bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Taurine Biosynthesis in a Fish Liver Cell Line (ZFL) Adapted to a Serum-Free Medium
Authors: Liu Chieh-Lun , Watson Aaron , Place Allen , Jagus Rosemary
Published: May 2017

Although taurine has been shown to play multiple important physiological roles in teleosts, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying dietary requirements. Cell lines can provide useful tools for deciphering biosynthetic pathways and their regulation. However, culture media and sera contain variable taurine levels. To provide a useful cell line for the investigation of taurine homeostasis, an adult zebrafish liver cell line (ZFL) has been adapted to a taurine-free medium by gradual accommodation to a commercially available synthetic medium, UltraMEM™-ITES. Here we show that ZFL cells are able to synthesize taurine and be maintained in medium without taurine. This has allowed for the investigation of the effects of taurine supplementation on cell growth, cellular amino acid pools, as well as the expression of the taurine biosynthetic pathway and taurine transporter genes in a defined fish cell type. After taurine supplementation, cellular taurine levels increase but hypotaurine levels stay constant, suggesting little suppression of taurine biosynthesis. Cellular methionine levels do not change after taurine addition, consistent with maintenance of taurine biosynthesis. The addition of taurine to cells grown in taurine-free medium has little effect on transcript levels of the biosynthetic pathway genes for cysteine dioxygenase (CDO), cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSAD), or cysteamine dioxygenase (ADO). In contrast, supplementation with taurine causes a 30% reduction in transcript levels of the taurine transporter, TauT. This experimental approach can be tailored for the development of cell lines from aquaculture species for the elucidation of their taurine biosynthetic capacity.
Enhancement of Biomass and Lipid Productivities of Water Surface-Floating Microalgae by Chemical Mutagenesis
Authors: Nojima Daisuke , Ishizuka Yuki , Muto Masaki , Ujiro Asuka , Kodama Fumito , Yoshino Tomoko , Maeda Yoshiaki , Matsunaga Tadashi , Tanaka Tsuyoshi
Published: May 2017

Water surface-floating microalgae have great potential for biofuel applications due to the ease of the harvesting process, which is one of the most problematic steps in conventional microalgal biofuel production. We have collected promising water surface-floating microalgae and characterized their capacity for biomass and lipid production. In this study, we performed chemical mutagenesis of two water surface-floating microalgae to elevate productivity. Floating microalgal strains AVFF007 and FFG039 (tentatively identified as Botryosphaerella sp. and Chlorococcum sp., respectively) were exposed to ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) or 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), and pale green mutants (PMs) were obtained. The most promising FFG039 PM formed robust biofilms on the surface of the culture medium, similar to those formed by wild type strains, and it exhibited 1.7-fold and 1.9-fold higher biomass and lipid productivities than those of the wild type. This study indicates that the chemical mutation strategy improves the lipid productivity of water surface-floating microalgae without inhibiting biofilm formation and floating ability.
Chalcomycins from Marine-Derived Streptomyces sp. and Their Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Jiang Shutai , Zhang Lili , Pei Xuechang , Deng Fang , Hu Dan , Chen Guodong , Wang Chuanxi , Hong Kui , Yao Xinsheng , Gao and Hao
Published: May 2017

Dihydrochalcomycin (1) and chalcomycin, (2), two known chalcomycins, and chalcomycin E (3), a new compound, were isolated from marine-derived Streptomyces sp. HK-2006-1. Their structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger of 1–3 were evaluated. Compounds 1–2 exhibited activities against S. aureus with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 32 µg/mL and 4 µg/mL, respectively. The fact that 1–2 showed stronger activity against S. aureus 209P than 3 indicated that the epoxy unit was important for antimicrobial activity. This structure–activity tendency of chalcomycins against S. aureus is different from that of aldgamycins reported in our previous research, which provide a valuable example for the phenomenon that 16-membered macrolides with different sugars do not have parallel structure–activity relationships.
Study of Surface Metallization of Polyimide Film and Interfacial Characterization
Authors: Wu Pei-Yu , Lin Ching-Hsuan , Chen Chih-Ming
Published: May 2017

Nickel (Ni) metallization of polyimide (PI) was performed using a solution-based process including imide-ring opening reactions, the implanting of Ni ions, the reduction of catalytic Ni nanoparticles, and the electroless deposition of a Ni film. The start-up imide-ring opening reaction plays a crucial role in activating inert PI for subsequent Ni implanting and deposition. A basic treatment of potassium hydroxide (KOH) is commonly used in the imide-ring opening reaction where a poly(amic acid) (PAA) layer forms on the PI surface. In this study, we report that the KOH concentration significantly affects the implanting, reduction, and deposition behavior of Ni. A uniform Ni layer can be grown on a PI film with full coverage through electroless deposition with a KOH concentration of 0.5 M and higher. However, excessive imide-ring opening reactions caused by 5 M KOH treatment resulted in the formation of a thick PAA layer embedded with an uneven distribution of Ni nanoparticles. This composite layer (PAA + Ni) causes wastage of the Ni catalyst and degradation of peel strength of the Ni layer on PI.
An Efficient Fluid-Dynamic Analysis to Improve Industrial Quenching Systems
Authors: Barrena-Rodríguez Manuel , González-Melo Marco , Acosta-González Francisco , Alfaro-López Eddy , García-Pastor Francisco
Published: May 2017

This paper addresses the problem of understanding the relationship between fluid flow and heat transfer in industrial quenching systems. It also presents an efficient analysis to design or optimize long standing quenching tanks to increase productivity. The study case is automotive leaf springs quenched in an oil-tank agitated with submerged jets. This analysis combined an efficient numerical prediction of the detailed isothermal flow field in the whole tank with the thermal characterization of steel probes in plant and laboratory during quenching. These measurements were used to determine the heat flow by solving the inverse heat conduction problem. Differences between laboratory and plant heat flux results were attributed to the difference in surface area size between samples. A proposed correlation between isothermal wall shear stress and heat flux at the surface of the steel component, based on the Reynolds-Colburn analogy, provided the connection between thermal characterization and computed isothermal fluid flow. The present approach allowed the identification of the potential benefits of changes in the tank design and the evaluation of operating conditions while using a much shorter computing time and storage memory than full-domain fluid flow calculations.
Effects of Solution Treatment on Microstructure and High-Cycle Fatigue Properties of 7075 Aluminum Alloy
Authors: Liu Chi , Liu Yilun , Ma Liyong , Yi Jiuhuo
Published: May 2017

This research mainly focused on the effects of solution treatment on high-cycle fatigue properties, microstructure evolution, and fatigue fracture morphology of the high strength aluminum alloy (7075 aluminum alloy). The S-N curves and fatigue performance parameters of the alloy were obtained. We found that longer solution treatment time significantly influences the high-cycle (N ≥ 105) fatigue properties of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy. Under the loading stress of 240 MPa, and the solution treatment of 2 h compared to 1.5 h, 1 h, and 0.5 h, the fatigue life was respectively improved by about 95.7%, 149%, and 359%. The microstructure observations conducted with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) are as follows: recrystallization occurs in the grains of the 7075 aluminum alloy under solution treatment, and the grains become large with the length of the solution treatment time. Cracks mainly initiate from the undissolved large phases, and prolonging the solution time can effectively promote the dissolution of the T phase and S phase, decrease the number of dislocations, and lower the rate of the initiation of fatigue cracks at the undissolved large phases due to dislocation glide and dislocation pile-up. In the second stage of crack propagation, the secondary cracks reduce the driving force and the rate of crack propagation, promoting the fatigue properties of the 7075 aluminum alloy, which can be verified by the observation result that fatigue striation widths become narrower with longer solution treatment times.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of a Polymeric Proanthocyanidin from Serjania schiedeana
Authors: Salinas-Sánchez David , Jiménez-Ferrer Enrique , Sánchez-Sánchez Veronica , Zamilpa Alejandro , González-Cortazar Manasés , Tortoriello Jaime , Herrera-Ruiz Maribel
Published: May 2017

The ethyl acetate extract (SsAcOEt) from Serjania schiedeana, select fractions (F-6, F-12, F-13, F-14), and one isolated compound, were evaluated in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) ear edema and kaolin/carrageenan (KC)-induced monoarthritis assays. SsEtOAc induced edema inhibition of 90% (2.0 mg/ear), fractions showed activity within a range of 67–89%. Due to the fact F-14 showed the highest effect, it was separated, yielding a proanthocyanidin-type called epicatechin–(4β → 8)–epicatechin–(4β → 8, 2β → O → 7) epicatechin (ETP). This compound (2.0 mg/ear) provoked 72% of edema inhibition (ED50 = 0.25 mg/ear, Emax = 52.9%). After 9 days of treatment, joint inflammation was decreasing, and on the last day, SsEtOAc (400 mg/kg), F-14 and ETP (10 mg/kg), SsEtOAc (200 mg/kg), methotrexate (MTX) 1.0 mg/kg and meloxicam (MEL) 1.5 mg/kg, produced an inhibition articulate edema of 94, 62, 36, 21, 80, and 54%, respectively. In the joint, pro-inflammatory molecules were elevated in animals without treatment (vehicle group, VEH). Treatments from S. schiedeana induced a decrease in the concentration of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-17, and IL-6, and SsEtOAc at a higher dose diminished tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). IL-10 and IL-4 were fewer in the VEH group in comparison with healthy mice; the animals with treatments from S. schiedeana induced an increment in the levels of these cytokines in joint and spleen.
Structure Modification of an Active Azo-Compound as a Route to New Antimicrobial Compounds
Authors: Concilio Simona , Sessa Lucia , Petrone Anna , Porta Amalia , Diana Rosita , Iannelli Pio , Piotto Stefano
Published: May 2017

Some novel (phenyl-diazenyl)phenols 3a–g were designed and synthesized to be evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. A previously synthesized molecule, active against bacteria and fungi, was used as lead for modifications and optimization of the structure, by introduction/removal or displacement of hydroxyl groups on the azobenzene rings. The aim of this work was to evaluate the consequent changes of the antimicrobial activity and to validate the hypothesis that, for these compounds, a plausible mechanism could involve an interaction with protein receptors, rather than an interaction with membrane. All newly synthesized compounds were analyzed by 1H-NMR, DSC thermal analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The in vitro minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of each compound was determined against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans. Compounds 3b and 3g showed the highest activity against S. aureus and C. albicans, with remarkable MIC values of 10 µg/mL and 3 µg/mL, respectively. Structure-activity relationship studies were capable to rationalize the effect of different substitutions on the phenyl ring of the azobenzene on antimicrobial activity.
Identification of Anthocyanin Composition and Functional Analysis of an Anthocyanin Activator in Solanum nigrum Fruits
Authors: Wang Shaoli , Chu Zhaohui , Ren Mingxing , Jia Ru , Zhao Changbao , Fei Dan , Su Hao , Fan Xiaoqi , Zhang Xiaotian , Li Yang , Wang Yingzi , Ding Xinhua
Published: May 2017

Solanum nigrum fruits have been conventionally used in beverages due to their nutritional substances such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, sugars, polyphenols, and anthocyanins. The characterization of components and regulatory mechanism of anthocyanins in S. nigrum fruits have rarely been reported. In this study, we determined that the peel and flesh of S. nigrum fruits shared similar HPLC profiles but different contents and total antioxidant activities for anthocyanins. After an efficient purification method, mainly including extraction with pH 1.0 distilled water and then desorption with pH 1.0 95% ethanol after a DM-130 resin adsorption step to obtain more pure anthocyanin extracts, the purity of anthocyanins extracted from S. nigrum fruits reached 56.1%. Moreover, eight anthocyanins from S. nigrum fruit were identified with HPLC-MS/MS for the first time. A typical R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, SnMYB, was also cloned for the first time by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR from S. nigrum. Moreover, the contents of anthocyanins were shown to correlate well (r = 0.93) with the expression levels of SnMYB gene during the fruit’s developmental stages. Most significantly, SnMYB gene successfully produced high anthocyanin content (1.03 mg/g) when SnMYB gene was transiently expressed in tobacco leaves. Taken together, S. nigrum fruits are a promising resource for anthocyanin extraction, and SnMYB gene is an activator that positively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in S. nigrum.
Current Perspective on In Vivo Molecular Imaging of Immune Cells
Authors: Seth Anushree , Park Hye , Hong Kwan
Published: May 2017

Contemporaneous development of improved immune cell-based therapies, and powerful imaging tools, has prompted growth in technologies for immune cell tracking in vivo. Over the past couple of decades, imaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical imaging have successfully monitored the trafficking patterns of therapeutic immune cells and assisted the evaluation of the success or failure of immunotherapy. Recent advancements in imaging technology have made imaging an indispensable module of immune cell-based therapies. In this review, emerging applications of non-radiation imaging modalities for the tracking of a range of immune cells are discussed. Applications of MRI, NIR, and other imaging tools have demonstrated the potential of non-invasively surveying the fate of both phagocytic and non-phagocytic immune cells in vivo.
Identification of Novel Vacuolin-1 Analogues as Autophagy Inhibitors by Virtual Drug Screening and Chemical Synthesis
Authors: Chen Chang , Lu Yingying , Siu Ho Ming , Guan Jintao , Zhu LongChao , Zhang Shuang , Yue Jianbo , Zhang Liangren
Published: May 2017

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular degradation process which is essential for cell homeostasis, and dysfunctional autophagy has been associated with a variety of human diseases, such as cancer. Several autophagy chemical modulators have been applied in a number of preclinical or clinical trials against these autophagy related diseases, especially cancer. Small molecule vacuolin-1 potently and reversibly inhibits both endosomal-lysosomal trafficking and autophagosome-lysosome fusion, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying vacuolin-1 mediated autophagy inhibition remain unknown. Here, we first performed the virtual drug screening and identified 14 vacuolin-1 analogues as autophagy inhibitors. Based on these virtual screening results, we further designed and synthesized 17 vacuolin-1 analogues, and found that 13 of them are autophagy inhibitors and a couple of them are as potent as vacuolin-1. In summary, these studies expanded the pool of useful autophagy inhibitors and reveal the structural-activity relationship of vacuolin-1 analogues, which is useful for future development of vacuolin-1 analogues with high potency and for identification of the molecular targets of vacuolin-1.
Genealogy of Conjugated Acyclic Polyenes
Authors: Hosoya Haruo
Published: May 2017

Based on the total π-electron energies Eπs of Hückel Molecular Orbital (HMO) method for all the possible isomers of conjugated acyclic polyenes (C2nH2n+2) up to n = 7, the structure–stability relation of the possible isomers was analyzed. It was shown that the mean length of conjugation L can roughly predict the ordering of stability among isomers, while the Z-index, or Hosoya-index, can almost perfectly reproduce their stability. Further, the genealogy of the conjugated acyclic polyene family was obtained by drawing systematic diagrams connecting these isomers of different n, and governed by several simple rules. Namely, the stability change of a given isomer in the genealogy connecting n and n + 1 polyenes can be classified into three different modes of vinyl addition (elongation, inner and outer branching) and horn growing, i.e., substitution of –HC=CH– moiety with –HC(=CH2)–C(=CH2)H–. By using the Z-index, we can extend this type of discussion to polyene radicals and even to “cross-conjugated” cyclic polyenes containing only one odd-membered cycle, such as radialene and fulvene.
Applications of Fluorogens with Rotor Structures in Solar Cells
Authors: Ong Kok-Haw , Liu Bin
Published: May 2017

Solar cells are devices that convert light energy into electricity. To drive greater adoption of solar cell technologies, higher cell efficiencies and reductions in manufacturing cost are necessary. Fluorogens containing rotor structures may be helpful in addressing some of these challenges due to their unique twisted structures and photophysics. In this review, we discuss the applications of rotor-containing molecules as dyes for luminescent down-shifting layers and luminescent solar concentrators, where their aggregation-induced emission properties and large Stokes shifts are highly desirable. We also discuss the applications of molecules containing rotors in third-generation solar cell technologies, namely dye-sensitized solar cells and organic photovoltaics, where the twisted 3-dimensional rotor structures are used primarily for aggregation control. Finally, we discuss perspectives on the future role of molecules containing rotor structures in solar cell technologies.
Fast Preparation of Porous MnO/C Microspheres as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Su Jing , Liang Hao , Gong Xian-Nian , Lv Xiao-Yan , Long Yun-Fei , Wen Yan-Xuan
Published: May 2017

Porous MnO/C microspheres have been successfully fabricated by a fast co-precipitation method in a T-shaped microchannel reactor. The structures, compositions, and electrochemical performances of the obtained MnO/C microspheres are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, charge-discharge testing, cyclic voltammograms, and electrochemical impedance spectra. Experimental results reveal that the as-prepared MnO/C, with a specific surface area of 96.66 m2·g−1 and average pore size of 24.37 nm, exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, with a discharge capacity of 655.4 mAh·g−1 after cycling 50 times at 1 C and capacities of 808.3, 743.7, 642.6, 450.1, and 803.1 mAh·g−1 at 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 0.2 C, respectively. Moreover, the controlled method of using a microchannel reactor, which can produce larger specific surface area porous MnO/C with improved cycling performance by shortening lithium-ion diffusion distances, can be easily applied in real production on a large scale.
Simple Technique of Exfoliation and Dispersion of Multilayer Graphene from Natural Graphite by Ozone-Assisted Sonication
Authors: Lin Zaw , Karthik Paneer , Hada Masaki , Nishikawa Takeshi , Hayashi Yasuhiko
Published: May 2017

Owing to its unique properties, graphene has attracted tremendous attention in many research fields. There is a great space to develop graphene synthesis techniques by an efficient and environmentally friendly approach. In this paper, we report a facile method to synthesize well-dispersed multilayer graphene (MLG) without using any chemical reagents or organic solvents. This was achieved by the ozone-assisted sonication of the natural graphite in a water medium. The frequency or number of ozone treatments plays an important role for the dispersion in the process. The possible mechanism of graphene exfoliation and the introduction of functional groups have been postulated. The experimental setup is unique for ozone treatment and enables the elimination of ozone off-gas. The heat generated by the dissipation of ultrasonic waves was used as it is, and no additional heat was supplied. The graphene dispersion was stable, and no evidence of aggregation was observed---even after several months. The characterization results show that well-dispersed MLG was successfully synthesized without any significant damage to the overall structure. The graphene obtained by this method has potential applications in composite materials, conductive coatings, energy storage, and electronic devices.
Morinda citrifolia Linn. (Noni) and Its Potential in Obesity-Related Metabolic Dysfunction
Authors: Inada Aline , Figueiredo Priscila , Santos-Eichler Rosângela , Freitas Karine , Hiane Priscila , Castro Alinne , Guimarães Rita
Published: May 2017

Cultural and economic shifts in the early 19th century led to the rapid development of companies that made good profits from technologically-produced commodities. In this way, some habits changed in society, such as the overconsumption of processed and micronutrient-poor foods and devices that gave rise to a sedentary lifestyle. These factors influenced host-microbiome interactions which, in turn, mediated the etiopathogenesis of “new-era” disorders and diseases, which are closely related, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, and inflammatory bowel disease, which are characterized by chronic dysregulation of metabolic and immune processes. These pathological conditions require novel and effective therapeutic approaches. Morinda citrifolia (noni) is well known as a traditional healing plant due to its medicinal properties. Thus, many studies have been conducted to understand its bioactive compounds and their mechanisms of action. However, in obesity and obesity-related metabolic (dysfunction) syndrome, other studies are necessary to better elucidate noni’s mechanisms of action, mainly due to the complexity of the pathophysiology of obesity and its metabolic dysfunction. In this review, we summarize not only the clinical effects, but also important cell signaling pathways in in vivo and in vitro assays of potent bioactive compounds present in the noni plant which have been reported in studies of obesity and obesity-associated metabolic dysfunction.
Taste Perception of Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami and Changes Due to l-Arginine Supplementation, as a Function of Genetic Ability to Taste 6-n-Propylthiouracil
Authors: Melis Melania , Tomassini Barbarossa Iole
Published: May 2017

Behavioral reaction to different taste qualities affects nutritional status and health. 6-n-Propylthiouracil (PROP) tasting has been reported to be a marker of variation in taste perception, food preferences, and eating behavior, but results have been inconsistent. We showed that l-Arg can enhance the bitterness intensity of PROP, whilst others have demonstrated a suppression of the bitterness of quinine. Here, we analyze the taste perception of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami and the modifications caused by l-Arg supplementation, as a function of PROP-taster status. Taste perception was assessed by testing the ability to recognize, and the responsiveness to, representative solutions of the five primary taste qualities, also when supplemented with l-Arg, in subjects classified as PROP-tasting. Super-tasters, who showed high papilla density, gave higher ratings to sucrose, citric acid, caffeine, and monosodium l-glutamate than non-tasters. l-Arg supplementation mainly modified sucrose perception, enhanced the umami taste, increased NaCl saltiness and caffeine bitterness only in tasters, and decreased citric acid sourness. Our findings confirm the role of PROP phenotype in the taste perception of sweet, sour, and bitter and show its role in umami. The results suggest that l-Arg could be used as a strategic tool to specifically modify taste responses related to eating behaviors.
StandFood: Standardization of Foods Using a Semi-Automatic System for Classifying and Describing Foods According to FoodEx2
Authors: Eftimov Tome , Korošec Peter , Koroušić Seljak Barbara
Published: May 2017

The European Food Safety Authority has developed a standardized food classification and description system called FoodEx2. It uses facets to describe food properties and aspects from various perspectives, making it easier to compare food consumption data from different sources and perform more detailed data analyses. However, both food composition data and food consumption data, which need to be linked, are lacking in FoodEx2 because the process of classification and description has to be manually performed—a process that is laborious and requires good knowledge of the system and also good knowledge of food (composition, processing, marketing, etc.). In this paper, we introduce a semi-automatic system for classifying and describing foods according to FoodEx2, which consists of three parts. The first involves a machine learning approach and classifies foods into four FoodEx2 categories, with two for single foods: raw (r) and derivatives (d), and two for composite foods: simple (s) and aggregated (c). The second uses a natural language processing approach and probability theory to describe foods. The third combines the result from the first and the second part by defining post-processing rules in order to improve the result for the classification part. We tested the system using a set of food items (from Slovenia) manually-coded according to FoodEx2. The new semi-automatic system obtained an accuracy of 89% for the classification part and 79% for the description part, or an overall result of 79% for the whole system.
Tea Drinking and Its Association with Active Tuberculosis Incidence among Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults: The Singapore Chinese Health Study
Authors: Soh Avril , Pan An , Chee Cynthia , Wang Yee-Tang , Yuan Jian-Min , Koh Woon-Puay
Published: May 2017

Experimental studies showed that tea polyphenols may inhibit growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, no prospective epidemiologic study has investigated tea drinking and the risk of active tuberculosis. We investigated this association in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective population-based cohort of 63,257 Chinese aged 45–74 years recruited between 1993 and 1998 in Singapore. Information on habitual drinking of tea (including black and green tea) and coffee was collected via structured questionnaires. Incident cases of active tuberculosis were identified via linkage with the nationwide tuberculosis registry up to 31 December 2014. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the relation of tea and coffee consumption with tuberculosis risk. Over a mean 16.8 years of follow-up, we identified 1249 incident cases of active tuberculosis. Drinking either black or green tea was associated with a dose-dependent reduction in tuberculosis risk. Compared to non-drinkers, the hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) was 1.01 (0.85–1.21) in monthly tea drinkers, 0.84 (0.73–0.98) in weekly drinkers, and 0.82 (0.71–0.96) in daily drinkers (p for trend = 0.003). Coffee or caffeine intake was not significantly associated with tuberculosis risk. In conclusion, regular tea drinking was associated with a reduced risk of active tuberculosis.
Prevent Effects of Lactobacillus Fermentum HY01 on Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice
Authors: Chen Xiaoyong , Zhao Xin , Wang Hongwei , Yang Zelin , Li Jian , Suo Huayi
Published: May 2017

The aim of this study is to assess the preventive effects of Lactobacillus fermentum HY01 (LF-HY01) to dextran sulfate sodium induced-colitis. We observed the ratio of colon weight to its length, colon pathological changes, and the concentrations of pro-inflammatory factors (IFN-γ, IL-12, TNFα, and IL-6) in serum. We also took account of the protein levels of IκBα, NF-κB p65, iNOS, and COX-2, and we measured the best effects of different doses of Lactobacillus fermentum HY01 (low dose group was 109 CFU/kg·bw, high dose group was 1010 CFU/kg·bw) on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice. The results were remarkable, suggesting that Lactobacillus fermentum HY01 had significant preventive effects in dextran sulfate sodium induced-colitis; simultaneously, the high dose group showed the best results among other groups. It can effectively alleviate the shortened colon length, reduce the ratio of colon weight to its length, reduce edema, inflammatory cells infiltration, and colon mucosa injury, and play an important role in the down-regulation of concentrations of pro-inflammatory factors (IFN-γ, IL-12, TNFα, and IL-6). Above all, Lactobacillus fermentum HY01 shows promising prevention for IκBα degradation, inhibition of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation cascades, and decreases the protein levels of iNOS and COX-2 as well.
Direct vs. Expressed Breast Milk Feeding: Relation to Duration of Breastfeeding
Authors: Pang Wei , Bernard Jonathan , Thavamani Geetha , Chan Yiong , Fok Doris , Soh Shu-E , Chua Mei , Lim Sok , Shek Lynette , Yap Fabian , Tan Kok , Gluckman Peter , Godfrey Keith , Van Dam Rob , Kramer Michael , Chong Yap-Seng
Published: May 2017

Background: Studies examining direct vs. expressed breast milk feeding are scarce. We explored the predictors of mode of breastfeeding and its association with breastfeeding duration in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Methods: We included 541 breastfeeding mother—infant pairs from the Growing Up in Singapore Toward healthy Outcomes cohort. Mode of breastfeeding (feeding directly at the breast, expressed breast milk (EBM) feeding only, or mixed feeding (a combination of the former 2 modes)) was ascertained at three months postpartum. Ordinal logistic regression analyses identified predictors of breast milk expression. Cox regression models examined the association between mode of breastfeeding and duration of any and of full breastfeeding. Results: Maternal factors independently associated with a greater likelihood of breast milk expression instead of direct breastfeeding were Chinese (vs. Indian) ethnicity, (adjusted odds ratio, 95% CI; 3.41, 1.97–5.91), tertiary education (vs. secondary education or lower) (2.22, 1.22–4.04), primiparity (1.54, 1.04–2.26) and employment during pregnancy (2.53, 1.60–4.02). Relative to those who fed their infants directly at the breast, mothers who fed their infants EBM only had a higher likelihood of early weaning among all mothers who were breastfeeding (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% CI; 2.20, 1.61–3.02), and among those who were fully breastfeeding (2.39, 1.05–5.41). Mothers who practiced mixed feeding, however, were not at higher risk of earlier termination of any or of full breastfeeding. Conclusions: Mothers who fed their infants EBM exclusively, but not those who practiced mixed feeding, were at a higher risk of terminating breastfeeding earlier than those who fed their infants directly at the breast. More education and support are required for women who feed their infants EBM only.
Nutritional Vitamin D in Renal Transplant Patients: Speculations and Reality
Authors: Messa Piergiorgio , Regalia Anna , Alfieri Carlo
Published: May 2017

Reduced levels of nutritional vitamin D are commonly observed in most chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and particularly in patients who have received a kidney transplant (KTx). In the complex clinical scenario characterizing the recipients of a renal graft, nutritional vitamin D deficiency has been put in relation not only to the changes of mineral and bone metabolism (MBM) after KTx, but also to most of the medical complications which burden KTx patients. In fact, referring to its alleged pleiotropic (non-MBM related) activities, vitamin D has been claimed to play some role in the occurrence of cardiovascular, metabolic, immunologic, neoplastic and infectious complications commonly observed in KTx recipients. Furthermore, low nutritional vitamin D levels have also been connected with graft dysfunction occurrence and progression. In this review, we will discuss the purported and the demonstrated effects of native vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in most of the above mentioned fields, dealing separately with the MBM-related and the pleiotropic effects.
Different Intestinal Microbial Profile in Over-Weight and Obese Subjects Consuming a Diet with Low Content of Fiber and Antioxidants
Authors: Fernández-Navarro Tania , Salazar Nuria , Gutiérrez-Díaz Isabel , De los Reyes-Gavilán Clara , Gueimonde Miguel , González Sonia
Published: May 2017

Obesity has been related to an increased risk of multiple diseases in which oxidative stress and inflammation play a role. Gut microbiota has emerged as a mediator in this interaction, providing new mechanistic insights at the interface between fat metabolism dysregulation and obesity development. Our aim was to analyze the interrelationship among obesity, diet, oxidative stress, inflammation and the intestinal microbiota in 68 healthy adults (29.4% normal-weight). Diet was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire and converted into nutrients and dietary compounds using food composition tables. The intestinal microbiota was assessed by quantitative PCR, fecal short chain fatty acids by gas chromatography and serum biomarkers by standard protocols. Higher levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), C reactive protein (CRP), serum leptin, glucose, fat percentage and the intestinal Lactobacillus group were found in the obese people. Cluster analysis of body mass index, fat mass, glucose, LDL/HDL ratio, leptin, MDA and CRP classified the subjects into two groups. The levels of the intestinal Bacteroides-Prevotella-Porphyromonas group were lower in the cluster and linked to a higher pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory status, whose individuals also had lower intake of fruits, dried fruits, and fish. These results could be useful for designing strategies targeted to obesity prevention.
Body Composition Analysis Allows the Prediction of Urinary Creatinine Excretion and of Renal Function in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Donadio Carlo
Published: May 2017

The aim of this study was to predict urinary creatinine excretion (UCr), creatinine clearance (CCr) and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from body composition analysis. Body cell mass (BCM) is the compartment which contains muscle mass, which is where creatinine is generated. BCM was measured with body impedance analysis in 165 chronic kidney disease (CKD) adult patients (72 women) with serum creatinine (SCr) 0.6–14.4 mg/dL. The GFR was measured (99mTc-DTPA) and was predicted using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. The other examined parameters were SCr, 24-h UCr and measured 24-h CCr (mCCr). A strict linear correlation was found between 24-h UCr and BCM (r = 0.772). Multiple linear regression (MR) indicated that UCr was positively correlated with BCM, body weight and male gender, and negatively correlated with age and SCr. UCr predicted using the MR equation (MR-UCr) was quite similar to 24-h UCr. CCr predicted from MR-UCr and SCr (MR-BCM-CCr) was very similar to mCCr with a high correlation (r = 0.950), concordance and a low prediction error (8.9 mL/min/1.73 m2). From the relationship between the GFR and the BCM/SCr ratio, we predicted the GFR (BCM GFR). The BCM GFR was very similar to the GFR with a high correlation (r = 0.906), concordance and a low prediction error (12.4 mL/min/1.73 m2). In CKD patients, UCr, CCr and the GFR can be predicted from body composition analysis.
Metabolomic Profiling of Soybeans (Glycine max L.) Reveals the Importance of Sugar and Nitrogen Metabolism under Drought and Heat Stress
Authors: Das Aayudh , Rushton Paul , Rohila Jai
Published: May 2017

Soybean is an important crop that is continually threatened by abiotic stresses, especially drought and heat stress. At molecular levels, reduced yields due to drought and heat stress can be seen as a result of alterations in metabolic homeostasis of vegetative tissues. At present an incomplete understanding of abiotic stress-associated metabolism and identification of associated metabolites remains a major gap in soybean stress research. A study with a goal to profile leaf metabolites under control conditions (28/24 °C), drought [28/24 °C, 10% volumetric water content (VWC)], and heat stress (43/35 °C) was conducted in a controlled environment. Analyses of non-targeted metabolomic data showed that in response to drought and heat stress, key metabolites (carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, cofactors, nucleotides, peptides and secondary metabolites) were differentially accumulated in soybean leaves. The metabolites for various cellular processes, such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway, and starch biosynthesis, that regulate carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, peptide metabolism, and purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis, were found to be affected by drought as well as heat stress. Computationally based regulatory networks predicted additional compounds that address the possibility of other metabolites and metabolic pathways that could also be important for soybean under drought and heat stress conditions. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated that in soybeans, keeping up with sugar and nitrogen metabolism is of prime significance, along with phytochemical metabolism under drought and heat stress conditions.
A Rapid One-Pot Synthesis of Novel High-Purity Methacrylic Phosphonic Acid (PA)-Based Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Frameworks via Thiol-Ene Click Reaction
Authors: Karuppasamy K. , Prasanna K. , Vikraman Dhanasekaran , Kim Hyun-Seok , Kathalingam A. , Mitu Liviu , Rhee Hee
Published: May 2017

Herein, we demonstrate a facile methodology to synthesis a novel methacrylic phosphonic acid (PA)-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs) via thiol-ene click reaction using octamercapto thiol-POSS and ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP) monomer. The presence of phosphonic acid moieties and POSS-cage structure in POSS-S-PA was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H, 29Si and 31P-NMR) analyses. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrum of POSS-S-PA acquired in a dithranol matrix, which has specifically designed for intractable polymeric materials. The observed characterization results signposted that novel organo-inorganic hybrid POSS-S-PA would be an efficacious material for fuel cells as a proton exchange membrane and high-temperature applications due to its thermal stability of 380 °C.
Efficient Sampling of Knotting-Unknotting Pathways for Semiflexible Gaussian Chains
Authors: Micheletti Cristian , Orland Henri
Published: May 2017

We propose a stochastic method to generate exactly the overdamped Langevin dynamics of semi-flexible Gaussian chains, conditioned to evolve between given initial and final conformations in a preassigned time. The initial and final conformations have no restrictions, and hence can be in any knotted state. Our method allows the generation of statistically independent paths in a computationally efficient manner. We show that these conditioned paths can be exactly generated by a set of local stochastic differential equations. The method is used to analyze the transition routes between various knots in crossable filamentous structures, thus mimicking topological reconnections occurring in soft matter systems or those introduced in DNA by topoisomerase enzymes. We find that the average number of crossings, writhe and unknotting number are not necessarily monotonic in time and that more complex topologies than the initial and final ones can be visited along the route.
Hourglass-ShapeNetwork Based Semantic Segmentation for High Resolution Aerial Imagery
Authors: Liu Yu , Minh Nguyen Duc , Deligiannis Nikos , Ding Wenrui , Munteanu Adrian
Published: May 2017

