bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust sensing suite for measuring temporal dynamics of surface temperature in sewers
Authors: Thiyagarajan Karthick , Kodagoda Sarath , Ranasinghe Ravindra , Vitanage Dammika , Iori Gino
Published: October 2018

Sewerage systems are paramount underground infrastructure assets for any nation. In most cities, they are old and have been exposed to significant microbial induced corrosion. It is a serious global problem as they pose threats to public health and economic repercussions to water utilities. For managing sewer assets efficaciously, it is vital to predict the rate of corrosion. Predictive models of sewer corrosion incorporate concrete surface temperature measurements as an observation. However, currently, it has not been fully utilized due to unavailability of a proven sensor. This study reports the feasibility of infrared radiometer for measuring the surface temperature dynamics in the aggressive sewer conditions. The infrared sensor was comprehensively evaluated in the laboratory at different environmental conditions. Then, the sensor suite was deployed in a Sydney based sewer for three months to perform continuous measurements of surface temperature variations. The field study revealed the suitability of the developed sensor suite for non-contact surface temperature measurements in hostile sewer conditions. Further, the accuracy of the sensor measurements was improved by calibrating the sensor with emissivity coefficient of the sewer concrete. Overall, this study will ameliorate the present sewer corrosion monitoring capabilities by providing new data to models predicting sewer corrosion.
Body ownership shapes self-orientation perception
Authors: Preuss Nora , Brynjarsdóttir B. Laufey , Ehrsson H. Henrik
Published: October 2018

Self-orientation perception is a necessary ability for everyday life that heavily depends on visual and vestibular information. To perceive the orientation of oneself with respect to the external environment would seem to first require that one has a clear sense of one’s own body (‘sense of body ownership’). However, the experimental evidence for this is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate how the sense of body ownership affects perceived self-orientation. We combined a self-orientation illusion – where the visual scene, i.e., a fully furnished room, was rotated slowly around the roll axis – with a full-body ownership illusion paradigm – where the ownership of a stranger’s body seen from the first-person perspective in the center of the scene was manipulated by synchronous (illusion) or asynchronous (control) visual-tactile stimulation. Participants were asked to judge the appearance of shaded disk stimuli (a shape-from-shading test), which are perceived as three-dimensional (3D) spheres; this perception depends on perceived self-orientation. Illusory body ownership influenced self-orientation as reported subjectively in questionnaires and as evident from the objective shape-from-shading test data. Thus, body ownership determines self-orientation perception, presumably by boosting the weighting of visual cues over the gravitational forces detected by the vestibular system.
Regional diversity of complex dissolved organic matter across forested hemiboreal headwater streams
Authors: Hawkes Jeffrey A. , Radoman Nikola , Bergquist Jonas , Wallin Marcus B. , Tranvik Lars J. , Löfgren Stefan
Published: October 2018

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) from soils enters the aquatic environment via headwater streams. Thereafter, it is gradually transformed, removed by sedimentation, and mineralised. Due to the proximity to the terrestrial source and short water residence time, the extent of transformation is minimal in headwaters. DOM has variable composition across inland waters, but the amount of variability in the terrestrial end member is unknown. This gap in knowledge is crucial considering the potential impact large variability would have on modelling DOM degradation. Here, we used a novel liquid chromatography –mass spectrometry method to characterise DOM in 74 randomly selected, forested headwater streams in an 87,000 km2 region of southeast Sweden. We found a large degree of sample similarity across this region, with Bray-Curtis dissimilarity values averaging 8.4 ± 3.0% (mean ± SD). The identified variability could be reduced to two principle coordinates, correlating to varying groundwater flow-paths and regional mean temperature. Our results indicate that despite reproducible effects of groundwater geochemistry and climate, the composition of DOM is remarkably similar across catchments already as it leaves the terrestrial environment, rather than becoming homogeneous as different headwaters and sub-catchments mix.
Exogenous exosomes from mice with acetaminophen-induced liver injury promote toxicity in the recipient hepatocytes and mice
Authors: Cho Young-Eun , Seo Wonhyo , Kim Do-Kyun , Moon Pyong-Gon , Kim Sang-Hyun , Lee Byung-Heon , Song Byoung-Joon , Baek Moon-Chang
Published: October 2018

Exosomes are small extracellular membrane vesicles released from endosomes of various cells and could be found in most body fluids. The main functions of exosomes have been recognized as important mediators of intercellular communication and as potential biomarkers of various disease states. This study investigated whether exogenous exosomes from mice with acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury can damage the recipient hepatic cells or promote hepatotoxicity in mice. We observed that exogenous exosomes derived from APAP-exposed mice were internalized into the primary mouse hepatocytes or HepG2 hepatoma cells and significantly decreased the viability of these recipient cells. They also elevated mRNA transcripts and proteins associated with the cell death signaling pathways in primary hepatocytes or HepG2 cells via exosomes-to-cell communications. In addition, confocal microscopy ofex vivoliver section showed that exogenously added exosomes were accumulated in recipient hepatocytes. Furthermore, plasma reactive oxygen species and hepatic TNF-α/IL-1β production were elevated in APAP-exosomes recipient mice compared to control-exosomes recipient mice. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins such as phospho-JNK/JNK, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 were increased in mouse liver received APAP-exosomes. These results demonstrate that exogenous exosomes from APAP-exposed mice with acute liver injury are functional and stimulate cell death or toxicity of the recipient hepatocytes and mice.
Editing the duplicated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2b gene in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Cleveland Beth M. , Yamaguchi Ginnosuke , Radler Lisa M. , Shimizu Munetaka
Published: October 2018

In salmonids, the majority of circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is bound to IGF binding proteins (IGFBP), with IGFBP-2b being the most abundant in circulation. We used CRISPR/Cas9 methodology to disrupt expression of a functional IGFBP-2b protein by co-targeting for gene editing IGFBP-2b1 and IGFBP-2b2 subtypes, which represent salmonid-specific gene duplicates. Twenty-four rainbow trout were produced with mutations in the IGFBP-2b1 and IGFBP-2b2 genes. Mutant fish exhibited between 8–100% and 2–83% gene disruption for IGFBP-2b1 and IGFBP-2b2, respectively, with a positive correlation (P < 0.001) in gene mutation rate between individual fish. Analysis of IGFBP-2b protein indicated reductions in plasma IGFBP-2b abundance to between 0.04–0.96-fold of control levels. Plasma IGF-I, body weight, and fork length were reduced in mutants at 8 and 10 months post-hatch, which supports that IGFBP-2b is significant for carrying IGF-I. Despite reduced plasma IGF-I and IGFBP-2b in mutants, growth retardation in mutants was less severe between 10 and 12 months post-hatch (P < 0.05), suggesting a compensatory growth response occurred. These findings indicate that gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 and ligand blotting is a feasible approach for characterizing protein-level functions of duplicated IGFBP genes in salmonids and is useful to unravel IGF-related endocrine mechanisms.
Mesenchymal stromal cells prevent progression of liver fibrosis in a novel zebrafish embryo model
Authors: van der Helm Danny , Groenewoud Arwin , de Jonge-Muller Eveline S. M. , Barnhoorn Marieke. C. , Schoonderwoerd Mark J. A. , Coenraad Minneke J. , Hawinkels Lukas J. A. C. , Snaar-Jagalska B. Ewa , van Hoek Bart , Verspaget Hein W.
Published: October 2018

Chronic liver damage leads to the onset of fibrogenesis. Rodent models for liver fibrosis have been widely used, but are less suitable for screening purposes. Therefore the aim of our study was to design a novel model for liver fibrosis in zebrafish embryos, suitable for high throughput screening. Furthermore, we evaluated the efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to inhibit the fibrotic process and thereby the applicability of this model to evaluate therapeutic responses. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to TAA or CCL4 and mRNA levels of fibrosis-related genes (Collagen-1α1, Hand-2, and Acta-2) and tissue damage-related genes (TGF-β and SDF-1a, SDF-1b) were determined, while Sirius-red staining was used to estimate collagen deposition. Three days after start of TAA exposure, MSCs were injected after which the fibrotic response was determined. In contrast to CCL4, TAA resulted in an upregulation of the fibrosis-related genes, increased extracellular matrix deposition and decreased liver sizes suggesting the onset of fibrosis. The applicability of this model to evaluate therapeutic responses was shown by local treatment with MSCs which resulted in decreased expression of the fibrosis-related RNA markers. In conclusion, TAA induces liver fibrosis in zebrafish embryos, thereby providing a promising model for future mechanistic and therapeutic studies.
Multi-species oral biofilm promotes reconstructed human gingiva epithelial barrier function
Authors: Shang Lin , Deng Dongmei , Buskermolen Jeroen Kees , Janus Marleen Marga , Krom Bastiaan Philip , Roffel Sanne , Waaijman Taco , van Loveren Cor , Crielaard Wim , Gibbs Susan
Published: October 2018

Since the oral mucosa is continuously exposed to abundant microbes, one of its most important defense features is a highly proliferative, thick, stratified epithelium. The cellular mechanisms responsible for this are still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether multi-species oral biofilm contribute to the extensive stratification and primed antimicrobial defense in epithelium. Two in vitro models were used: 3D reconstructed human gingiva (RHG) and oral bacteria representative of multi-species commensal biofilm. The organotypic RHG consists of a reconstructed stratified gingiva epithelium on a gingiva fibroblast populated hydrogel (lamina propria). Biofilm was cultured from healthy human saliva, and consists of typical commensal genera Granulicatella and major oral microbiota genera Veillonella and Streptococcus. Biofilm was applied topically to RHG and host–microbiome interactions were studied over 7 days. Compared to unexposed RHG, biofilm exposed RHG showed increased epithelial thickness, more organized stratification and increased keratinocyte proliferation. Furthermore biofilm exposure increased production of RHG anti-microbial proteins Elafin, HBD2 and HBD3 but not HBD1, adrenomedullin or cathelicidin LL-37. Inflammatory and antimicrobial cytokine secretion (IL-6, CXCL8, CXCL1, CCL20) showed an immediate and sustained increase. In conclusion, exposure of RHG to commensal oral biofilm actively contributes to RHG epithelial barrier function.
Association between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Gut Microbiota in a Large Population: a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Yoon Hee-Young , Kim Han-Na , Lee Su Hwan , Kim Soo Jung , Chang Yoosoo , Ryu Seungho , Shin Hocheol , Kim Hyung-Lae , Lee Jin Hwa
Published: October 2018

