansion. The complex nuclear quadrupole coupling hyperfine structure due to the two 14N nuclei has been completely resolved and analyzed using a Molecular Beam Fourier Transform Microwave spectrometer in combination with laser ablation (LA-MB-FTMW spectrometer). The first precise data obtained on this glycine precursor could be of great importance for possible future identifications in the interstellar medium.
Globular Clusters in a Cosmological N-body Simulation
Authors: Carlberg Raymond G.
Published: July 2018

Stellar dynamical model globular clusters are introduced into reconstituted versions of the dark matter halos of the Via Lactea II (VL-2) simulation to follow the star cluster tidal mass-loss and stellar stream formation. The clusters initially evolve within their local sub-galactic halo, later being accreted into the main halo. Stars are continually removed from the clusters, but those that emerged in the sub-galactic halos are dispersed in a wide stream when accreted into the main halo. Thin tidal streams that survive to the present can begin to form once a cluster is in the main halo. A higher-redshift start places the star clusters in denser halos, where they are subject to stronger tides leading to higher average mass-loss rates. A z = 3 start leads to a rich set of star streams, with nearly all within 100 kpc having a remnant progenitor star cluster in the stream. In contrast, with a z = 8 start, all star clusters that are accreted onto the main halo are completely dissolved. These results are compared to the available data on Milky Way streams, where the majority of streams do not have clearly associated globular clusters, which, if generally true, suggests that there were at least twice as many massive globular clusters at high redshift.
Hematological profile in natural progression of giardiasis: kinetics of experimental infection in gerbils
Authors: Gil Frederico Ferreira , Ventura Luciana Laranjo Amorim , Fonseca Joice Freitas , Saniago Helton Costa , Busatti Haendel , Santos Joseph Fabiano Guimarães , Gomes Maria Aparecida
Published: July 2018

Introduction: The clinical manifestations of giardiasis and its impact are harmful to children, and may cause deficits in their physical and cognitive development. The pathogenic mechanisms are usually unknown and the available reports can be controversial.

Methodology: The present study aimed to know, for the first time, the evolution of the hematological profile of the gerbils, experimentally infected with Giardia lamblia, up to the infection’s resolution. Hematological variables have been tested.

Results: White blood cells have not presented meaningful alterations during the course of the infection. A significant reduction in the number of red blood cells (p = 0.021), in the concentration of hemoglobin (p = 0.029) and in the value of the hematocrit (p = 0.016) has been observed, starting from the second week of infection, ratifying an anemia related to giardiasis. Reduction in the level of serum iron starting from the third week of infection, despite not being significant, could suggest the participation of iron in the anemia. However, the weight of the animals was kept and the hematimetric parameters started to return to the basic values after the parasitological cure without iron reposition.

Conclusions: The outcomes found suggest the idea that not only malabsorption but also other mechanisms such as chronic inflammation may be implicated in iron deficiency anemia in giardiasis and may explain how asymptomatic patients may have anemia without malabsorption. In this context, considering the highlighting character of the anemia in our study, we believe that anemia should be investigated in children with giardiasis. And in the cases of anemia without a definite etiology, giardiasis should also be investigated.
Incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA infections in a Saudi Arabian Hospital: a 10-year surveillance study
Authors: Al-Hamad Arif Mansour , Alfaraj Afaq Ali , Altowaileb Jaffar , Al-Shamlan Sameer Mahdi , Leskafi Hussam , Alsubeikhy Fatimah Abdullah , Abbas Hussein Radhi
Published: July 2018

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections remain prevalent and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of MRSA infections and antibiotic susceptibility in Qatif, Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: All patients who had positive culture for S. aureus from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2015 were enrolled and analyzed in WHONET, a free database software developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Patients’ data were collected from electronic medical records and traditional chart reviews to determine whether MRSA acquisition was likely to have been in the community or in the healthcare facility. Susceptibility results for community-associated (CA)-MRSA were compared with isolates from healthcare setting.

Results: A total of 3395 patients with S. aureus infections were analyzed, with an overall annual MRSA incidence of 25 cases per 100,000 patients (27% of total S. aureus isolates). While the majority (64%) of MRSA infections occurred in healthcare setting, CA-MRSA isolation increased steadily from 23% in 2006 to 60% in 2015, exceeding rate of isolation of healthcare-associated (HA)-MRSA. Skin and soft tissue, the lung and blood stream were the most common sites of infection, with 20% to 35% of MRSA infections occurring in pediatric patients. In the inpatient setting, the majority of infections due to MRSA were in surgical wards and critical care units. Compared with CA-MRSA, HA-MRSA isolates turned out to be more frequently resistant against ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.

Conclusions: Staphylococcus aureus continues to cause multiple site infections with a relatively stable methicillin-resistance rate, but the isolation of MRSA from the community is increasing.
Dissemination of ST101 blaOXA-48 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae at tertiary care setting
Authors: ElMahallawy Hadir , Zafer Mai Mahmoud , Al-Agamy Mohamed , Amin Magdy Aly , Mersal Mai Muhammed , Booq Rayan Yousef , Alyamani Essam , Radwan Samah
Published: July 2018

Introduction: The worldwide dissemination of the acquired carbapenemases in Gram-negative bacteria is a strongly expressed demand for the emergence of post antibiotic era. The aim of this study was to test the production of carbapenemase by Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from hospitalized cancer patients and to investigate the genetic relationship of carbapenemase producing carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae using multilocus sequence typing (MLST).

Methodology: Antibiotic susceptibility testing and phenotypic testing for extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases production were performed. PCR amplification of ESBL and carbapenemase genes was performed. MLST was done to detect the genetic relatedness of the isolates.

Results: Our data showed all strains were sensitive to colistin. Carba NP test was positive in thirty-one carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae isolates and 26 out of 34 K. pneumoniae isolates were metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL) positive. All carbapenemase-positive isolates were ESBL CTX-M-1-like positive. blaOXA-48 gene was detected in 25 isolates (80.65%) and 21 isolates (67.75%) produced blaNDM-1 like enzyme. VIM and KPC genes were not identified in this study. Association of blaOXA-48 like and blaNDM-1 like was found in 15 (48.39%) isolates, while the coproduction of OXA-48-like and IMP-1 was revealed in only one K. pneumoniae isolate. MLST revealed ten distinct sequence types (STs).

Conclusion: Here we have documented the coexistence of NDM-type and OXA-48-like, and the coproduction of OXA-48-like and IMP in carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae in patients with cancer. The dominant clone of the OXA-48-like-producing K. pneumoniae isolates from Egypt was ST101 epidemic clone belonging to clonal complex 101, an association that has been reported worldwide. The second most frequent ST was ST383.ST11 was assigned to OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae.