bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus sp. (MRS) in Different Companion Animals and Determination of Risk Factors for Colonization with MRS
Authors: Loncaric Igor , Tichy Alexander , Handler Silvia , Szostak Michael P. , Tickert Mareike , Diab-Elschahawi Magda , Spergser Joachim , Künzel Frank
Published: April 2019

The aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus sp. (MRS) in populations of companion animals that either have previously been exposed or have not been exposed to antibiotic therapy or veterinary facilities, and if owners’ healthcare profession had an influence on colonization with MRS. In addition, the antimicrobial resistance pheno- and genotype were investigated and risks for colonization with MRS were assessed. During this study, 347 nasal swabs (dogs n = 152; cats n = 107; rabbits n = 88) were investigated for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In addition, 131 nasal swabs (dogs n = 79; cats n = 47; rabbits = 3; guinea pigs = 2) were examined for the presence of MRSA but also other MRS. In total, 23 MRS isolates belonged to nine staphylococcal species: Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 11), Staphylococcus warneri (n = 3), Staphylococcus hominis (n = 2), Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n = 2), and singletons Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus fleurettii, Staphylococcus lentus, and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Twenty isolates displayed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Various resistance and biocide resistance genes were detected among the examined staphylococci. Risk assessment for MRS colonization was conducted using a number of factors, including animal species, breed, age, gender, recent veterinary health care hospitalization, and antibiotic prescription, resulting in recent veterinary health care hospitalization being a significant risk factor. The detection of multidrug-resistant MRS in healthy animals is of importance due to their zoonotic potential.
Antioxidant Activities of Alkyl Substituted Pyrazine Derivatives of Chalcones—In Vitro and In Silico Study
Authors: Stepanić Višnja , Matijašić Mario , Horvat Tea , Verbanac Donatella , Kučerová-Chlupáčová Marta , Saso Luciano , Žarković Neven
Published: April 2019

Chalcones are polyphenolic secondary metabolites of plants, many of which have antioxidant activity. Herein, a set of 26 synthetic chalcone derivatives with alkyl substituted pyrazine heterocycle A and four types of the monophenolic ring B, were evaluated for the potential radical scavenging and antioxidant cellular capacity influencing the growth of cells exposed to H2O2. Before that, compounds were screened for cytotoxicity on THP-1 and HepG2 cell lines. Most of them were not cytotoxic in an overnight MTS assay. However, three of them, 4a, 4c and 4e showed 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH●) radical scavenging activity, through single electron transfer followed by a proton transfer (SET-PT) mechanism as revealed by density functional theory (DFT) modeling. DFT modeling of radical scavenging mechanisms was done at the SMD//(U)M052X/6-311++G** level. The in vitro effects of 4a, 4c and 4e on the growth of THP-1 cells during four days pre- or post-treatment with H2O2 were examined daily with the trypan blue exclusion assay. Their various cellular effects reflect differences in their radical scavenging capacity and molecular lipophilicity (clogP) and depend upon the cellular redox status. The applied simple in vitro-in silico screening cascade enables fast identification and initial characterization of potent radical scavengers.
Analysis of a Vibrating Motor Considering Electrical, Magnetic, and Mechanical Coupling Effect
Authors: Kim Jun-Hyung , Jiang Yuan-Wu , Hwang Sang-Moon
Published: April 2019

A vibrating motor is a multi-physics product in which there is coupling between electrical, magnetic, and mechanical domains. To obtain a more accurate analysis, nonlinear parameters, such as inductance, speedance, and force factor, are considered as functions of current and displacement based on the finite element method. By solving a voltage equation using a numerical iteration method, current and displacement at each frequency of the vibrating motor can be calculated. The validity of the analysis method was demonstrated by comparing the results of the experiment with those of the simulation and they were found to be similar.
Effect of Cyclic Load Amplitude on the Evolving Characteristics of Accumulative Deformation in Subgrade Bed
Authors: Liu Gang , Zhao Mingzhi , Luo Qiang , Jia Hongyu
Published: April 2019

To investigate the evolving characteristics of plastic deformation for the angular gravels that are used to construct subgrade bed, a laboratory model test is performed with cyclic load applying. Vertical deformation is measured in real time by displacement transducers and further modified to analyze the plastic behavior of model fillings. It can be found that vertical plastic deformation shows quite different developing patterns under the effect of different cyclic amplitudes for a given model. A power function is adopted to describe the relationship between deformation rate and loading times. By analyzing the value of the power exponent and the corresponding developing features of plastic deformation rate, model filling status can be classified into four different zones, i.e., rapid stabilization, tardy stabilization, tardy failure, and rapid failure. Such a classification reveals different developing patterns of plastic deformation and satisfies the design of subgrade bed for ballasted and unballasted railway.
Automatic Assessment of Prosodic Quality in Down Syndrome: Analysis of the Impact of Speaker Heterogeneity
Authors: Corrales-Astorgano Mario , Martínez-Castilla Pastora , Escudero-Mancebo David , Aguilar Lourdes , González-Ferreras César , Cardeñoso-Payo Valentín
Published: April 2019

Prosody is a fundamental speech element responsible for communicative functions such as intonation, accent and phrasing, and prosodic impairments of individuals with intellectual disabilities reduce their communication skills. Yet, technological resources have paid little attention to prosody. This study aims to develop an automatic classifier to predict the prosodic quality of utterances produced by individuals with Down syndrome, and to analyse how inter-individual heterogeneity affects assessment results. A therapist and an expert in prosody judged the prosodic appropriateness of a corpus of Down syndrome’ utterances collected through a video game. The judgments of the expert were used to train an automatic classifier that predicts prosodic quality by using a set of fundamental frequency, duration and intensity features. The classifier accuracy was 79.3% and its true positive rate 89.9%. We analyzed how informative each of the features was for the assessment and studied relationships between participants’ developmental level and results: interspeaker variability conditioned the relative weight of prosodic features for automatic classification and participants’ developmental level was related to the prosodic quality of their productions. Therefore, since speaker variability is an intrinsic feature of individuals with Down syndrome, it should be considered to attain an effective automatic prosodic assessment system.
Fusion Network for Change Detection of High-Resolution Panchromatic Imagery
Authors: Wiratama Wahyu , Sim Donggyu
Published: April 2019

This paper proposes a fusion network for detecting changes between two high-resolution panchromatic images. The proposed fusion network consists of front- and back-end neural network architectures to generate dual outputs for change detection. Two networks for change detection were applied to handle image- and high-level changes of information, respectively. The fusion network employs single-path and dual-path networks to accomplish low-level and high-level differential detection, respectively. Based on two dual outputs, a two-stage decision algorithm was proposed to efficiently yield the final change detection results. The dual outputs were incorporated into the two-stage decision by operating logical operations. The proposed algorithm was designed to incorporate not only dual network outputs but also neighboring information. In this paper, a new fused loss function was presented to estimate the errors and optimize the proposed network during the learning stage. Based on our experimental evaluation, the proposed method yields a better detection performance than conventional neural network algorithms, with an average area under the curve of 0.9709, percentage correct classification of 99%, and Kappa of 75 for many test datasets.
Anthropogenic CH4 Emissions in the Yangtze River Delta Based on A “Top-Down” Method
Authors: Huang Wenjing , Xiao Wei , Zhang Mi , Wang Wei , Xu Jingzheng , Hu Yongbo , Hu Cheng , Liu Shoudong , Lee Xuhui
Published: April 2019

There remains significant uncertainty in the estimation of anthropogenic CH4 emissions at local and regional scales. We used atmospheric CH4 and CO2 concentration data to constrain the anthropogenic CH4 emission in the Yangtze River Delta one of the most populated and economically important regions in China. The observation of atmospheric CH4 and CO2 concentration was carried out from May 2012 to April 2017 at a rural site. A tracer correlation method was used to estimate the anthropogenic CH4 emission in this region, and compared this “top-down” estimate with that obtained with the IPCC inventory method. The annual growth rates of the atmospheric CO2 and CH4 mole fractions are 2.5 ± 0.7 ppm year−1 and 9.5 ± 4.7 ppb year−1, respectively, which are 9% and 53% higher than the values obtained at Waliguan (WLG) station. The average annual anthropogenic CH4 emission is 4.37 (± 0.61) × 109 kg in the YRD (excluding rice cultivation). This “top-down” estimate is 20–70% greater than the estimate based on the IPCC method. We suggest that possible sources for the discrepancy include low biases in the IPCC calculation of emission from landfills, ruminants and the transport sector.
Prediction of Air Temperature in the Polish Western Carpathian Mountains with the ALADIN-HIRLAM Numerical Weather Prediction System
Authors: Sekula Piotr , Bokwa Anita , Bochenek Bogdan , Zimnoch Miroslaw
Published: April 2019

Prediction of spatial and temporal variability of air temperature in areas with complex topography is still a challenge for numerical weather prediction models. Simulation of atmosphere over complex terrain requires dense and accurate horizontal and vertical grids. In this study, verification results of three configurations of the Aire Limitée Adaptation Dynamique Développement International High-Resolution Limited Area Model (ALADIN-HIRLAM) numerical weather prediction (NWP) system, using two different horizontal and vertical resolutions and applied to the Polish Western Carpathian Mountains, are presented. One model of the ALADIN-HIRLAM NWP system is tested in two horizontal and vertical resolutions. Predicted air temperatures are compared with observations from stations located in different orographies. A comparison of model results with observations was conducted for three cold season intervals in 2017 and 2018. Statistical validation of model output demonstrates better model representativeness for stations located on hill and mountain tops compared to locations in valley bottoms. A comparison of results for two topography representations (2 × 2 km and 1 × 1 km) showed no statistically significant differences of root mean square error (RMSE) and bias between model results and observations.
Testing Quantum Coherence in Stochastic Electrodynamics with Squeezed Schrödinger Cat States
Authors: Huang Wayne , Batelaan Herman
Published: April 2019

The interference pattern in electron double-slit diffraction is a hallmark of quantum mechanics. A long-standing question for stochastic electrodynamics (SED) is whether or not it is capable of reproducing such effects, as interference is a manifestation of quantum coherence. In this study, we used excited harmonic oscillators to directly test this quantum feature in SED. We used two counter-propagating dichromatic laser pulses to promote a ground-state harmonic oscillator to a squeezed Schrödinger cat state. Upon recombination of the two well-separated wavepackets, an interference pattern emerges in the quantum probability distribution but is absent in the SED probability distribution. We thus give a counterexample that rejects SED as a valid alternative to quantum mechanics.
Essential Oils and Isolated Terpenes in Nanosystems Designed for Topical Administration: A Review
Authors: de Matos Sheila P. , Teixeira Helder F. , de Lima Ádley A. N. , Veiga-Junior Valdir F. , Koester Letícia S.
Published: April 2019

Essential oils are natural products with a complex composition. Terpenes are the most common class of chemical compounds present in essential oils. Terpenes and the essential oils containing them are widely used and investigated by their pharmacological properties and permeation-enhancing ability. However, many terpenes and essential oils are sensitive to environmental conditions, undergoing volatilization and chemical degradation. In order to overcome the chemical instability of some isolated terpenes and essential oils, the encapsulation of these compounds in nanostructured systems (polymeric, lipidic, or molecular complexes) has been employed. In addition, nanoencapsulation can be of interest for pharmaceutical applications due to its capacity to improve the bioavailability and allow the controlled release of drugs. Topical drug administration is a convenient and non-invasive administration route for both local and systemic drug delivery. The present review focuses on describing the current status of research concerning nanostructured delivery systems containing isolated terpenes and/or essential oils designed for topical administration and on discussing the use of terpenes and essential oils either for their biological activities or as permeation enhancers in pharmaceutic formulations.
Integrated Au/TiO2 Nanostructured Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Organics Degradation
Authors: Matarrese Roberto , Mascia Michele , Vacca Annalisa , Mais Laura , Usai Elisabetta M. , Ghidelli Matteo , Mascaretti Luca , Bricchi Beatrice R. , Russo Valeria , Casari Carlo S. , Li Bassi Andrea , Nova Isabella , Palmas Simonetta
Published: April 2019

In this work, hierarchical Au/TiO2 nanostructures were studied as possible photoanodes for water splitting and bisphenol A (BPA) oxidation. TiO2 samples were synthetized by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD), while Au nanoparticles (NPs) were differently dispersed (i.e., NPs at the bottom or at the top of the TiO2, as well as integrated TiO2/Au-NPs assemblies). Voltammetric scans and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis were used to correlate the morphology of samples with their electrochemical properties; the working mechanism was investigated in the dark and in the presence of a light radiation, under neutral pH conditions towards the possible oxidation of both bisphenol A (BPA) and water molecules. Different behavior of the samples was observed, which may be attributed mainly to the distributions of Au NPs and to their dimension as well. In particular, the presence of NPs at the bottom seems to be the crucial point for the working mechanism of the structure, thanks to scattering effects that likely allow to better exploit the radiation.
Establishing Relationships between Drought Indices and Wildfire Danger Outputs: A Test Case for the California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System
Authors: McEvoy Daniel J. , Hobbins Mike , Brown Timothy J. , VanderMolen Kristin , Wall Tamara , Huntington Justin L. , Svoboda Mark
Published: April 2019

Relationships between drought indices and fire danger outputs are examined to (1) incorporate fire risk information into the National Integrated Drought Information System California–Nevada Drought Early Warning System and (2) provide a baseline analysis for application of drought indices into a fire risk management framework. We analyzed four drought indices that incorporate precipitation and evaporative demand (E0) and three fire indices that reflect fuel moisture and potential fire intensity. Seasonally averaged fire danger outputs were most strongly correlated to multi-scalar drought indices that use E0 (the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)) at approximately annual time scales that reflect buildup of antecedent drought conditions. Results indicate that EDDI and SPEI can inform seasonal fire potential outlooks at the beginning of summer. An E0 decomposition case study of conditions prior to the Tubbs Fire in Northern California indicate high E0 (97th percentile) driven predominantly by low humidity signaled increased fire potential several days before the start of the fire. Initial use of EDDI by fire management groups during summer and fall 2018 highlights several value-added applications, including seasonal fire potential outlooks, funding fire severity level requests, and assessing set-up conditions prior to large, explosive fire cases.
Atmospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Improves Photosynthesis in Mulberry Leaves via Effective Utilization of Excess Absorbed Light Energy
Authors: Wang Yue , Jin Weiwei , Che Yanhui , Huang Dan , Wang Jiechen , Zhao Meichun , Sun Guangyu
Published: April 2019

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is recognized as a toxic gaseous air pollutant. However, atmospheric NO2 can be absorbed by plant leaves and subsequently participate in plant nitrogen metabolism. The metabolism of atmospheric NO2 utilizes and consumes the light energy that leaves absorb. As such, it remains unclear whether the consumption of photosynthetic energy through nitrogen metabolism can decrease the photosynthetic capacity of plant leaves or not. In this study, we fumigated mulberry (Morus alba L.) plants with 4 μL·L−1 NO2 and analyzed the distribution of light energy absorbed by plants in NO2 metabolism using gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence technology, as well as biochemical methods. NO2 fumigation enhanced the nitrogen metabolism of mulberry leaves, improved the photorespiration rate, and consumed excess light energy to protect the photosynthetic apparatus. Additionally, the excess light energy absorbed by the photosystem II reaction center in leaves of mulberry was dissipated in the form of heat dissipation. Thus, light energy was absorbed more efficiently in photosynthetic carbon assimilation in mulberry plants fumigated with 4 μL·L−1 NO2, which in turn increased the photosynthetic efficiency of mulberry leaves.
The Primary Antisense Transcriptome of Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1
Authors: de Almeida João Paulo Pereira , Vêncio Ricardo Z. N. , Lorenzetti Alan P. R. , ten-Caten Felipe , Gomes-Filho José Vicente , Koide Tie
Published: April 2019

Antisense RNAs (asRNAs) are present in diverse organisms and play important roles in gene regulation. In this work, we mapped the primary antisense transcriptome in the halophilic archaeon Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1. By reanalyzing publicly available data, we mapped antisense transcription start sites (aTSSs) and inferred the probable 3′ ends of these transcripts. We analyzed the resulting asRNAs according to the size, location, function of genes on the opposite strand, expression levels and conservation. We show that at least 21% of the genes contain asRNAs in H. salinarum. Most of these asRNAs are expressed at low levels. They are located antisense to genes related to distinctive characteristics of H. salinarum, such as bacteriorhodopsin, gas vesicles, transposases and other important biological processes such as translation. We provide evidence to support asRNAs in type II toxin–antitoxin systems in archaea. We also analyzed public Ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) data and found that ~10% of the asRNAs are ribosome-associated non-coding RNAs (rancRNAs), with asRNAs from transposases overrepresented. Using a comparative transcriptomics approach, we found that ~19% of the asRNAs annotated in H. salinarum belong to genes with an ortholog in Haloferax volcanii, in which an aTSS could be identified with positional equivalence. This shows that most asRNAs are not conserved between these halophilic archaea.
An Improved Threshold-Sensitive Stable Election Routing Energy Protocol for Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhao Liquan , Tang Qi
Published: April 2019

In the Threshold-Sensitive Stable Election Protocol, sensors are randomly deployed in the region without considering the balanced energy consumption of nodes. If a node that has been selected as a cluster head is located far away from the base station, it will affect the efficiency of the network due to its early death. This paper proposes an improved energy efficient routing protocol named Improved Threshold-Sensitive Stable Election protocol (ITSEP) for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. Firstly, we use a node state transformation mechanism to control the number of cluster heads in high-density node areas. Secondly, the proposed protocol improves the threshold formula by considering the distance from the node to the base station, the number of neighbor nodes, its residual energy, and the average distance between nodes. In addition, an optimal route with minimum energy consumption for cluster heads has been selected throughout data transmission. Simulation results show that this algorithm has achieved a longer lifetime than the stable election protocol algorithm, modified stable election protocol algorithm, and threshold-sensitive stable election protocol algorithm for the heterogeneous wireless sensor network.
Predictors of Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) Health Index in Axial Spondyloarthritis and Comparison of ASAS Health Index between Ankylosing Spondylitis and Nonradiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: Data from the Catholic Axial Spondyloarthritis COhort (CASCO)
Authors: Min Hong Ki , Lee Jennifer , Ju Ji Hyeon , Park Sung-Hwan , Kwok Seung-Ki
Published: April 2019

The Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) health index (HI) is a novel tool for approaching disability, health, and functioning in spondyloarthritis (SpA). In the present study we compared ASAS HI between patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and those with nonradiographic axial SpA (nr-axSpA). In addition, we identified predictors of ASAS HI. We designed this cross-sectional study using data from the Catholic Axial Spondyloarthritis COhort (CASCO), a prospective cohort from a single tertiary hospital. We compared baseline characteristics, including ASAS HI, between AS and nr-axSpA, and determined the frequency of each item constituting the ASAS HI. We used linear regression analysis to identify factors associated with ASAS HI. Total of 357 patients with axSpA—261 with AS and 96 with nr-axSpA—were included in analysis. AS patients were older and had higher ASAS HI than nr-axSpA. Among ASAS HI items, pain (item No. 1) and energy/drive (item No. 5) were the most common areas for which axSpA patients experienced discomfort. ASAS HI correlated with other SpA-related parameters such as BASDAI, ASDAS, and BASFI. Multivariable regression analysis of the axSpA group showed that high NSAID intake and mSASSS were positively associated with ASAS HI, whereas higher economic status and alcohol consumption were negatively associated with ASAS HI. Results were consistent in the AS group on subgroup analysis, whereas alcohol consumption was the only factor significantly associated with ASAS HI in the nr-axSpA group. In the present cohort study, patients with AS had poorer health status (higher ASAS HI) than those with nr-axSpA. Items proposed by AS patients (items No. 1 and 5) were the most frequently checked areas as axSpA patients feel discomfort, and this support that ASAS HI could practically assess actual discomfort of axSpA patient. ASAS HI was well correlated with known disease parameters, including activity, function, and quality of life; therefore, ASAS HI could be used in the future to represent the health status of SpA in a systematic way. Spinal structural damage (higher mSASSS), high NSAID intake, alcohol consumption, and economic status were predictors of ASAS HI in patients with axSpA, especially those with AS.
A Comparison of Electronic and Traditional Stethoscopes in the Heart Auscultation of Obese Patients
Authors: Kalinauskienė Eglė , Razvadauskas Haroldas , Morse Dan J. , Maxey Gail E. , Naudžiūnas Albinas
Published: April 2019

Background and objectives: As the prevalence of obesity is increasing in a population, diagnostics becomes more problematic. Our aim was to compare the 3M Littmann 3200 Electronic Stethoscope and 3M Littman Cardiology III Mechanical Stethoscope in the auscultation of obese patients. Methods. A total of 30 patients with body mass index >30 kg/m2 were auscultated by a cardiologist and a resident physician: 15 patients by one cardiologist and one resident and 15 patients by another cardiologist and resident using both stethoscopes. In total, 960 auscultation data points were verified by an echocardiogram. Sensitivity and specificity data were calculated. Results. Sensitivity for regurgitation with valves combined was higher when the electronic stethoscope was used by the cardiologist (60.0% vs. 40.9%, p = 0.0002) and the resident physician (62.1% vs. 51.5%, p = 0.016); this was also the same when stenoses were added (59.4% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.0002, and 60.9% vs. 50.7%, p = 0.016, respectively). For any lesion, there were no significant differences in specificity between the electronic and acoustic stethoscopes for the cardiologist (92.4% vs. 94.2%) and the resident physician (93.6% vs. 94.7%). The detailed analysis by valve showed one significant difference in regurgitation at the mitral valve for the cardiologist (80.0% vs. 56.0%, p = 0.031). No significant difference in specificity between the stethoscopes was found when all lesions, valves and both physicians were combined (93.0% vs. 94.4%, p = 0.30), but the electronic stethoscope had higher sensitivity than the acoustic (60.1% vs. 45.7%, p < 0.0001). The analysis when severity of the abnormality was considered confirmed these results. Conclusions. There is an indication of increased sensitivity using the electronic stethoscope. Specificity was high using the electronic and acoustic stethoscope.
Phytochemical Modulation of MiRNAs in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ganapathy Aravinda , Ezekiel Uthayashanker
Published: April 2019

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are some of the most commonly used treatments, but are often associated with severe side effects, and are not entirely curative. It is therefore important to consider other preventative treatment options. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring bioactive compounds which have been shown to play a role in cancer prevention and treatment, especially in regards to a person’s lifestyle and diet. Recent evidence has shown that phytochemicals may exert their chemopreventative effects by targeting micro RNAs (miRNAs), which regulate the downstream expression of tumor suppressors and oncogenes. MiRNAs are small, endogenous, noncoding RNAs that regulate several biological processes through post-translational regulation. The dysregulation of miRNA expression has been shown to be associated with colorectal cancer. In this review, we will summarize and discuss several phytochemicals, which have been shown to exert chemopreventative effects in colorectal cancer by the modulation of miRNA expression.
Blunt Notch Strength of AA2024 3-3/2-0.4 Fibre Metal Laminate Under Biaxial Tensile Loading
Authors: Schwinn Julian , Breitbarth Eric , Beumler Thomas , Requena Guillermo
Published: April 2019

Fibre metal laminates are utilized in lightweight structures, such as aircraft fuselages, as fibre metal laminates provide outstanding fatigue and damage tolerance capabilities, together with a reduced weight compared to monolithic metallic structures. One critical feature of fuselage structures is their strength reduction that owes to riveting, i.e., a state-of-the-art joining technique in aircrafts. In the present work, the blunt notch strength of fibre-laminate panels with rivet holes is investigated under service-relevant biaxial loading conditions. To this purpose, cruciform specimens with a five-hole pattern were produced. These specimens were tested under various biaxiality ratios and fibre orientations. All tests were supported by three-dimensional digital image correlation to obtain the deformation field in the gauge area. Moreover, the displacement fields obtained during deformation were used in an elasto-plastic finite element model as boundary conditions to determine the maximum strains in the vicinity of the blunt notch holes and thus extend the application of the experimental results. The asymmetric strain fields obtained by digital image correlation reveal the interaction of the fibres with the blunt notch holes. Finally, it is shown that the biaxial loading conditions do not significantly influence the blunt notch strength.
Metabolic Modeling of Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193 Provides Insights into Metabolic Pathways of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Zoledowska Sabina , Presta Luana , Fondi Marco , Decorosi Francesca , Giovannetti Luciana , Mengoni Alessio , Lojkowska Ewa
Published: April 2019