Gut microbiota and blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with systemic inflammation; however, data on the association between gut microbiota and NLR are lacking. We investigated the association between gut microbiota and NLR. A total of 1,309 subjects who had available data on NLR and 16 S rRNA sequencing of gut microbiota were included in this study. They were grouped according to NLR quartile (Q) as follows: lower Q (n = 328, <25% of NLR range), middle 2Q (n = 653, ≥25% to <75%) and upper Q (n = 328, ≥75%). The diversity and composition of the human gut microbiota in the groups were calculated. The phylogenetic diversity of gut microbiota in the lower group was significantly higher than in the middle 2Q group (P = 0.040). The beta-diversity was significantly different among the three groups (P = 0.043), between the lower and middle 2Q groups (P = 0.029), and between the lower and upper groups (P = 0.026). Bacteroides eggerthii showed a positive correlation with NLR (q = 0.015). The diversity and composition of the gut microbiome were different between the NLR groups. Particularly, patients with a lower NLR had a greater diversity of gut microbiota.
Cost-effective external interference for promoting the evolution of cooperation
Authors: Han The Anh , Tran-Thanh Long
Published: October 2018

The problem of promoting the evolution of cooperative behaviour within populations of self-regarding individuals has been intensively investigated across diverse fields of behavioural, social and computational sciences. In most studies, cooperation is assumed to emerge from the combined actions of participating individuals within the populations, without taking into account the possibility of external interference and how it can be performed in a cost-efficient way. Here, we bridge this gap by studying a cost-efficient interference model based on evolutionary game theory, where an exogenous decision-maker aims to ensure high levels of cooperation from a population of individuals playing the one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma, at a minimal cost. We derive analytical conditions for which an interference scheme or strategy can guarantee a given level of cooperation while at the same time minimising the total cost of investment (for rewarding cooperative behaviours), and show that the results are highly sensitive to the intensity of selection by interference. Interestingly, we show that a simple class of interference that makes investment decisions based on the population composition can lead to significantly more cost-efficient outcomes than standard institutional incentive strategies, especially in the case of weak selection.
The extreme hyper-reactivity of Cys94 in lysozyme avoids its amorphous aggregation
Authors: Bocedi Alessio , Cattani Giada , Martelli Claudia , Cozzolino Flora , Castagnola Massimo , Pucci Pietro , Ricci Giorgio
Published: October 2018

Many proteins provided with disulfide bridges in the native state undergo amorphous irreversible aggregation when these bonds are not formed. Here we show that egg lysozyme displays a clever strategy to prevent this deleterious aggregation during the nascent phase when disulfides are still absent. In fact, when the reduced protein assembles into a molten globule state, its cysteines acquire strong hyper-reactivity towards natural disulfides. The most reactive residue, Cys94, reacts with oxidized glutathione (GSSG) 3000 times faster than an unperturbed protein cysteine. A low pKa of its sulfhydryl group (6.6/7.1) and a productive complex with GSSG (KD = 0.3 mM), causes a fast glutathionylation of this residue (t1/2 = 3 s) and a complete inhibition of the protein aggregation. Other six cysteines display 70 times higher reactivity toward GSSG. The discovery of extreme hyper-reactivity in cysteines only devoted to structural roles opens new research fields for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases.
Validation of motion perception of briefly displayed images using a tablet
Authors: Linares Daniel , Marin-Campos Rafael , Dalmau Josep , Compte Albert
Published: October 2018

Motion perception of briefly displayed images has been reported to be abnormal in clinical populations afflicted with schizophrenia, major depression, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. These abnormalities have been measured using CRT monitors connected to a computer. Given that the use of this experimental set-up in clinical environments can be difficult, we tested whether motion perception of briefly displayed images could also be measured using a tablet. For 13 participants, we found similar estimates of motion discrimination on a tablet and a CRT. This validates a tablet to measure motion perception of briefly displayed images.
The adaptive value of camouflage and colour change in a polymorphic prawn
Authors: Duarte Rafael Campos , Stevens Martin , Flores Augusto Alberto Valero
Published: October 2018

Camouflage has been a textbook example of natural selection and adaptation since the time of the earliest evolutionists. However, aside from correlational evidence and studies using artificial dummy prey, experiments directly showing that better camouflaged prey to predator vision are at reduced risk of attack are lacking. Here, we show that the level of camouflage achieved through colour adjustments towards the appearance of seaweed habitats is adaptive in reducing predation pressure in the prawn Hippolyte obliquimanus. Digital image analysis and visual modelling of a fish predator (seahorse) predicted that brown prawns would be imperfectly concealed against both brown and red seaweed respectively, whereas pink prawns should be well camouflaged only in red weed. Predation trials with captive seahorses (Hippocampus reidi), coupled with high-speed video analyses, closely matched model predictions: predation rates were similar for brown prawns between seaweed types, but pink individuals were attacked significantly less on red than brown weed. Our work provides some of the clearest direct evidence to date that colour polymorphism and colour change provides a clear adaptive advantage for camouflage, and also highlights how this can be asymmetric across morphs and habitats (i.e. dependent on the specific background-morph combination).
Coupling of Surface Plasmon Modes and Refractive Index Sensitivity of Hollow Silver Nanoprism
Authors: Zhang K. J. , Lu D. B. , Da B. , Ding Z. J.
Published: October 2018

Localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes depend strongly on the morphology of nanoparticle and the surrounding dielectric medium. The hollow nanostructure provides a new way to modulate the surface plasmon modes due to the additional cavity surface. In this work, we study systematically the multipolar surface plasmon modes of hollow silver nanoprism (HSN) by simulation of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectra based on the boundary element method (BEM). Herein the effects of the cavity size and position are taken into account. The LSP modes of HSNs are compared with those of perfect silver nanoprism (SN). The red-shift behaviors of multipolar modes can be found as increasing the cavity size. Modes A and C have similar red-shift tendency and obey the plasmon ruler equation, which can be explained by dipole-dipole coupling mode. Meanwhile, the degenerate modes will be split by changing the cavity position, and opposite shift tendencies of split degenerate states are observed. These are caused by different coupling nature of degenerate modes. Moreover, high refractive index sensitivity (RIS) can be obtained for HSN by changing the cavity size and position.
Ageratina adenophora induces mice hepatotoxicity via ROS-NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis
Authors: Sun Wei , Zeng Chaorong , Liu Shanshan , Fu Jie , Hu Liwen , Shi Zhen , Yue Dong , Ren Zhihua , Zhong Zhijun , Zuo Zhicai , Cao Suizhong , Peng Guangneng , Deng Junliang , Hu Yanchun
Published: October 2018

Increasing evidences have demonstrated that Ageratina adenophora (A. adenophora) can cause hepatotoxicity of animals. Liver is an important site in immune regulation and inflammatory responses. However, the information about hepatotoxicity induced by A. adenophora in relation to inflammation is still finite. To investigate the underlying mechanism, we conducted animal experiments with different dosage of A. adenophora. Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and administrated with 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% levels of A. adenophora pallet diet in control, group A, B and C, respectively. The results showed that A. adenophora caused hepatotoxicity as revealed by increasing alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase. Then, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were shown to be elicited by A. adenophora through flow cytometry assay in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, pyroptosis was activated by A. adenophora, which was characterized by increasing protein and mRNA levels of caspase-1, gasdermin D and interleukin-1β. Notably, ROS down-stream factors, including nod-like receptor inflammasome protein 3 and nuclear factor-κB, were also activated by A. adenophora. These data demonstrated that A. adenophora caused liver inflammatory injury and induced hepatocyte pyroptosis by activating NLRP3 inflammasome, which was triggered by elevating ROS production levels. This research might provide new insights into the mechanism of hepatotoxicity induced by A. adenophora.
Combinatorial investigation of spin-orbit materials using spin Peltier effect
Authors: Uchida Ken-ichi , Sasaki Michiko , Sakuraba Yuya , Iguchi Ryo , Daimon Shunsuke , Saitoh Eiji , Goto Masahiro
Published: October 2018

Conversion between spin and charge currents is essential in spintronics, since it enables spin-orbit-torque magnetization switching, spin-current-driven thermoelectric generation, and nano-scale thermal energy control. To realize efficient spin-charge conversion, a variety of mechanisms, including spin Hall effects, Rashba-Edelstein effects, and spin-momentum locking in topological insulators, have been investigated and more comprehensive material exploration is necessary. Here we demonstrate high-throughput screening of spin-charge conversion materials by means of the spin Peltier effect (SPE). This is enabled by combining recently-developed SPE-imaging techniques with combinatorial materials science; using a composition-spread alloy film formed on a magnetic insulator, we observe the SPE-induced temperature change due to the spin Hall effect and obtain a continuous mapping of its composition dependence from the single sample. The distribution of the SPE signals reflects local spin-charge conversion capability in the alloy owing to unique heat-generation nature of the SPE. This combinatorial approach will accelerate materials research towards high-performance spintronic devices.
The Boolean logic tree of molecular self-assembly system based on cobalt oxyhydroxide nanoflakes for three-state logic computation, sensing and imaging of pyrophosphate in living cells and in vivo
Authors: Zhang Xin Xing , Zhu Qiu Yan , Lu Jiao Yang , Zhang Fu Rui , Huang Wei Tao , Ding Xue Zhi , Xia Li Qiu
Published: October 2018

The Boolean logic tree of cobalt oxyhydroxide nanoflake-based molecular self-assembly system for three-state logic computation, sensing and imaging of pyrophosphate.
A highly sensitive SERS probe for bisphenol A detection based on functionalized Au@Ag nanoparticles
Authors: Wang Chun-Yang , Zeng Yi , Shen Ai-Guo , Hu Ji-Ming
Published: October 2018

The presence of BPA reduced the orange-to-grey color change (aggregation degree) of the SERS probe and weakened the enhancement of the Raman signal.
Crystal structures of non-proteinogenic amino acid peroxosolvates: rare example of H-bonded hydrogen peroxide chains
Authors: Navasardyan Mger A. , Grishanov Dmitry A. , Tripol'skaya Tatiana A. , Kuz'mina Lyudmila G. , Prikhodchenko Petr V. , Churakov Andrei V.
Published: October 2018

Novel peroxosolvates of the non-proteinogenic amino acids sarcosine C3H7NO2·H2O2 (1) and phenylserine C9H11NO3·H2O2 (2) were prepared and their structures were determined by X-ray crystallography.
Atmospheric chemistry of (Z)-CF3CHCHCl: products and mechanisms of the Cl atom, OH radical and O3reactions, and role of (E)–(Z) isomerization
Authors: Sulbaek Andersen Mads P. , Sølling Theis I. , Andersen Lene Løffler , Volkova Aleksandra , Hovanessian Dvien , Britzman Connor , Nielsen Ole John , Wallington Timothy J.
Published: October 2018

