bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Sino-ASEAN Banking Efficiency: How Do Countries Differ?
Authors: Banna Hasanul , Shah Syed Karim Bux , Noman Abu Hanifa Md , Ahmad Rubi , Masud Muhammad Mehedi
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of geographical location in the banking sector efficiency of the Sino-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, and how the location was affected before, during and after the financial crisis. Using a panel of data from 407 banks from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam from 2000–2013, this study applies data envelopment analysis, Tobit regression, bootstrapping, and Simar and Wilson double bootstrapping regression. The empirical evidence suggests that the banking market has an important and significant role in the efficiency of the banking sector in the Sino-ASEAN region. The significant country’s coefficients suggest that during the pre-crisis period, banks belonging to China and Indonesia were more likely to be efficient due to the geographical location effect. The study finds the same tendency among Chinese banks in the crisis period as in the period before the crisis. Overall, the results suggest that Chinese banks outperform banks from the ASEAN countries in terms of efficiency. This study raises some significant policy implications for improving bank efficiency.
Performance Analysis of Single-Step Localization Method Based on Matrix Eigen-Perturbation Theory with System Errors
Authors: Qin Tianzhu , Ba Bin , Wang Daming
Published: February 2019

Direct position determination (DPD) is a novel technique in passive localization field recently, receiving superior localization performance compared with the conventional two-step method. The DPD estimator using Doppler shifts is first proposed by Weiss, but it is not suitable for antenna arrays. Additionally, the performance analysis of this method with system errors is absent. This study discusses the single-step localization problem based on moving arrays and exhibits the performance analysis via matrix eigen-perturbation theory with system errors. First, the DPD method using angle of arrival and Doppler shifts is introduced. Then, by adding the eigenvalue perturbations to the estimated Hermitian matrix, the asymptotic linear formulation of localization errors is derived. Consequently, the mean square error of the DPD method is available. Finally, Cramér–Rao bound without system errors is presented, providing a benchmark for the best localization precision and revealing the influence of system errors on the localization precision. Simulation results demonstrate the theoretical analysis in this study.
Data-Driven Control Techniques for Renewable Energy Conversion Systems: Wind Turbine and Hydroelectric Plants
Authors: Simani Silvio , Alvisi Stefano , Venturini Mauro
Published: February 2019

The interest in the use of renewable energy resources is increasing, especially towards wind and hydro powers, which should be efficiently converted into electric energy via suitable technology tools. To this end, data-driven control techniques represent viable strategies that can be employed for this purpose, due to the features of these nonlinear dynamic processes of working over a wide range of operating conditions, driven by stochastic inputs, excitations and disturbances. Therefore, the paper aims at providing some guidelines on the design and the application of different data-driven control strategies to a wind turbine benchmark and a hydroelectric simulator. They rely on self-tuning PID, fuzzy logic, adaptive and model predictive control methodologies. Some of the considered methods, such as fuzzy and adaptive controllers, were successfully verified on wind turbine systems, and similar advantages may thus derive from their appropriate implementation and application to hydroelectric plants. These issues represent the key features of the work, which provides some details of the implementation of the proposed control strategies to these energy conversion systems. The simulations will highlight that the fuzzy regulators are able to provide good tracking capabilities, which are outperformed by adaptive and model predictive control schemes. The working conditions of the considered processes will be also taken into account in order to highlight the reliability and robustness characteristics of the developed control strategies, especially interesting for remote and relatively inaccessible location of many plants.
LAP-SLAM: A Line-Assisted Point-Based Monocular VSLAM
Authors: Zhang Fukai , Rui Ting , Yang Chengsong , Shi Jianjun
Published: February 2019

While the performance of the state-of-the-art point-based VSLAM (vision simultaneous localization and mapping) systems in well textured sequences is impressive, their performance in poorly textured situations is not satisfactory enough. A sensible alternative or addition is to consider lines. In this paper, we propose a novel line-assisted point-based VSLAM algorithm (LAP-SLAM). Our algorithm uses lines without descriptor matching, and the lines are used to assist the computation conducted by points. To the best of our knowledge, this paper proposes a new way to include line information in VSLAM. The basic idea is to use the collinear relationship of points to optimize the current point-based VSLAM algorithm. In LAP-SLAM, we propose a practical algorithm to match lines and compute the collinear relationship of points, a line-assisted bundle adjustment approach and a modified perspective-n-point (PnP) approach. We built our system based on the architecture and pipeline of ORB-SLAM. We evaluate the proposed method on a diverse range of indoor sequences in the TUM dataset and compare with point-based and point-line-based methods. The results show that the accuracy of our algorithm is close to point-line-based VSLAM systems with a much faster speed.
Comparison of Three Methods for Constructing Real Driving Cycles
Authors: Huertas José Ignacio , Quirama Luis Felipe , Giraldo Michael , Díaz Jenny
Published: February 2019

This work compares the Micro-trips (MT), Markov chains–Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Fuel-based (FB) methods in their ability of constructing driving cycles (DC) that: (i) describe the real driving patterns of a given region and (ii) reproduce the real fuel consumption and emissions exhibited by the vehicles in that region. To that end, we selected four regions and monitored simultaneously the speed, fuel consumption and emissions of CO2, CO and NOx from a fleet of 15 buses of the same technology during eight months of normal operation. The driving patterns exhibited by drivers in each region were described in terms of 23 characteristic parameters (CPs) such as average speed and average positive kinetic energy. Then, for each region, we constructed their DC using the MT method and evaluated how close it describes the observed driving pattern in each region. We repeated the process using the MCMC and FB methods. Given the stochastic nature of MT and MCMC methods, the DCs obtained changed every time the methods were applied. Hence, we repeated the process of constructing the DCs up to 1000 times and reported their average relative differences and dispersion. We observed that the FB method exhibited the best performance producing DCs that describe the observed driving patterns. In all the regions considered in this study, the DCs produced by this method showed average relative differences smaller than 20% for all the CPs considered. A similar performance was observed for the case of fuel consumption and emission of pollutants.
Measurement of Thermal and Electrical Parameters in Photovoltaic Systems for Predictive and Cross-Correlated Monitorization
Authors: Toledo Carlos , Serrano-Lujan Lucía , Abad Jose , Lampitelli Antonio , Urbina Antonio
Published: February 2019

Photovoltaic electricity generation is growing at an almost exponential rate worldwide, reaching 400 GWp of installed capacity in 2018. Different types of installations, ranging from small building integrated systems to large plants, require different maintenance strategies, including strategies for monitorization and data processing. In this article, we present three case studies at different scales (from hundreds of Wp to a 2.1 MWp plant), where automated parameter monitorization and data analysis has been carried out, aiming to detect failures and provide recommendations for optimum maintenance procedures. For larger systems, the data collected by the inverters provides the best source of information, and the cross-correlated analysis which uses these data is the best strategy to detect failures in module strings and failures in the inverters themselves (an average of 32.2% of inverters with failures was found after ten years of operation). In regards to determining which module is failing, the analysis of thermographic images is reliable and allows the detection of the failed module within the string (up to 1.5% for grave failures and 9.1% of medium failures for the solar plant after eleven years of activity). Photovoltaic (PV) systems at different scales require different methods for monitorization: Medium and large systems depend on inverter automated data acquisition, which can be complemented with thermographic images. Nevertheless, if the purpose of the monitorization is to obtain detailed information about the degradation processes of the solar cells, it becomes necessary to measure the environmental (irradiance and ambient temperature), thermal and electrical parameters (I-V characterization) of the modules and compare the experimental data with the modelling results. This is only achievable in small systems.
Simulation of Thermal Behaviour of a Lithium Titanate Oxide Battery
Authors: Madani Seyed , Schaltz Erik , Knudsen Kær Søren
Published: February 2019

One of the reasonable possibilities to investigate the battery behaviour under various temperature and current conditions is the development of a model of the lithium-ion batteries and then by employing the simulation technique to anticipate their behaviour. This method not only can save time but also they can predict the behaviour of the batteries through simulation. In this investigation, a three-dimensional model is developed to simulate thermal and electrochemical behaviour of a 13Ah lithium-ion battery. In addition, the temperature dependency of the battery cell parameters was considered in the model in order to investigate the influence of temperature on various parameters such as heat generation during battery cell operation. Maccor automated test system and isothermal battery calorimeter were used as experimental setup to validate the thermal model, which was able to predict the heat generation rate and temperature at different positions of the battery. The three-dimensional temperature distributions which were achieved from the modelling and experiment were in well agreement with each other throughout the entire of discharge cycling at different environmental temperatures and discharge rates.
Abundance and Impacts of Competing Species on Conifer Regeneration Following Careful Logging in the Eastern Canadian Boreal Forest
Authors: Ménard Louis-Philippe , Ruel Jean-Claude , Thiffault Nelson
Published: February 2019

