bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential Industrial Applications and Commercialization of Microalgae in the Functional Food and Feed Industries: A Short Review
Authors: Camacho Franciele , Macedo Angela , Malcata Francisco
Published: May 2019

Bioactive compounds, e.g., protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals, found in commercial form of microalgal biomass (e.g., powder, flour, liquid, oil, tablet, or capsule forms) may play important roles in functional food (e.g., dairy products, desserts, pastas, oil-derivatives, or supplements) or feed (for cattle, poultry, shellfish, and fish) with favorable outcomes upon human health, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects, as well as prevention of gastric ulcers, constipation, anemia, diabetes, and hypertension. However, scale up remains a major challenge before commercial competitiveness is attained. Notwithstanding the odds, a few companies have already overcome market constraints, and are successfully selling extracts of microalgae as colorant, or supplement for food and feed industries. Strong scientific evidence of probiotic roles of microalgae in humans is still lacking, while scarce studies have concluded on probiotic activity in marine animals upon ingestion. Limitations in culture harvesting and shelf life extension have indeed constrained commercial viability. There are, however, scattered pieces of evidence that microalgae play prebiotic roles, owing to their richness in oligosaccharides—hardly fermented by other members of the intestinal microbiota, or digested throughout the gastrointestinal tract of humans/animals for that matter. However, consistent applications exist only in the dairy industry and aquaculture. Despite the underlying potential in formulation of functional food/feed, extensive research and development efforts are still required before microalgae at large become a commercial reality in food and feed formulation.
Screening of Chaetomorpha linum Lipidic Extract as a New Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Stabili Loredana , Acquaviva Maria Immacolata , Angilè Federica , Cavallo Rosa Anna , Cecere Ester , Del Coco Laura , Fanizzi Francesco Paolo , Gerardi Carmela , Narracci Marcella , Petrocelli Antonella
Published: May 2019

Recent studies have shown that marine algae represent a great source of natural compounds with several properties. The lipidic extract of the seaweed Chaetomorpha linum (Chlorophyta, Cladophorales), one of the dominant species in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Mediterranean, Ionian Sea), revealed an antibacterial activity against Vibrio ordalii and Vibrio vulnificus, common pathogens in aquaculture, suggesting its potential employment to control fish and shellfish diseases due to vibriosis and to reduce the public health hazards related to antibiotic use in aquaculture. This extract showed also an antioxidant activity, corresponding to 170.960 ± 16. mmol Trolox equivalent/g (oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay—ORAC) and to 30.554 ± 2.30 mmol Trolox equivalent/g (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay—TEAC). The chemical characterization of the extract, performed by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, highlighted the presence of free, saturated (SAFAs), unsaturated (UFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs) fatty acids. The high content of ω-6 and ω-3 PUFAs confirmed also by gas chromatography indicates the potentiality of this algal species in the production of fortified food. The antibacterial activity seems related to the presence of linolenic acid present at high density, while the antioxidant activity could be likely ascribable to molecules such as carotenoids and chlorophylls (characterized also by thin-layer chromatography), known for this property. The presence of polyhydroxybutyrate, a biopolymer with potentiality in the field of biodegradable bioplastics was also detected. The exploitation of C. linum for a future biotechnological application is also encouraged by the results from a first attempt of cultivating this species in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system.
Integral Utilization of Red Seaweed for Bioactive Production
Authors: Torres Maria Dolores , Flórez-Fernández Noelia , Domínguez Herminia
Published: May 2019

The hydrocolloids carrageenan and agar are the major fraction industrially extracted and commercialized from red seaweeds. However, this type of macroalgae also contains a variety of components with nutritional, functional and biological properties. In the context of sustainability and bioeconomy, where the integral utilization of the natural resources is incentivized, the sequential separation and valorization of seaweed components with biological properties of interest for food, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and pharmaceuticals is proposed. In this work, a review of the available conventional and alternative greener and efficient extraction for obtaining red seaweed bioactives is presented. The potential of emerging technologies for the production of valuable oligomers from carrageenan and agar is also commented, and finally, the sequential extraction of the constituent fractions is discussed.
A Single Site Population Study to Investigate CYP2D6 Phenotype of Patients with Persistent Non-Malignant Pain
Authors: Radford Helen , Simpson Karen H. , Rogerson Suzanne , Johnson Mark I.
Published: May 2019