Chamber studies and G4MP2ab initiocalculations investigate isomerization in the OH radical, Cl-atom and O3initiated oxidation of (Z)-CF3CHCHCl.
Hydration in aqueous solutions of ectoine and hydroxyectoine
Authors: Sahle Christoph J. , Schroer Martin A. , Jeffries Cy M. , Niskanen Johannes
Published: October 2018

We explore the influence of the two osmolytes ectoine and hydroxyectoine on the structure of pure water and aqueous NaCl solutions using non-resonant X-ray Raman scattering spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge.
Effects of calcium on the kinetics of a model disjunctive ligand exchange reaction: implications for dynamic trace metal ion speciation
Authors: Rea Laura T. , Xu Yi , Boland Nathan E.
Published: October 2018

Differences in the calcium affinity of exchanging multidentate ligands affect the kinetic behavior of disjunctive ligand exchange reactions.
Functionalized nanocomposite for simultaneous removal of antibiotics and As(iii) in swine urine aqueous solution and soil
Authors: Wang Dongfang , Dai Zhangyu , Shu Xian , Bian Po , Wu Lifang , Cai Dongqing , Wu Zhengyan
Published: October 2018

A network-structured nano-system was synthesized to remove chlortetracycline hydrochloride and trivalent arsenic simultaneously from swine urine aqueous solution and soil.
Production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF): recent progress focusing on the chemical-catalytic routes
Authors: Sajid Muhammad , Zhao Xuebing , Liu Dehua
Published: October 2018

The research progress on the production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid by the oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethyl furfural has been reviewed, focusing on the chemical-catalytic routes.
Neutral host–guest capsular associations by a homologous halophenyl-substituted organic tris-urea receptor series: solid and solution state studies
Authors: Manna Utsab , Das Gopal
Published: October 2018

Efficient and regular construction of unimolecular fluoride-encapsulated complexes and oxyanion-bound dimeric capsular assemblies by three electron-deficient neutral tris-urea receptors is observed corroborated by solution-state analysis.
Metal-free synthesis of aminomethylated imidazoheterocycles: dual role of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as both an oxidant and a methylene source
Authors: Patel Om P. S. , Nandwana Nitesh Kumar , Sah Ajay Kumar , Kumar Anil
Published: October 2018

A metal-free method is developed for the aminomethylation of imidazoheterocycles with 2/4-aminoheterocycles using TBHP as a carbon source as well as an oxidant.
Chemical stability and interactions in a new antihypertensive mixture containing indapamide and dihydralazine using FT-IR, HPLC and LC-MS methods
Authors: Gumieniczek Anna , Galeza Justyna , Berecka Anna , Mroczek Tomasz , Wojtanowski Krzysztof , Lipska Katarzyna , Skarbek Joanna
Published: October 2018

New degradation pathway of indapamide in presence of dihydralazine.
Adsorption and photo-Fenton catalytic degradation of organic dyes over crystalline LaFeO3-doped porous silica
Authors: Phan Thi To Nga , Nikoloski Aleksandar N. , Bahri Parisa Arabzadeh , Li Dan
Published: October 2018

LFO-doped mesoporous silica yielded high removal rate of dye, due to the dark adsorption and visible light-induced photo-Fenton degradation.
Online pre-laboratory tools for first-year undergraduate chemistry course in Uruguay: student preferences and implications on student performance
Authors: Veiga Nicolás , Luzardo Florencia , Irving Kenneth , Rodríguez-Ayán María N. , Torres Julia
Published: October 2018

As a fundamental part of their chemical education, first-year undergraduate students are substantially involved in laboratory activities. Despite the specific teaching staff choices on the main laboratory aims, students normally receive a vast amount of information during these activities. Apart from understanding theoretical content, fundamental skills such as manipulation, data collection and interpretation should be developed. In this context, learners could feel overwhelmed since they can only process a few pieces of information at a time. Indeed, our experience at theUniversidad de la República(Uruguayan public university) shows that many first-year students are in fact not able to cope with all the information they receive during laboratory activities. As a result, many of them only follow the experimental protocol automatically, without gaining significant knowledge or developing the necessary skills. In this work, we assessed the use of new online interactive pre-laboratory activities implemented for 252 first-year university students enrolled in a 12-module General Chemistry laboratory course. The student choice of interactiveversusmore traditional material was evaluated together with observed preferences regarding the different interactive tools offered. Besides, an online pre-laboratory discussion forum was also implemented and assessed. Both the interactive material and the discussion forum were chosen freely by the majority of students (61% and 79%, respectively). Interestingly, the choice was to some extent modulated by student previous performance. Interactive pre-laboratory material was more frequently chosen by low previous performance students, whereas pre-laboratory forum was preferentially used by high previous performance students. Finally, the influence of these new materials on student laboratory performance was statistically analyzed. Other personal and academic variables were also taken into account. Interactive material access was positively correlated with the final laboratory marks for medium previous performance learners. On the other hand, for lower previous performance students, the academic discussion between teachers and partners promoted by the online forum was positively correlated with their academic performance.
Post-assembly α-helix to β-sheet structural transformation within SAF-p1/p2a peptide nanofibers
Authors: Roberts Evan K. , Wong Kong M. , Lee Elizabeth J. , Le Melina M. , Patel Dipam M. , Paravastu Anant K.
Published: October 2018