Managing competing vegetation is crucial in stand establishment strategies; forecasting the abundance, composition, and impact of competing vegetation after harvesting is needed to optimize silviculture scenarios and maintain long-term site productivity. Our main objective was to identify factors influencing the short-term abundance and composition of competing vegetation over a large area of the Canadian boreal forest. Our second objective was to better understand the mid-term evolution of the regeneration/competing vegetation complex in cases of marginal regeneration conditions. We used operational regeneration surveys of 4471 transects sampled ≈5 years after harvesting that contained data on regeneration, competing vegetation, elevation, ecological classification, soil attributes, and pre-harvest forest stands. We performed a redundancy analysis to identify the relationships between competing vegetation, harvesting and biophysical variables. We then estimated the probability of observing a given competing species cover based on these variables. In 2015, we re-sampled a portion of the sites, where conifer regeneration was marginal early after harvesting, to assess the temporal impact of different competing levels and species groups on the free-to-grow stocking, vigour and basal area of softwood regeneration. Results from the first inventory showed that, after careful logging around advance growth, ericaceous shrubs and hardwoods were not associated with the same sets of site attributes. Ericaceous shrubs were mainly found on low fertility sites associated with black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) or jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). The distinction between suitable environments for commercial shade-intolerant hardwoods and non-commercial hardwoods was less clear, as they responded similarly to many variables. Analysis of data from the second inventory showed a significant improvement in conifer free-to-grow stocking when commercial shade-intolerant hardwood competing levels were low (stocking 0%–40%) and when ericaceous shrubs competing levels were moderate (percent cover 26%–75%). In these conditions of marginal regeneration, the different types and intensities of competition did not affect the vigour or basal area of softwood regeneration, 9–14 years after harvesting.
Proportional Relationship between Leaf Area and the Product of Leaf Length and Width of Four Types of Special Leaf Shapes
Authors: Shi Peijian , Liu Mengdi , Yu Xiaojing , Gielis Johan , Ratkowsky David A.
Published: February 2019

The leaf area, as an important leaf functional trait, is thought to be related to leaf length and width. Our recent study showed that the Montgomery equation, which assumes that leaf area is proportional to the product of leaf length and width, applied to different leaf shapes, and the coefficient of proportionality (namely the Montgomery parameter) range from 1/2 to π/4. However, no relevant geometrical evidence has previously been provided to support the above findings. Here, four types of representative leaf shapes (the elliptical, sectorial, linear, and triangular shapes) were studied. We derived the range of the estimate of the Montgomery parameter for every type. For the elliptical and triangular leaf shapes, the estimates are π/4 and 1/2, respectively; for the linear leaf shape, especially for the plants of Poaceae that can be described by the simplified Gielis equation, the estimate ranges from 0.6795 to π/4; for the sectorial leaf shape, the estimate ranges from 1/2 to π/4. The estimates based on the observations of actual leaves support the above theoretical results. The results obtained here show that the coefficient of proportionality of leaf area versus the product of leaf length and width only varies in a small range, maintaining the allometric relationship for leaf area and thereby suggesting that the proportional relationship between leaf area and the product of leaf length and width broadly remains stable during leaf evolution.
Julia and Mandelbrot Sets for Dynamics over the Hyperbolic Numbers
Authors: Blankers Vance , Rendfrey Tristan , Shukert Aaron , Shipman Patrick D.
Published: February 2019

Julia and Mandelbrot sets, which characterize bounded orbits in dynamical systems over the complex numbers, are classic examples of fractal sets. We investigate the analogs of these sets for dynamical systems over the hyperbolic numbers. Hyperbolic numbers, which have the form x + τ y for x , y ∈ R , and τ 2 = 1 but τ ≠ ± 1 , are the natural number system in which to encode geometric properties of the Minkowski space R 1 , 1 . We show that the hyperbolic analog of the Mandelbrot set parameterizes the connectedness of hyperbolic Julia sets. We give a wall-and-chamber decomposition of the hyperbolic plane in terms of these Julia sets.
Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling
Authors: Moyes Holley , Montgomery Shane
Published: February 2019

Lidar (Light detection and ranging) scanning has revolutionized our ability to locate geographic features on the earth’s surface, but there have been few studies that have addressed discovering caves using this technology. Almost all attempts to find caves using lidar imagery have focused on locating sinkholes that lead to underground cave systems. As archaeologists, our work in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, a heavily forested area in western Belize, focuses on locating potential caves for investigation. Caves are an important part of Maya cultural heritage utilized by the ancient Maya people as ritual spaces. These sites contain large numbers of artifacts, architecture, and human remains, but are being looted at a rapid rate; therefore, our goal is to locate and investigate as many sites as possible during our field seasons. While some caves are entered via sinkholes, most are accessed via vertical cliff faces or are entered by dropping into small shafts. Using lidar-derived data, our goal was to locate and investigate not only sinkholes but other types of cave entrances using point cloud modeling. In this article, we describe our method for locating potential cave openings using local relief models that require only a working knowledge of relief visualization techniques. By using two pedestrian survey techniques, we confirmed a high rate of accuracy in locating cave entrances that varied in both size and morphology. Although 100% pedestrian survey coverage delivered the highest rate accuracy in cave detection, lidar image analyses proved to be expedient for meeting project goals when considering time and resource constraints.
Meeting the Enemy in World War I Poetry: Cognitive Dissonance as a Vehicle for Theme
Authors: Poynor David
Published: February 2019

Some World War I poems show an enemy soldier up close. This choice usually proves very effective for expressing the general irony of war, to be sure. However, I submit that showing interaction with the enemy also allows the speaker space to wrestle with internal conflict, guilt, or cognitive dissonance, and that it allows—or even forces—readers to participate in that struggle along with the speaker. While the poets’ writings no doubt had therapeutic effects for the poets themselves, I focus more on the literary effects, specifically arguing that the poems are powerful to us readers since they heighten the personal exposure of the poets’ psyches and since they make us share the dissonance as readers. I consider poems by Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, Ford Madox Ford, Herbert Read, and Robert Service.
“‘The Mighty Meaning of the Scene’” Feminine Landscapes and the Future of America in Margaret Fuller’s Summer on the Lakes, in 1843
Authors: Healey Kathleen
Published: February 2019

Like many of her contemporaries, Margaret Fuller had great hopes for the West. The Western lands, open for America’s future, held the promise of what America could become. In Summer on the Lakes, Fuller sketches what she hopes America will become. Using the landscape aesthetics of her age, such as the work of Andrew Jackson Downing and the Hudson River School of landscape painting, Fuller describes the ideal landscape as one that is more feminine and nurturing, one in which humankind lives in harmony with nature. Fuller’s landscape descriptions both point to a better future for America and critique the values of her contemporaries. Fuller contrasts America’s more male vision of conquest of the land with her feminine ideal of harmony with nature—a cultivated garden—to show what America’s future should be, as it builds westward.
Heritage Preservation Policy of Civil Servants Joint Stock Fund for Historical Buildings in Athens: The Deligiorgi Residence Case
Authors: Vyzantiadou Maria Margarita , Gkiokas Panagiotis S.
Published: February 2019

The Civil Servants Joint Stock Fund (C.S.J.S.F.), since its establishment in 1867, has invested part of its funds in acquiring real estate properties during the interwar period in Greece. The real estate selection was a very significant process for the Fund’s administration, investing on buildings situated in the historic center of Athens and designed by well-known architects. The fund also initiated the restoration procedures in order to keep its real estate up to date with respect to their importance as milestones of Greek Culture. This paper presents a part of the Fund’s heritage preservation policy and its extensive protection, conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation program; referring briefly to the historical and architectural description of the five (C.S.J.S.F.) historical buildings, in addition to the conservation and restoration projects for one of them; the Deligiorgi Residence, which was designed by the architect Ernst Ziller. The restoration work underlines the ultimate need for heritage preservation, and the importance of being sensitive to the historical character of the buildings, thereby improving their economic status and contributing to the sustainable preservation of architectural and cultural heritage within historic cities.
Protection of Cultural Heritage in Thessaloniki: A Review of Designation Actions
Authors: Vyzantiadou Maria Margarita , Selevista Melissa
Published: February 2019

This paper presents a part of the work of the Department of Traditional Settlements and Listed Buildings (Department of T. S. & L. B.) of the Ministry of Interior (sector of Macedonia and Thrace) which concerns to the specialized legislative policy for the protection and designation of architectural culture, giving a brief reference on major designation processes of properties from the region of Macedonia and Thrace. The Department of T. S. & L. B. is responsible, since 1986, for identifying and protecting the architectural heritage of Northern Greece, by preserving buildings and areas or settlements from inappropriate changes or destruction, thus recognizing them as listed buildings or traditional settlements according to specific administrative procedure. Formal designation helps to protect traditional properties as listed buildings from inappropriate changes or destruction; meanwhile, the establishment of specific protection terms and restrictions of construction, the approval of architectural plans for restorations, interventions, uses or additions contribute that all listed buildings survive and prosper as “live shells”, along with other monuments. Additionally, in cases of traditional areas and settlements, other actions, e.g., modification of city plans, establishment of building rules, etc. have created a holistic protection framework preserving the architectural, urban and aesthetic character of significant historical areas of the city.
Is Urban Household Emergency Preparedness Associated with Short-Term Impact Reduction after a Super Typhoon in Subtropical City?
Authors: Chan Emily Ying Yang , Man Asta Yi Tao , Lam Holly Ching Yu , Chan Gloria Kwong Wai , Hall Brian J. , Hung Kevin Kei Ching
Published: February 2019

Climate change-related extreme events are increasing in frequency and severity. Understanding household emergency preparedness capacity in Health-Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM) for at risk urban communities is limited. The main objective of the study is to explore the association among risk perception, household preparedness, and the self-reported short-term impacts of Typhoons for urban residents. A population-based, cross-sectional telephone survey using random digit-dialling was conducted among Hong Kong adults within 2 weeks following 2018 Typhoon Mangkhut, the most intense typhoon that affected Hong Kong, a subtropical city, in thirty years. Among the 521 respondents, 93.9% and 74.3% reported some form of emergency preparedness and typhoon-specific preparedness measure (TSPM) against Mangkhut, respectively. Respondents who perceived a higher risk at home during typhoons and had practiced routine emergency preparedness measures (during nonemergency periods) were more likely to undertake TSPM. Of the respondents, 33.4% reported some form of impact (11.1% were household-specific) by Typhoon Mangkhut. Practicing TSPM was not associated with the reduction of short-term household impacts. Current preparedness measures may be insufficient to address the impact of super typhoons. Strategies for health-EDRM for urban residents will be needed to cope with increasing climate change-related extreme events.
The Effects of Criminal Punishment on Medical Practices in the Medical Environment
Authors: Lee Munjae
Published: February 2019