Background and Objectives: Codeine requires biotransformation by the CYP2D6 enzyme, encoded by the polymorphic CYP2D6 gene, to morphine for therapeutic efficacy. CYP2D6 phenotypes of poor, intermediate, and ultra-rapid metabolisers are at risk of codeine non-response and adverse drug reactions due to altered CYP2D6 function. The aim of this study was to determine whether genotype, inferred phenotype, and urinary and oral fluid codeine O-demethylation metabolites could predict codeine non-response following a short course of codeine. Materials and Methods: There were 131 Caucasians with persistent pain enrolled. Baseline assessments were recorded, prohibited medications ceased, and DNA sampling completed before commencing codeine 30 mg QDS for 5 days. Day 4 urine samples were collected 1–2 h post morning dose for codeine O-demethylation metabolites analysis. Final pain assessments were conducted on day 5. Results: None of the poor, intermediate, ultra-rapid metabolisers and only 24.5% of normal metabolisers responded to codeine. A simple scoring system to predict analgesic response from day 4 urinary metabolites was devised with overall prediction success of 79% (sensitivity 0.8, specificity 0.78) for morphine and 79% (sensitivity 0.76, specificity 0.83) for morphine:creatinine ratio. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study provides tentative evidence that day 4 urinary codeine O-demethylation metabolites could predict non-response following a short course of codeine and could be utilised in the clinical assessment of codeine response at the point of care to improve analgesic efficacy and safety in codeine therapy. We offer a scoring system to predict codeine response from urinary morphine and urinary morphine:creatinine ratio collected on the morning of day 4 of codeine 30 mg QDS, but this requires validation before it could be considered for use to assess codeine response in clinical practice.
Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder
Authors: Paris Joel
Published: May 2019

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with suicidal behaviors and self-harm. Up to 10% of BPD patients will die by suicide. However, no research data support the effectiveness of suicide prevention in this disorder, and hospitalization has not been shown to be useful. The most evidence-based treatment methods for BPD are specifically designed psychotherapies.
A Novel Self-Activated Mechanism for Stable Liquid Transportation Capable of Continuous-Flow and Real-time Microfluidic PCRs
Authors: Wu Di , Shi Bing , Li Bin , Wu Wenming
Published: May 2019

The self-activated micropump capable of velocity-stable transport for both single-phased plug and double-phased droplet through long flow distance inside 3D microchannel is one dream of microfluidic scientists. While several types of passive micropumps have been developed based on different actuation mechanisms, until today, it is still one bottleneck to realize such a satisfied self-activated micropump for the stable delivery of both single and double-phased liquid inside long microchannel (e.g., several meters), due to the lack of innovative mechanism in previous methods. To solve this problem, in this article, we propose a new self-activated pumping mechanism. Herein, an end-opened gas-impermeable quartz capillary is utilized for passive transport. Mechanism of this micropump is systemically studied by both the mathematical modeling and the experimental verifications. Based on the flow assays, it totally confirmed a different pumping principle in this paper, as compared with our previous works. The R 2 value of the overall flow rates inside the 3D microchannel is confirmed as high as 0.999, which is much more homogeneous than other passive pumping formats. Finally, this novel micropump is applied to continuous-flow real-time PCRs (both plug-type and microdroplet-type), with the amplification efficiency reaching 91.5% of the commercial PCR cycler instrument.
Dissolution and Passivation of Chalcopyrite during Bioleaching by Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans at Low Temperature
Authors: Peng Tangjian , Chen Lei , Wang Jingshu , Miao Jie , Shen Li , Yu Runlan , Gu Guohua , Qiu Guanzhou , Zeng Weimin
Published: May 2019