Understanding plant–microbe interactions is crucial for improving plants’ productivity and protection. Constraint-based metabolic modeling is one of the possible ways to investigate the bacterial adaptation to different ecological niches and may give insights into the metabolic versatility of plant pathogenic bacteria. We reconstructed a raw metabolic model of the emerging plant pathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193 with the use of KBase. The model was curated by using inParanoind and phenotypic data generated with the use of the OmniLog system. Metabolic modeling was performed through COBRApy Toolbox v. 0.10.1. The curated metabolic model of P. parmentieri SCC3193 is highly reliable, as in silico obtained results overlapped up to 91% with experimental data on carbon utilization phenotypes. By mean of flux balance analysis (FBA), we predicted the metabolic adaptation of P. parmentieri SCC3193 to two different ecological niches, relevant for the persistence and plant colonization by this bacterium: soil and the rhizosphere. We performed in silico gene deletions to predict the set of essential core genes for this bacterium to grow in such environments. We anticipate that our metabolic model will be a valuable element for defining a set of metabolic targets to control infection and spreading of this plant pathogen.
Purification of an Antifungal Peptide from Seeds of Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes and Investigation of Its Antifungal Activity and Mechanism of Action
Authors: Wang Caicheng , Zhang Yao , Zhang Weiwei , Yuan Susu , Ng Tzibun , Ye Xiujuan
Published: April 2019

In this study, a 8.5-kDa antifungal peptide designated as BGAP was purified from the crude extract of the seeds of Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes by employing a protocol that comprised cation exchange chromatography on SP-Sepharose, cation exchange chromatography on Mono S and gel filtration chromatography on Superdex peptide. BGAP showed the highest amino acid sequence similarity to defensin peptides by mass spectrometric analysis. BGAP showed a broad spectrum of antifungal activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration at 17.33 μg/mL, 12.37 μg/mL, 16.81 μg/mL, and 5.60 μg/mL toward Colletotrichum higginsianum, Exserohilum turcicum, Magnaporthe oryzae and Mycosphaerella arachidicola, respectively. The antifungal activity of BGAP remained stable (i) after heat treatment at 40–100 °C for 15 min; (ii) after exposure to solutions of pH 1–3 and 11–13 for 15 min; (iii) after incubation with solutions containing K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+ or Fe3+ ions at the concentrations of 20–150 mmol/L for 2 h; and (iv) following treatment with 10% methyl alcohol, 10% ethanol, 10% isopropanol or 10% chloroform for 2 h. Fluorescence staining experiments showed that BGAP brought about an increase in cell membrane permeability, a rise in reactive oxygen species production, a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and an accumulation of chitin at the hyphal tips of Mycosphaerella arachidicola.
Parasitic Protozoa: Unusual Roles for G-Quadruplexes in Early-Diverging Eukaryotes
Authors: Dumetz Franck , Merrick Catherine J.
Published: April 2019

Guanine-quadruplex (G4) motifs, at both the DNA and RNA levels, have assumed an important place in our understanding of the biology of eukaryotes, bacteria and viruses. However, it is generally little known that their very first description, as well as the foundational work on G4s, was performed on protozoans: unicellular life forms that are often parasitic. In this review, we provide a historical perspective on the discovery of G4s, intertwined with their biological significance across the protozoan kingdom. This is a history in three parts: first, a period of discovery including the first characterisation of a G4 motif at the DNA level in ciliates (environmental protozoa); second, a period less dense in publications concerning protozoa, during which DNA G4s were discovered in both humans and viruses; and third, a period of renewed interest in protozoa, including more mechanistic work in ciliates but also in pathogenic protozoa. This last period has opened an exciting prospect of finding new anti-parasitic drugs to interfere with parasite biology, thus adding new compounds to the therapeutic arsenal.
Antioxidant and Anti-Diabetic Activities of Polysaccharides from Guava Leaves
Authors: Luo You , Peng Bin , Wei Weiqian , Tian Xiaofei , Wu Zhenqiang
Published: April 2019

Guava (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) leaves have been used as a folk herbal tea to treat diabetes for a long time in Asia and North America. In this study, we isolated polysaccharides from guava leaves (GLP), and evaluated its antioxidant activity in vitro and anti-diabetic effects on diabetic mice induced by streptozotocin combined with high-fat diet. The results indicated that GLP exhibited good DPPH, OH, and ABTS free-radical scavenging abilities, and significantly lowered fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, total triglycerides, glycated serum protein, creatinine, and malonaldehyde. Meanwhile, it significantly increased the total antioxidant activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity in diabetic mice, as well as ameliorated the damage of liver, kidney, and pancreas. Thus, polysaccharides from guava leaves could be explored as a potential antioxidant or anti-diabetic agents for functional foods or complementary medicine.
Structure and Anti-Tumor Activities of Exopolysaccharides from Alternaria mali Roberts
Authors: Yuan Pingchuan , Fang Fang , Shao Taili , Li Ping , Hu Wei , Zhou Yuyan , Wang Guodong , Han Jun , Chen Kaoshan
Published: April 2019

In this study, an extracellular polysaccharide from Alternaria mali Roberts (AMEP) was extracted, and its structure was characterized, in addition to its antitumor activity in vitro. Neutral polysaccharide AMEP-1 and anionic polysaccharide AMEP-2 were isolated from AMEP, and their monosaccharide compositions consisted of mannose (Man), glucose (Glc), and galactose (Gal) but at different ratios. The linking mode of both AMEP-1 and AMEP-2 is Manp-(1→4) and Glcp-(1→6), and the branched chains are connected to the main chain through O-6. AMEP-2 inhibited the proliferation of BGC-823 cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. AMEP-2 also induced the apoptosis of BGC-823 cells, and showed anti-tumor effects by inducing cell cycle arrest in the S phase, reactive oxygen species production, and mitochondrial membrane potential reduction in BGC-823 cells. Therefore, AMEP-2 shows potential for further development as a novel anti-tumor agent.
Practical Determination of the Solubility Parameters of 1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium Bromide ([CnC1im]Br, n = 5, 6, 7, 8) Ionic Liquids by Inverse Gas Chromatography and the Hansen Solubility Parameter
Authors: Zhu Qiao-Na , Wang Qiang , Hu Yan-Biao , Abliz Xawkat
Published: April 2019