Recently, there have been cases in which doctors were criminally convicted for misdiagnosing a patient with constipation who then died of diaphragmatic hernia. The criminal punishment of doctors could create a side effect of reduced medical practitioners. This study analyzed the impact of medical disputes and deduced a plan to create a stable composition of the medical environment. An online survey was conducted with 79,022 doctors who are members of the Korea Medical Association. A total of 3109 responses were obtained, and the analysis used the questionnaire system of the Doctor’s News online survey system. The results demonstrated that doctors have become more psychologically inclined to prescribe overtreatments, avoidance treatments, and defensive treatments. Also, it was found that specialized agencies for medical appraisals were necessary. In order to resolve medical disputes objectively, it is necessary to improve credibility by securing the expertise of the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency. In addition, there is a need for specialized agencies to undertake the medical appraisals and training of medical staff to build up their understanding of medical disputes. Thus, medical disputes can be minimized, and the fairness of medical dispute results can be strengthened.
Relationship between Perceived Indoor Temperature and Self-Reported Risk for Frailty among Community-Dwelling Older People
Authors: Nakajima Yukie , Schmidt Steven M. , Malmgren Fänge Agneta , Ono Mari , Ikaga Toshiharu
Published: February 2019

This study investigated the relationship between perceived indoor temperature in winter and frailty among community-dwelling older people. This cross-sectional study included 342 people 65 years and older in Japan. Participants answered questions about demographics, frailty, housing, and perceived indoor temperature in winter. Participants were grouped based on perceived indoor temperature (Cold or Warm) and economic satisfaction (Unsatisfied or Satisfied). Differences in the frailty index between perceived indoor temperature groups and economic satisfaction groups were tested by using ANCOVA and MANCOVA. An interaction effect showed that people in the Cold Group and unsatisfied with their economic status had significantly higher frailty index scores (F(1, 336) = 5.95, p = 0.015). Furthermore, the frailty index subscale of fall risk was the specific indicator of frailty that accounted for this significant relationship. While previous research has shown the risks related to cold indoor temperature in homes, interestingly among those who reported cold homes, only those who were not satisfied with their economic situation reported being at increased risk for frailty. This highlights the potential importance of preventing fuel poverty to prevent frailty.
Risk Factors Associated with Dengue Virus Infection in Guangdong Province: A Community-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Liu Jundi , Tian Xiaolu , Deng Yu , Du Zhicheng , Liang Tianzhu , Hao Yuantao , Zhang Dingmei
Published: February 2019

Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that is now an epidemic in China, Guangdong Province, in particular and presents high incidence rates of DF. Effective preventive measures are critical for controlling DF in China given the absence of a licensed vaccination program in the country. This study aimed to explore the individual risk factors for the dengue virus infection in Guangdong Province and to provide a scientific basis for the future prevention and control of DF. A case-control study including 237 cases and 237 controls was performed. Cases were defined for samples who were IgG-antibody positive or IgM-antibody positive, and willing to participate in the questionnaire survey. Additionally, the controls were selected through frequency matching by age, gender and community information from individuals who tested negative for IgG and IgM and volunteered to become part of the samples. Data were collected from epidemiological questionnaires. Univariate analysis was performed for the preliminary screening of 28 variables that were potentially related to dengue virus infection, and multivariate analysis was performed through unconditioned logistic regression analysis to analyze statistically significant variables. Multivariate analysis revealed two independent risk factors: Participation in outdoor sports (odds ratio (OR) = 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17 to 2.78), and poor indoor daylight quality (OR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.03 to 5.03). Two protective factors were identified through multivariate analysis: 2 occupants per room (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.65) or ≥3 occupants per room (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.89) and air-conditioner use (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.97). The results of this study were conducive for investigating the risk factors for dengue virus infection in Guangdong Province. Effective and efficient strategies for improving environmental protection and anti-mosquito measures must be provided. In addition, additional systematic studies are needed to explore other potential risk factors for DF.
Attendance in the Canadian Hockey League: The Impact of Winning, Fighting, Uncertainty of Outcome, and Weather on Junior Hockey Attendance
Authors: Paul Rodney , Weinbach Andrew , Riccardi Nick
Published: February 2019

An attendance model is specified for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the top level of junior hockey in Canada with some teams located in the United States. The natural log of attendance is used as the dependent variable, with explanatory variables consisting of the timing of the game, team performance characteristics, uncertainty of outcome measures, and weather-related variables. Weekends and Mondays were the most popular days for games. Winning and fighting were shown to be popular team characteristics that drive attendance. Uncertainty of outcome plays little role, if any, in fan interest at this level, while precipitation significantly reduces attendance.
The Impact of Autoantibodies on IVF Treatment and Outcome: A Systematic Review
Authors: Simopoulou Mara , Sfakianoudis Konstantinos , Maziotis Evangelos , Grigoriadis Sokratis , Giannelou Polina , Rapani Anna , Tsioulou Petroula , Pantou Agni , Kalampokas Theodoros , Vlahos Nikolaos , Pantos Konstantinos , Koutsilieris Michael
Published: February 2019