Our knowledge on the dissolution and passivation mechanisms of chalcopyrite during bioleaching at low temperature has been limited to date. In this study, an Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans strain with high tolerance to heavy metals and UV radiation was used for chalcopyrite bioleaching. At 6 °C, no apparent precipitate was detected on the mineral surface after bioleaching using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the ore residue contained only chalcopyrite and quartz. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that the content of S0 on the mineral surface remained low and the ratio of SO42− decreased from 46.7% to 20.9%, but the amount of Sn2− increased from 10.4% to 21.4% after bioleaching. Expression of five critical iron- and sulfur-oxidation genes during bioleaching was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. The gene rusA had higher expression in the mid-log phase than in the stationary phase but hdrA and cyoC1 showed an opposite trend. All genes had higher expression at 6 °C than at 28 °C, so as to compensate for the decline in the enzyme activities. The study revealed that polysulfide was the most plausible passivating substance at 6 °C, and the strain can maintain the iron- and sulfur-oxidation activities during low-temperature bioleaching.
Rapid Determination of Nutritional Parameters of Pasta/Sauce Blends by Handheld Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Neves Marina D. G. , Poppi Ronei J. , Siesler Heinz W.
Published: May 2019

Nowadays, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has experienced a rapid progress in miniaturization (instruments < 100 g are presently available), and the price for handheld systems has reached the < $500 level for high lot sizes. Thus, the stage is set for NIR spectroscopy to become the technique of choice for food and beverage testing, not only in industry but also as a consumer application. However, contrary to the (in our opinion) exaggerated claims of some direct-to-consumer companies regarding the performance of their “food scanners” with “cloud evaluation of big data”, the present publication will demonstrate realistic analytical data derived from the development of partial least squares (PLS) calibration models for six different nutritional parameters (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugar, and fiber) based on the NIR spectra of a broad range of different pasta/sauce blends recorded with a handheld instrument. The prediction performance of the PLS calibration models for the individual parameters was double-checked by cross-validation (CV) and test-set validation. The results obtained suggest that in the near future consumers will be able to predict the nutritional parameters of their meals by using handheld NIR spectroscopy under every-day life conditions.
Quantification of Nineteen Bioactive Components in the Ancient Classical Chinese Medicine Formula of Wen-Dan Decoction and Its Commercial Preparations by UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS
Authors: Zhang Bing , Qi Dongli , Deng Xiuping , Ma Zhe , Wu Yumei , Xue Zhifeng , Kebebe Dereje , Lu Peng , Pi Jiaxin , Guo Pan , Li Nan , Liu Zhidong
Published: May 2019

A UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS method was developed to quantify the significant constituents in Wen-Dan Decoction (WDD), a traditional Chinese medicine. Analysis of 19 compounds was conducted on an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 Column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) using elution with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.05% (v/v) formic acid in water. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in negative ionization mode and positive ionization mode by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), respectively. All calibration curves showed acceptable linearity (r ≥ 0.9950). The RSDs of intra- and inter-day precisions of low, mid and high concentrations were ≤ 8.88%. The repeatabilities (RSDs ≤ 7.17%) and stabilities (RSD ≤ 4.79%) of the samples were qualified. The recoveries were found in the range of 93.07 ± 3.86 to 103.98 ± 2.98% with the RSD varying between 1.30 and 7.86%. The final rapid, sensitive, precise, accurate and reliable UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS method was used for the simultaneous quantification of 19 constituents in WDD and its commercial preparations. The strategy of combining the contents of the 19 chemicals in a daily dose of the WDD preparations with the hierarchical cluster analysis and the 3D principal component analysis was employed to effectively distinguish the WDD preparations provided by the different suppliers, which represents a contribution to the evaluation and control of the quality of WDD (or other decoctions consisting of the same herbs) and the preparations of WDD in other dosage forms such as tablets and granules.
Synthesis of Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Protein Engineering Strategies for Improved Enzymatic Transglycosylation
Authors: Zeuner Birgitte , Teze David , Muschiol Jan , Meyer Anne S.
Published: May 2019