The physicochemical properties of four 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([CnC1im]Br, n = 5, 6, 7, 8) ionic liquids (ILs) were investigated in this work by using inverse gas chromatography (IGC) from 303.15 K to 343.15 K. Twenty-eight organic solvents were used to obtain the physicochemical properties between each IL and solvent via the IGC method, including the specific retention volume and the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter. The Hildebrand solubility parameters of the four [CnC1im]Br ILs were determined by linear extrapolation to be δ 2 ( [ C 5 C 1 im ] Br ) = 25.78 (J·cm−3)0.5, δ 2 ( [ C 6 C 1 im ] Br ) = 25.38 (J·cm−3)0.5, δ 2 ( [ C 7 C 1 im ] Br ) =24.78 (J·cm−3)0.5 and δ 2 ( [ C 8 C 1 im ] Br ) = 24.23 (J·cm−3)0.5 at room temperature (298.15 K). At the same time, the Hansen solubility parameters of the four [CnC1im]Br ILs were simulated by using the Hansen Solubility Parameter in Practice (HSPiP) at room temperature (298.15 K). The results were as follows: δ t ( [ C 5 C 1 im ] Br ) = 25.86 (J·cm−3)0.5, δ t ( [ C 6 C 1 im ] Br ) = 25.39 (J·cm−3)0.5, δ t ( [ C 7 C 1 im ] Br ) = 24.81 (J·cm−3)0.5 and δ t ( [ C 8 C 1 im ] Br ) = 24.33 (J·cm−3)0.5. These values were slightly higher than those obtained by the IGC method, but they only exhibited small errors, covering a range of 0.01 to 0.1 (J·cm−3)0.5. In addition, the miscibility between the IL and the probe was evaluated by IGC, and it exhibited a basic agreement with the HSPiP. This study confirms that the combination of the two methods can accurately calculate solubility parameters and select solvents.
CRISPR/Cas9-Based Antiviral Strategy: Current Status and the Potential Challenge
Authors: Lee Choongho
Published: April 2019

From its unexpected discovery as a bacterial adaptive immune system to its countless applications as one of the most versatile gene-editing tools, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized every field of life science. Virology is no exception to this ever-growing list of CRISPR/Cas9-based applications. Direct manipulation of a virus genome by CRISPR/Cas9 has enabled a systematic study of cis-elements and trans-elements encoded in a virus genome. In addition, this virus genome-specific mutagenesis by CRISPR/Cas9 was further funneled into the development of a novel class of antiviral therapy targeting many incurable chronic viral infections. In this review, a general concept on the CRISPR/Cas9-based antiviral strategy will be described first. To understand the current status of the CRISPR/Cas9-based antiviral approach, a series of recently published antiviral studies involving CRISPR/Cas9-mediated control of several clinically-relevant viruses including human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, herpesviruses, human papillomavirus, and other viruses will be presented. Lastly, the potential challenge and future prospect for successful clinical translation of this CRISPR/Cas9-based antiviral method will be discussed.
Cannabinoid Actions on Neural Stem Cells: Implications for Pathophysiology
Authors: Rodrigues Rui S. , Lourenço Diogo M. , Paulo Sara L. , Mateus Joana M. , Ferreira Miguel F. , Mouro Francisco M. , Moreira João B. , Ribeiro Filipa F. , Sebastião Ana M. , Xapelli Sara
Published: April 2019

With the increase of life expectancy, neurodegenerative disorders are becoming not only a health but also a social burden worldwide. However, due to the multitude of pathophysiological disease states, current treatments fail to meet the desired outcomes. Therefore, there is a need for new therapeutic strategies focusing on more integrated, personalized and effective approaches. The prospect of using neural stem cells (NSC) as regenerative therapies is very promising, however several issues still need to be addressed. In particular, the potential actions of pharmacological agents used to modulate NSC activity are highly relevant. With the ongoing discussion of cannabinoid usage for medical purposes and reports drawing attention to the effects of cannabinoids on NSC regulation, there is an enormous, and yet, uncovered potential for cannabinoids as treatment options for several neurological disorders, specifically when combined with stem cell therapy. In this manuscript, we review in detail how cannabinoids act as potent regulators of NSC biology and their potential to modulate several neurogenic features in the context of pathophysiology.
The Antioxidant Potential of White Wines Relies on the Chemistry of Sulfur-Containing Compounds: An Optimized DPPH Assay
Authors: Romanet Remy , Coelho Christian , Liu Youzhong , Bahut Florian , Ballester Jordi , Nikolantonaki Maria , Gougeon Régis D.
Published: April 2019

The DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay is an easy and efficient method commonly used to determine the antioxidant capacity of many food matrices and beverages. In contrast with red wines, white wines are poorer in antioxidant polyphenolics, and the more hydrophilic sulfur-containing compounds in them may contribute significantly to their antioxidant capacity. The modification of the classical DPPH method, with a methanol-buffer and the measure of EC20 (quantity of sample needed to decrease the initial DPPH concentration by 20%) has shown that sulfur-containing compounds such as cysteine (0.037 ± 0.003), glutathione (0.054 ± 0.003) or methanethiol (0.104 ± 0.003) appeared to bear antioxidant capacity comparable to well known phenolic compounds, such as catechin (0.035 ± 0.003), caffeic acid (0.057 ± 0.003) and ferulic acid (0.108 ± 0.003), respectively. In the case of white wines, the comparison with REDOX-sensory scores showed that results from this modified DPPH assay are strongly correlated with sensory attributes (r = 0.73, p < 0.1). These results provide an unprecedented illustration of the important contribution of these sulfur-containing compounds to the radical quenching ability of white wines.
Dietary Assessment of Shared Plate Eating: A Missing Link
Authors: Burrows Tracy , Collins Clare , Adam Marc , Duncanson Kerith , Rollo Megan
Published: April 2019

Shared plate eating is a defining feature of the way food is consumed in some countries and cultures. Food may be portioned to another serving vessel or directly consumed into the mouth from a centralised dish rather than served individually onto a discrete plate for each person. Shared plate eating is common in some low- and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC). The aim of this narrative review was to synthesise research that has reported on the assessment of dietary intake from shared plate eating, investigate specific aspects such as individual portion size or consumption from shared plates and use of technology in order to guide future development work in this area. Variations of shared plate eating that were identified in this review included foods consumed directly from a central dish or shared plate food, served onto additional plates shared by two or more people. In some settings, a hierarchical sharing structure was reported whereby different family members eat in turn from the shared plate. A range of dietary assessment methods have been used in studies assessing shared plate eating with the most common being 24-h recalls. The tools reported as being used to assist in the quantification of food intake from shared plate eating included food photographs, portion size images, line drawings, and the carrying capacity of bread, which is often used rather than utensils. Overall few studies were identified that have assessed and reported on methods to assess shared plate eating, highlighting the identified gap in an area of research that is important in improving understanding of, and redressing dietary inadequacies in LLMIC.
Shape Memory Polyurethane with Porous Architectures for Potential Applications in Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment
Authors: Wang Jingyu , Kunkel Robert , Luo Jishan , Li Yuhua , Liu Hong , Bohnstedt Bradley N. , Liu Yingtao , Lee Chung-Hao
Published: April 2019

Conventional endovascular embolization of intracranial (or brain) aneurysms using helical detachable platinum coils can be time-consuming and occasionally requires retreatment due to incomplete coil packing. These shortcomings create a need for new biomedical devices and methods of achieving brain aneurysm occlusion. This paper presents a biocompatible and highly porous shape memory polymer (SMP) material with potential applications in the development of novel endovascular devices for treating complex intracranial aneurysms. The novel highly porous polyurethane SMP is synthesized as an open cell foam material with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 39 °C using a sugar particle leaching method. Once heated above the Tg, the compressed SMP foam is able to quickly return to its original shape. An electrical resistance heating method is also employed to demonstrate a potential triggering design for the shape recovery process in future medical applications. The mechanical properties of the developed SMP foam are characterized at temperatures up to 10 °C above the respective Tg. The results from this work demonstrate that the porous SMP material developed in this study and the electrical resistance heating trigger mechanism provide a solid foundation for future design of biomedical devices to enhance the long-term therapeutic outcomes of endovascular intracranial aneurysm treatments.
Machine Learning Techniques for Tree Species Classification Using Co-Registered LiDAR and Hyperspectral Data
Authors: Marrs Julia , Ni-Meister Wenge
Published: April 2019

The use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) techniques for recording and analyzing tree and forest structural variables shows strong promise for improving established hyperspectral-based tree species classifications; however, previous multi-sensoral projects were often limited by error resulting from seasonal or flight path differences. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard’s LiDAR, hyperspectral, and thermal imager (G-LiHT) is now providing co-registered data on experimental forests in the United States, which are associated with established ground truths from existing forest plots. Free, user-friendly machine learning applications like the Orange Data Mining Extension for Python recently simplified the process of combining datasets, handling variable redundancy and noise, and reducing dimensionality in remotely sensed datasets. Neural networks, CN2 rules, and support vector machine methods are used here to achieve a final classification accuracy of 67% for dominant tree species in experimental plots of Howland Experimental Forest, a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest with ten dominant tree species, and 59% for plots in Penobscot Experimental Forest, a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest with 15 dominant tree species. These accuracies are higher than those produced using LiDAR or hyperspectral datasets separately, suggesting that combined spectral and structural data have a greater richness of complementary information than either dataset alone. Using greatly simplified datasets created by our dimensionality reduction methodology, machine learner performance remains comparable or higher to that using the full dataset. Across forests, the identification of shared structural and spectral variables suggests that this methodology can successfully identify parameters with high explanatory power for differentiating among tree species, and opens the possibility of addressing large-scale forestry questions using optimized remote sensing workflows.