The role of autoantibodies in in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been discussed for almost three decades. Nonetheless, studies are still scarce and widely controversial. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive systematic review on the possible complications associated to autoantibodies (AA) impeding the chances of a successful IVF cycle. An Embase, PubMed/Medline and Cochrane Central Database search was performed on 1 December 2018, from 2006 until that date. From the 598 articles yielded in the search only 44 relevant articles ultimately fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were qualitatively analyzed. Five subsets of results were identified, namely, thyroid related AA, anti-phospholipid antibodies, anti-nuclear antibodies, AA affecting the reproductive system and AA related to celiac disease. It may be implied that the majority of auto-antibodies exert a statistically significant effect on miscarriage rates, whereas the effects on clinical pregnancy and live birth rates differ according to the type of auto-antibodies. While significant research is performed in the field, the quality of evidence provided is still low. The conduction of well-designed prospective cohort studies is an absolute necessity in order to define the impact of the different types of autoantibodies on IVF outcome.
Autophagy Activator Drugs: A New Opportunity in Neuroprotection from Misfolded Protein Toxicity
Authors: Thellung Stefano , Corsaro Alessandro , Nizzari Mario , Barbieri Federica , Florio Tullio
Published: February 2019

The aim of this review is to critically analyze promises and limitations of pharmacological inducers of autophagy against protein misfolding-associated neurodegeneration. Effective therapies against neurodegenerative disorders can be developed by regulating the “self-defense” equipment of neurons, such as autophagy. Through the degradation and recycling of the intracellular content, autophagy promotes neuron survival in conditions of trophic factor deprivation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial and lysosomal damage, or accumulation of misfolded proteins. Autophagy involves the activation of self-digestive pathways, which is different for dynamics (macro, micro and chaperone-mediated autophagy), or degraded material (mitophagy, lysophagy, aggrephagy). All neurodegenerative disorders share common pathogenic mechanisms, including the impairment of autophagic flux, which causes the inability to remove the neurotoxic oligomers of misfolded proteins. Pharmacological activation of autophagy is typically achieved by blocking the kinase activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) enzymatic complex 1 (mTORC1), removing its autophagy suppressor activity observed under physiological conditions; acting in this way, rapamycin provided the first proof of principle that pharmacological autophagy enhancement can induce neuroprotection through the facilitation of oligomers’ clearance. The demand for effective disease-modifying strategies against neurodegenerative disorders is currently stimulating the development of a wide number of novel molecules, as well as the re-evaluation of old drugs for their pro-autophagic potential.
Copy-Paste Mutagenesis: A Method for Large-Scale Alteration of Viral Genomes
Authors: Tang Jiajia , Brixel Renke , Brune Wolfram
Published: February 2019

The cloning of the large DNA genomes of herpesviruses, poxviruses, and baculoviruses as bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) in Escherichia coli has opened a new era in viral genetics. Several methods of lambda Red-mediated genome engineering (recombineering) in E. coli have been described, which are now commonly used to generate recombinant viral genomes. These methods are very efficient at introducing deletions, small insertions, and point mutations. Here we present Copy-Paste mutagenesis, an efficient and versatile strategy for scarless large-scale alteration of viral genomes. It combines gap repair and en passant mutagenesis procedures and relies on positive selection in all crucial steps. We demonstrate that this method can be used to generate chimeric strains of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), the largest human DNA virus. Large (~15 kbp) genome fragments of HCMV strain TB40/E were tagged with an excisable marker and cloned (copied) in a low-copy plasmid vector by gap repair recombination. The cloned fragment was then excised and inserted (pasted) into the HCMV AD169 genome with subsequent scarless removal of the marker by en passant mutagenesis. We have done four consecutive rounds of this procedure, thereby generating an AD169-TB40/E chimera containing 60 kbp of the donor strain TB40/E. This procedure is highly useful for identifying gene variants responsible for phenotypic differences between viral strains. It can also be used for repair of incomplete viral genomes, and for modification of any BAC-cloned sequence. The method should also be applicable for large-scale alterations of bacterial genomes.
The Effect of Single CpG Demethylation on the Pattern of DNA-Protein Binding
Authors: Sobiak Barbara , Leśniak Wiesława
Published: February 2019