A new convolution neural network (CNN) architecture for semantic segmentation of high resolution aerial imagery is proposed in this paper. The proposed architecture follows an hourglass-shaped network (HSN) design being structured into encoding and decoding stages. By taking advantage of recent advances in CNN designs, we use the composed inception module to replace common convolutional layers, providing the network with multi-scale receptive areas with rich context. Additionally, in order to reduce spatial ambiguities in the up-sampling stage, skip connections with residual units are also employed to feed forward encoding-stage information directly to the decoder. Moreover, overlap inference is employed to alleviate boundary effects occurring when high resolution images are inferred from small-sized patches. Finally, we also propose a post-processing method based on weighted belief propagation to visually enhance the classification results. Extensive experiments based on the Vaihingen and Potsdam datasets demonstrate that the proposed architectures outperform three reference state-of-the-art network designs both numerically and visually.
Exploring Relationships among Tree-Ring Growth, Climate Variability, and Seasonal Leaf Activity on Varying Timescales and Spatial Resolutions
Authors: Bhuyan Upasana , Zang Christian , Vicente-Serrano Sergio , Menzel Annette
Published: May 2017

In the first section of this study, we explored the relationship between ring width index (RWI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series on varying timescales and spatial resolutions, hypothesizing positive associations between RWI and current and previous- year NDVI at 69 forest sites scattered in the Northern Hemisphere. We noted that the relationship between RWI and NDVI varies over space and between tree types (deciduous versus coniferous), bioclimatic zones, cumulative NDVI periods, and spatial resolutions. The high-spatial-resolution NDVI (MODIS) reflected stronger growth patterns than those with coarse-spatial-resolution NDVI (GIMMS3g). In the second section, we explore the link between RWI, climate and NDVI phenological metrics (in place of NDVI) for the same forest sites using random forest models to assess the complicated and nonlinear relationships among them. The results are as following (a) The model using high-spatial-resolution NDVI time series explained a higher proportion of the variance in RWI than that of the model using coarse-spatial-resolution NDVI time series. (b) Amongst all NDVI phenological metrics, summer NDVI sum could best explain RWI followed by the previous year’s summer NDVI sum and the previous year’s spring NDVI sum. (c) We demonstrated the potential of NDVI metrics derived from phenology to improve the existing RWI-climate relationships. However, further research is required to investigate the robustness of the relationship between NDVI and RWI, particularly when more tree-ring data and longer records of the high-spatial-resolution NDVI become available.
Optical Cloud Pixel Recovery via Machine Learning
Authors: Tahsin Subrina , Medeiros Stephen , Hooshyar Milad , Singh Arvind
Published: May 2017

Remote sensing derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a widely used index to monitor vegetation and land use change. NDVI can be retrieved from publicly available data repositories of optical sensors such as Landsat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) and several commercial satellites. Studies that are heavily dependent on optical sensors are subject to data loss due to cloud coverage. Specifically, cloud contamination is a hindrance to long-term environmental assessment when using information from satellite imagery retrieved from visible and infrared spectral ranges. Landsat has an ongoing high-resolution NDVI record starting from 1984. Unfortunately, this long time series NDVI data suffers from the cloud contamination issue. Though both simple and complex computational methods for data interpolation have been applied to recover cloudy data, all the techniques have limitations. In this paper, a novel Optical Cloud Pixel Recovery (OCPR) method is proposed to repair cloudy pixels from the time-space-spectrum continuum using a Random Forest (RF) trained and tested with multi-parameter hydrologic data. The RF-based OCPR model is compared with a linear regression model to demonstrate the capability of OCPR. A case study in Apalachicola Bay is presented to evaluate the performance of OCPR to repair cloudy NDVI reflectance. The RF-based OCPR method achieves a root mean squared error of 0.016 between predicted and observed NDVI reflectance values. The linear regression model achieves a root mean squared error of 0.126. Our findings suggest that the RF-based OCPR method is effective to repair cloudy pixels and provides continuous and quantitatively reliable imagery for long-term environmental analysis.
The Difficulty of Measuring the Absorption of Scattered Sunlight by H2O and CO2 in Volcanic Plumes: A Comment on Pering et al. “A Novel and Inexpensive Method for Measuring Volcanic Plume Water Fluxes at High Temporal Resolution,” Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 146
Authors: Kern Christoph
Published: May 2017

In their recent study, Pering et al. (2017) presented a novel method for measuring volcanic water vapor fluxes. Their method is based on imaging volcanic gas and aerosol plumes using a camera sensitive to the near-infrared (NIR) absorption of water vapor. The imaging data are empirically calibrated by comparison with in situ water measurements made within the plumes. Though the presented method may give reasonable results over short time scales, the authors fail to recognize the sensitivity of the technique to light scattering on aerosols within the plume. In fact, the signals measured by Pering et al. are not related to the absorption of NIR radiation by water vapor within the plume. Instead, the measured signals are most likely caused by a change in the effective light path of the detected radiation through the atmospheric background water vapor column. Therefore, their method is actually based on establishing an empirical relationship between in-plume scattering efficiency and plume water content. Since this relationship is sensitive to plume aerosol abundance and numerous environmental factors, the method will only yield accurate results if it is calibrated very frequently using other measurement techniques.