The SAF-p1/p2a binary peptide system co-assembles in water into α-helical coiled coils, but can convert post-assembly into a β-sheet structure.
Fe(CN)63− ions confined into porous pillared-carbon nanosheets for high energy density supercapacitors
Authors: Zhou Qihang , Liu Zheng , Wei Tong , Sheng Lizhi , Jiang Yuting , Jiang Zimu , Fan Zhuangjun
Published: October 2018

The Fe(CN)63− modified porous pillared-carbon nanosheets (F-OPPCNs) show higher specific capacitance (363 F g−1) than that of pillared-porous carbon nanosheets (PPCNs, 126 F g−1) due to the existence of the additional faradaic reaction.
La-doped BaSnO3 electron transport layer for perovskite solar cells
Authors: Myung Chang Woo , Lee Geunsik , Kim Kwang S.
Published: October 2018

Recently, La-doped BaSnO3 (LBSO) electron transport layer for perovskite solar cells has been introduced to replace TiO2 which is susceptible to UV light. This paper unveils the key mechanism for the ideal band alignment between LBSO and MAPbI3. The amount of La dopant in LBSO is crucial for the fine tuning of the conduction band level of LBSO.
Nanostructure controlled construction of high-performance thermoelectric materials of polymers and their composites
Authors: Xue Yufeng , Gao Chunmei , Liang Lirong , Wang Xin , Chen Guangming
Published: October 2018

This review discusses recent advances in controlled fabrication of nanostructures and the enhanced thermoelectric performance of polymers and their composites.
Solution-processed silver sulphide nanocrystal film for resistive switching memories
Authors: Martín-García Beatriz , Spirito Davide , Krahne Roman , Moreels Iwan
Published: October 2018

Colloidal silver sulphide nanocrystal film-based devices demonstrated a switching mechanism and memristor functionality, achieving a 103ION/IOFF-ratio with e-beam lithography-designed bowtie electrodes.
The molecular and biochemical insight view of grape seed proanthocyanidins in ameliorating cadmium-induced testes-toxicity in rat model: implication of PI3K/Akt/Nrf-2 signaling
Authors: Bashir Nazima , Shagirtha Kalist , Manoharan Vaikundam , Miltonprabu Selvaraj
Published: October 2018

The present study aims to evaluate the protective effect of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSP) on cadmium (Cd)-induced testicular apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in rats. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, namely control, GSP (100 mg/kg BW), Cd (5 mg/kg BW), and Cd+GSP. Cd-treated rat testes exhibited a significant increment in oxidative stress mediated inflammation and apoptosis. Pre-administration of GSP exhibit significant protection against the apoptotic and inflammatory damages elicited by Cd and uphold the intercellular antioxidant status in testes. Histological changes were studied and the immunohistochemical staining for caspase 3, HSP70, and eNOS protein expressions were also analyzed to justify the protective action of GSP. Furthermore, GSP prevented DNA damage, and enhanced the expression of antioxidant responsive elements Nrf2/HO-1 by PI3K/Akt-dependent pathway. Therefore, our results suggest that GSP acts as a multipotent antioxidant entity against Cd-induced oxidative testicular toxicity in rats.
Early serum miR-1297 is an indicator of poor neurological outcome in patients with aSAH
Authors: Sheng Bin , Lai Nian-sheng , Yao Yang , Dong Jin , Li Zhen-bao , Zhao Xin-tong , Liu Jia-qiang , Li Xue-qin , Fang Xing-gen
Published: October 2018

Objective: MiRNAs are important regulators of translation and have been described as biomarkers of a number of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke. The purpose of the study was to determine expression levels of serum miR-1297 in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), and to assess whether miR-1297 was the prognostic indicator of aSAH. Methods: We treated 128 aSAH patients with endovascular coiling. The World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grades, Hunt–Hess grades, and modified Fisher scores were used to assess aSAH severity. Neurologic outcome was assessed using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 1-year post-aSAH. Serum was taken at various time points (24, 72, and 168 h, and 14 days). Serum samples from aSAH patients and healthy controls were subjected to reverse transcription (RT) quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Results: A poor outcome at 1 year was associated with significantly higher levels of miR-1297 value at the four time points, higher WFNS grade, higher Hunt–Hess grade, and higher Fisher score. Serum miR-1297 levels were significantly higher in patients, compared with healthy controls. There were significant correlations of miR-1297 concentrations in serum with severity in aSAH. The AUCs of miR-1297 at the four time points for distinguishing the aSAH patients from healthy controls were 0.80, 0.94, 0.77, and 0.59, respectively. After multivariate logistic regression analysis, only miR-1297 at 24 and 72 h enabled prediction of neurological outcome at 1 year. Conclusion: Serum was an independent predictive factor of poor outcome at 1 year following aSAH. This result supports the use of miR-1297 in aSAH to aid determination of prognosis.
PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis: association of metabolic syndrome and its components with the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Ye Linyang , Huang Xi , Wang Qingxiang , Yang Hualing , Cai Dongmiao , Wang Zhanxiang
Published: October 2018

A preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses-compliant meta-analysis was conducted to test the association of metabolic syndrome and its components with the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on observational studies. Literature retrieval, article selection and data extraction were done by two researchers independently. Total 16 articles (20 independent studies) were analyzed with 3915 COPD patients and 25,790 control participants. Overall analysis indicated that metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with 1.53-fold (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23–1.9, P<0.001) increased risk of COPD, with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 74.3%). Of four metabolic components, hypertension was significantly associated with 1.55-fold (95% CI: 1.14–2.11, P=0.005) increased risk, and averaged levels of systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 3.626 mmHg, 95% CI: 1.537–5.714, P<0.001) and glucose (WMD = 2.976 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.141–5.812; P=0.04) were significantly higher in COPD patients than in control participants, yet that of body mass index (WMD = −1.463 kg/m2, 95% CI: −2.716 to −0.211, P=0.022) were significantly lower. Gender, race, source of control participants, matched status and sample size were identified as accountable factors for significant heterogeneity. Altogether, the presence of metabolic syndrome, especially its component hypertension, was associated with significantly increased risk of COPD.
Pressure-dependent NOS activation contributes to endothelial hyperpermeability in a model of acute heart failure
Authors: Chignalia Andreia Z. , Isbatan Ayman , Patel Milan , Ripper Richard , Sharlin Jordan , Shosfy Joelle , Borlaug Barry A. , Dull Randal O.
Published: October 2018

Aims: Acute increases in left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) can induce pulmonary edema (PE). The mechanism(s) for this rapid onset edema may involve more than just increased fluid filtration. Lung endothelial cell permeability is regulated by pressure-dependent activation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Herein, we demonstrate that pressure-dependent NOS activation contributes to vascular failure and PE in a model of acute heart failure (AHF) caused by hypertension.

Methods and results: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Acute hypertension was induced by norepinephrine (NE) infusion and resulted in an increase in LVEDP and pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) that were associated with a rapid fall in PaO2, and increases in lung wet/dry ratio and injury scores. Heart failure (HF) lungs showed increased nitrotyrosine content and ROS levels. L-NAME pretreatment mitigated the development of PE and reduced lung ROS concentrations to sham levels. Apocynin (Apo) pretreatment inhibited PE. Addition of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) to AHF rats lung lysates and pretreatment of AHF rats with folic acid (FA) prevented ROS production indicating endothelial NOS (eNOS) uncoupling.

Conclusion: Pressure-dependent NOS activation leads to acute endothelial hyperpermeability and rapid PE by an increase in NO and ROS in a model of AHF. Acute increases in pulmonary vascular pressure, without NOS activation, was insufficient to cause significant PE. These results suggest a clinically relevant role of endothelial mechanotransduction in the pathogenesis of AHF and further highlights the concept of active barrier failure in AHF. Therapies targetting the prevention or reversal of endothelial hyperpermeability may be a novel therapeutic strategy in AHF.
Down-regulation of siglec-2 (CD22) predicts worse overall survival from HBV-related early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a preliminary analysis from Gene Expression Omnibus
Authors: Ren Xiaojing , Ji Yuanyuan , Jiang Xuhua , Qi Xun
Published: October 2018

Sialic-acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (siglec) regulates cell death, anti-proliferative effects and mediates a variety of cellular activities. Little was known about the relationship between siglecs and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. Siglec gene expression between tumor and non-tumor tissues were compared and correlated with overall survival (OS) from HCC patients in GSE14520 microarray expression profile. Siglec-1 to siglec-9 were all down-regulated in tumor tissues compared with those in non-tumor tissues in HCC patients (all P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that siglec-2 overexpression could predict better OS (HR = 0.883, 95%CI = 0.806–0.966, P = 0.007). Patients with higher siglec-2 levels achieved longer OS months than those with lower siglec-2 levels in the Kaplan–Meier event analysis both in training and validation sets (P < 0.05). Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in siglec-2 low expression group were significantly higher than those in siglec-2 high expression group using Chi-square analysis (P = 0.043). In addition, both logistic regression analysis and ROC curve method showed that siglec-2 down-regulation in tumor tissues was significantly associated with AFP elevation over 300 ng/ml (P < 0.05). In conclusion, up-regulation of siglec-2 in tumor tissues could predict better OS in HCC patients. Mechanisms of siglec-2 in HCC development need further research.
Integrative genomic analysis for the functional roles of ITPKC in bone mineral density
Authors: Lu Hsing-Fang , Wong Henry Sung-Ching , Chen Ben-Kuen , Liao Hsien-Tzung , Hsu Yu-Wen , Ikegawa Shiro , Cho Er-Chieh , Hung Kuo-Sheng , Chang Wei-Chiao
Published: October 2018

Osteoporosis is defined by low bone mineral density (BMD), which is mainly due to the imbalances in osteoclast and osteoblast activity. Previous studies indicated that early activation of osteoclasts relies on calcium entry through store-operated calcium (SOC) entry, and several genes, including STIM1, ORAI1, and ITPKC, are known as key regulators of SOC entry. However, the relationships between STIM1, ORAI1, ITPKC, and human BMD are still unclear. In order to investigate the plausible associations between these genes and BMD, we conducted a meta-analysis of genes expression and BMD using the publicly available GEO database. We further recruited 1044 subjects and tested associations between polymorphisms in these genes and BMD. Clinical information (including age, sex, and BMI) was collected and used for the analysis. Our results indicated that ITPKC gene expression was significantly associated with BMD. Furthermore, we found that one ITPKC SNP (rs2607420) was significantly associated with lumbar spine BMD. Through bioinformatics analysis, rs2607420 was found to be very likely to participate in the regulation of ITPKC expression. Our findings suggest that ITPKC is a susceptibility gene for BMD, and rs2607420 may play an important role in the regulation of this gene.
Renal miR-148b is associated with megalin down-regulation in IgA nephropathy
Authors: Wen Lu , Zhao Zhanzheng , Xiao Jing , Wang Zheng , He Xiangfei , Birn Henrik
Published: October 2018