Epidermal differentiation is a complex process and its regulation may involve epigenetic factors. Analysis of DNA methylation in 20 selected regions within the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) gene cluster by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) detected no or only minor changes in methylation, mostly slight demethylation, occurring during the course of keratinocyte differentiation. However, a single CpG pair within the exon of the PGLYRP3 gene underwent a pronounced demethylation concomitant with an increase in PGLYRP3 expression. We have employed a DNA-affinity precipitation assay (DAPA) and mass spectrometry to examine changes in the composition of proteins that bind to DNA containing either methylated or unmethylated CpG. We found that the unmethylated probe attracted mostly RNA binding proteins, including splicing factors, which suggests that demethylation of this particular CpG may facilitate PGLYRP3 transcription and/or pre-mRNA splicing.
Improving the Performance of Horseradish Peroxidase by Site-Directed Mutagenesis
Authors: Humer Diana , Spadiut Oliver
Published: February 2019

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is an intensely studied enzyme with a wide range of commercial applications. Traditionally, HRP is extracted from plant; however, recombinant HRP (rHRP) production is a promising alternative. Here, non-glycosylated rHRP was produced in Escherichia coli as a DsbA fusion protein including a Dsb signal sequence for translocation to the periplasm and a His tag for purification. The missing N-glycosylation results in reduced catalytic activity and thermal stability, therefore enzyme engineering was used to improve these characteristics. The amino acids at four N-glycosylation sites, namely N13, N57, N255 and N268, were mutated by site-directed mutagenesis and combined to double, triple and quadruple enzyme variants. Subsequently, the rHRP fusion proteins were purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) and biochemically characterized. We found that the quadruple mutant rHRP N13D/N57S/N255D/N268D showed 2-fold higher thermostability and 8-fold increased catalytic activity with 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) as reducing substrate when compared to the non-mutated rHRP benchmark enzyme.
Small GTPases and Their Role in Vascular Disease
Authors: Flentje Alison , Kalsi Richa , Monahan Thomas S.
Published: February 2019

Over eighty million people in the United States have cardiovascular disease that can affect the heart causing myocardial infarction; the carotid arteries causing stroke; and the lower extremities leading to amputation. The treatment for end-stage cardiovascular disease is surgical—either endovascular therapy with balloons and stents—or open reconstruction to reestablish blood flow. All interventions damage or destroy the protective inner lining of the blood vessel—the endothelium. An intact endothelium is essential to provide a protective; antithrombotic lining of a blood vessel. Currently; there are no agents used in the clinical setting that promote reendothelialization. This process requires migration of endothelial cells to the denuded vessel; proliferation of endothelial cells on the denuded vessel surface; and the reconstitution of the tight adherence junctions responsible for the formation of an impermeable surface. These processes are all regulated in part and are dependent on small GTPases. As important as the small GTPases are for reendothelialization, dysregulation of these molecules can result in various vascular pathologies including aneurysm formation, atherosclerosis, diabetes, angiogenesis, and hypertension. A better understanding of the role of small GTPases in endothelial cell migration is essential to the development for novel agents to treat vascular disease.
Integrated Proteomics and Metabolomic Analyses of Plasma Injury Biomarkers in a Serious Brain Trauma Model in Rats
Authors: Song Tao , Zhu Ying , Zhang Peng , Zhao Minzhu , Zhao Dezhang , Ding Shijia , Zhu Shisheng , Li Jianbo
Published: February 2019

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a prevalent and serious brain injury with significant morbidity and disability. However, the underlying pathogenesis of DAI remains largely unclear, and there are still no objective laboratory-based tests available for clinicians to make an early diagnosis of DAI. An integrated analysis of metabolomic data and proteomic data may be useful to identify all of the molecular mechanisms of DAI and novel potential biomarkers. Therefore, we established a rat model of DAI, and applied an integrated UPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based metabolomics and isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic analysis to obtain unbiased profiling data. Differential analysis identified 34 metabolites and 43 proteins in rat plasma of the injury group. Two metabolites (acetone and 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde) and two proteins (Alpha-1-antiproteinase and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein) were identified as potential biomarkers for DAI, and all may play important roles in the pathogenesis of DAI. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of integrated metabolomics and proteomics method to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms of DAI, and may help provide clinicians with some novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Influence of Abscisic Acid-Biosynthesis Inhibitor Fluridone on the Feeding Behavior and Fecundity of Nilaparvata lugens
Authors: Ding Xu , Huang Xi , Sun Litong , Wu Jincai , Liu Jinglan
Published: February 2019