Megalin is essential for proximal tubule reabsorption of filtered proteins, hormones, and vitamins, and its dysfunction has been reported in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). miR-148b has been shown to regulate renal megalin expression in vitro and in animal models of kidney disease. We examined a potential role of miR-148b and other miRNAs in regulating megalin expression in IgAN by analyzing the association between megalin and miR-148b, miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-192 expression. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis identified a marked increase in renal levels of several miRNAs, including miR-148b, miR-21, miR-146a, and a significant decrease in megalin mRNA levels in IgAN patients when compared with normal controls. By multiple linear regression analysis, however, only renal miR-148b was independently associated with megalin mRNA levels in IgAN. Proximal tubule megalin expression was further evaluated by immunofluorescence labeling of biopsies from the patients. The megalin expression was significantly lower in patients with highest levels of renal miR-148b compared with patients with lowest levels. To examine the direct effects of the miRNAs on megalin and other membrane proteins expression, proximal tubule LLC-PK1 cells were transfected with miR-148b, miR-21, miR-146a, or miR-192 mimics. Transfection with miR-148b mimic, but not the other three miRNA mimics inhibited endogenous megalin mRNA expression. No significant effect of any of the four miRNA mimics was observed on cubilin or aquaporin 1 (AQP1) mRNA expression. The findings suggest that miR-148b negatively regulates megalin expression in IgAN, which may affect renal uptake and metabolism of essential substances.
Background subtraction via colour coherence under varying illuminations
Authors: Kim Wonjun
Published: October 2018

An illumination‐invariant method for background subtraction is presented. Inspired by the observation that the degree of dispersion in the colour space, which is computed from the local region of each frame, is not severely changed even with varying illuminations, To exploit the colour coherence as the features for formulating the background model is proposed. Experimental results on various benchmark databases show the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method compared to the previous approaches introduced in the literature.
Dynamic loss for one‐stage object detectors in computer vision
Authors: Zhao Kang , Zhu Xiyang , Jiang Hanjun , Zhang Chun , Wang Zhihua , Fu Bowen
Published: October 2018

A dynamic loss (DL) is proposed for the one‐stage object detectors in computer vision, as an improved version of the focal loss in the literature. The proposed loss features a second‐order item which can efficiently scale the conventional loss during training. A gradient update approach is then presented to employ the DL in the mainstream one‐stage YOLO‐V2 object detector. Experimental results shows that for the PASCAL VOC 2010 dataset, the mean average precision of the YOLO‐v2 detector with the proposed DL is 88.51%, which is 2.6, 1.17 and 0.29% higher than that using the conventional mean square error loss, cross entropy loss and naive focal loss. Compared to the focal loss, the DL increases the training convergence speed of the YOLO‐v2 detector by two times.
Impact of designer knowledge in the interactive evolutionary optimisation of analogue CMOS ICs by using iMTGSPICE
Authors: Moreto R.A.L. , Thomaz C.E. , Gimenez S.P.
Published: October 2018

This Letter describes an innovative interactive evolutionary computational tool to optimise robust analogue complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs), by using genetic algorithm, entitled iMTGSPICE. The main results demonstrate that the iMTGSPICE is able to reduce the optimisation cycle times of designs of robust single‐ended single‐stage and Miller operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) in up to 93.9% in comparison to the non‐interactive optimisation process. Moreover, the iMTGSPICE is capable of reducing the influence of the knowledge levels of the analogue CMOS ICs designers (experts and non‐experts) to obtain robust potential solutions (maximum error of 0.5% for the Miller OTA).
Distributed caching in information‐centric cellular networks with full duplex communication
Authors: Liu Ming , Mao Yuming , Leng Supeng
Published: October 2018

Current approaches to information‐centric network (ICN) implementation employ the edge storage of network infrastructures to minimise the latency of information retrieval. However, the edge storage of infrastructures is finite. Distributed content caching assisted by mobile devices becomes a potential solution to content publishing services. Nevertheless, under the conventional half‐duplex‐based ICN, extra memory is occupied and the delay is increased. Fortunately, full duplex (FD) communications can improve the spectrum efficiency of wireless networks, and reduce the access delay by more flexible content caching. In this study, the authors propose a novel FD‐based ICN (FD‐ICN) framework, where content caching is not only implemented in network infrastructures but also in mobile devices. Content cached by mobile devices can be delivered in a FD amplify and forward way without extra BS memory occupation and delay. To maximise the network utility of the FD‐ICN, they formulate the caching strategy and FD radio resource allocation as a joint optimisation problem. A joint caching strategy and FD radio resource allocation algorithm are proposed. Simulation results show their FD‐ICN framework can achieve superior system utility compared to the conventional ICN. Moreover, the proposed algorithm exhibits higher utility with similar converge rate compared to the heuristic algorithm.