Fluridone (FLU) was a pyrrolidone herbicide that was used for selective weeding in wheat, rice, corn and pasture and was also a biosynthesis inhibitor of abscisic acid (ABA), a significant plant hormone. ABA-promoted callose deposition facilitates rice resistance to pests but whether FLU had the opposite influence was unknown. The effects of FLU on the feeding behavior of the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål; BPH), after feeding with rice plants treated with FLU, were studied, using an electrical penetration graph (EPG). For susceptible rice cultivar (TN1), the duration for which BPH sucked phloem sap (N4 wave duration) after 15 μmol/L of FLU treatment was longer than that of the control but decreased after 30 and 60 μmol/L FLU treatments. Fecundity of BPH treated with 15 μmol/L FLU had no significant change, while the deposition area of callose was significantly decreased. For moderately-resistant rice cultivar (IR42), no differences in BPH feeding behavior and fecundity were observed but the deposition area of callose declined after treated with 15 μmol/L of FLU. These findings suggested that a low concentration of FLU (15 μmol/L) promoted BPH feeding behavior in TN1 but not in IR42 and the response in IR42 appeared to be more complicated, which provided supplementary evidence that ABA promoted plant resistance to BPH.
A Pilot Study of Vaccine Therapy with Multiple Glioma Oncoantigen/Glioma Angiogenesis-Associated Antigen Peptides for Patients with Recurrent/Progressive High-Grade Glioma
Authors: Kikuchi Ryogo , Ueda Ryo , Saito Katsuya , Shibao Shunsuke , Nagashima Hideaki , Tamura Ryota , Morimoto Yukina , Sasaki Hikaru , Noji Shinobu , Kawakami Yutaka , Yoshida Kazunari , Toda Masahiro
Published: February 2019

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) carry a dismal prognosis despite current treatments. We previously confirmed the safety and immunogenicity of a vaccine treatment targeting tumor angiogenesis with synthetic peptides, for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) epitopes in recurrent HGG patients. In this study, we evaluated a novel vaccine therapy targeting not only tumor vasculature but also tumor cells, using multiple glioma oncoantigen (GOA)/glioma angiogenesis-associated antigen (GAAA) peptides in HLA-A2402+ recurrent/progressive HGG patients. The vaccine included peptide epitopes from four GOAs (LY6K, DEPDC1, KIF20A, and FOXM1) and two GAAAs (VEGFR1 and VEGFR2). Ten patients received subcutaneous vaccinations. The primary endpoint was the safety of the treatment. T-lymphocyte responses against GOA/GAAA epitopes and treatment response were evaluated secondarily. The treatment was well tolerated without any severe systemic adverse events. The vaccinations induced immunoreactivity to at least three vaccine-targeted GOA/GAAA in all six evaluable patients. The median overall survival time in all patients was 9.2 months. Five achieved progression-free status lasting at least six months. Two recurrent glioblastoma patients demonstrated stable disease. One patient with anaplastic oligoastrocytoma achieved complete response nine months after the vaccination. Taken together, this regimen was well tolerated and induced robust GOA/GAAA-specific T-lymphocyte responses in recurrent/progressive HGG patients.
Aspirin Use among Adults with Cardiovascular Disease in the United States: Implications for an Intervention Approach
Authors: Ansa Benjamin E. , Hoffman Zachary , Lewis Nicollette , Savoy Cassandra , Hickson Angela , Stone Rebecca , Johnson Tara
Published: February 2019

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major underlying cause of death, with high economic burden in most countries, including the United States. Lifestyle modifications and the use of antiplatelet therapy, such as aspirin, can contribute significantly to secondary prevention of CVD in adults. This study examined the prevalence and associated factors of aspirin use for the secondary prevention of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction (MI), and cerebrovascular disease (stroke) in a sample of American adults. The 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset was analyzed for this cross-sectional study. Almost 16% of the study population (N = 441,456) had angina, MI, or stroke. Weighted percentages of respondents with angina, MI, and stroke were 4%, 4.3%, and 3%, respectively. Overall, weighted prevalence of daily (or every other day) aspirin use was about 65%, 71%, and 57% among respondents with angina, MI, and stroke, respectively. Factors that were significantly associated with aspirin use included male sex, more than high school education, high blood pressure, diabetes, and less than excellent general health. There were existing differences among individuals with CVD based on diagnosis, demographic and socioeconomic status in the use of aspirin for secondary prevention. Resources for promoting aspirin use should be directed toward groups with lower utilization.
Globalization and Biodiversity Conservation Problems: Polycentric REDD+ Solutions
Authors: Githiru Mwangi , Njambuya Josephine
Published: February 2019

Protected areas are considered the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, but face multiple problems in delivering this core objective. The growing trend of framing biodiversity and protected area values in terms of ecosystem services and human well-being may not always lead to biodiversity conservation. Although globalization is often spoken about in terms of its adverse effects to the environment and biodiversity, it also heralds unprecedented and previously inaccessible opportunities linked to ecosystem services. Biodiversity and related ecosystem services are amongst the common goods hardest hit by globalization. Yet, interconnectedness between people, institutions, and governments offers a great chance for globalization to play a role in ameliorating some of the negative impacts. Employing a polycentric governance approach to overcome the free-rider problem of unsustainable use of common goods, we argue here that REDD+, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate change mitigation scheme, could be harnessed to boost biodiversity conservation in the face of increasing globalization, both within classic and novel protected areas. We believe this offers a timely example of how an increasingly globalized world connects hitherto isolated peoples, with the ability to channel feelings and forces for biodiversity conservation. Through the global voluntary carbon market, REDD+ can enable and empower, on the one hand, rural communities in developing countries contribute to mitigation of a global problem, and on the other, individuals or societies in the West to help save species they may never see, yet feel emotionally connected to.