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) signify a unique group of oligosaccharides in breast milk, which is of major importance for infant health and development. The functional benefits of HMOs create an enormous impetus for biosynthetic production of HMOs for use as additives in infant formula and other products. HMO molecules can be synthesized chemically, via fermentation, and by enzymatic synthesis. This treatise discusses these different techniques, with particular focus on harnessing enzymes for controlled enzymatic synthesis of HMO molecules. In order to foster precise and high-yield enzymatic synthesis, several novel protein engineering approaches have been reported, mainly concerning changing glycoside hydrolases to catalyze relevant transglycosylations. The protein engineering strategies for these enzymes range from rationally modifying specific catalytic residues, over targeted subsite −1 mutations, to unique and novel transplantations of designed peptide sequences near the active site, so-called loop engineering. These strategies have proven useful to foster enhanced transglycosylation to promote different types of HMO synthesis reactions. The rationale of subsite −1 modification, acceptor binding site matching, and loop engineering, including changes that may alter the spatial arrangement of water in the enzyme active site region, may prove useful for novel enzyme-catalyzed carbohydrate design in general.
Antidepressant-Like Effect and Mechanism of Action of Honokiol on the Mouse Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Depression Model
Authors: Zhang Bo , Wang Ping-Ping , Hu Kai-Li , Li Li-Na , Yu Xue , Lu Yi , Chang Hong-Sheng
Published: May 2019

There is growing evidence that neuroinflammation is closely linked to depression. Honokiol, a biologically active substance extracted from Magnolia officinalis, which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to exert significant anti-inflammatory effects and improve depression-like behavior caused by inflammation. However, the specific mechanism of action of this activity is still unclear. In this study, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mouse model was used to study the effect of honokiol on depression-like behavior induced by LPS in mice and its potential mechanism. A single administration of LPS (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) increased the immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST), without affecting autonomous activity. Pretreatment with honokiol (10 mg/kg, oral administration) for 11 consecutive days significantly improved the immobility time of depressed mice in the FST and TST experiments. Moreover, honokiol ameliorated LPS-induced NF-κB activation in the hippocampus and significantly reduced the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines; tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and interferon γ (IFN-γ). In addition, honokiol inhibited LPS-induced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activation and quinolinic acid (a toxic product) increase and reduced the level of free calcium in brain tissue, thereby inhibiting calcium overload. In summary, our results indicate that the anti-depressant-like effects of honokiol are mediated by its anti-inflammatory effects. Honokiol may inhibit the LPS-induced neuroinflammatory response through the NF-κB signaling pathway, reducing the levels of related pro-inflammatory cytokines, and furthermore, this may affect tryptophan metabolism and increase neuroprotective metabolites.
A High-Efficiency Multispectral Filter Based on Plasmonic Hybridization between Two Cascaded Ultrathin Nanogratings
Authors: Zhao Bo , Huang Zhenfen , Yang Jianjun , Zhang Lei , Joshya Rajagopal S. , Guo Chunlei
Published: May 2019

Overcoming the disadvantages of low transmission and broad peak bandwidth of previously reported plasmonic color filters, a high-efficiency multispectral plasmonic color filter is theoretically proposed with two cascaded ultrathin metallic nanogratings separated by two heterogeneous dielectric layers, and its optical properties are theoretically investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. The transmission spectrum presents three near-unity peak bands accompanied with three near-null dip bands adjacent around them. Both transmission efficiencies of above 90% and ultranarrow peak bandwidth of 20 nm are achieved in the visible regime. The peak band positions can be flexibly tailored by varying the structural parameters. The filter selects the visible color with high signal noise ratio at the peak bands. The outstanding spectral properties of this filter indicate significant improvement for the high-accuracy color filtering and multispectral imaging applications. The simulated near-field electromagnetic distributions suggest that the excitation of the hybrid antisymmetric surface plasmon polariton (SPP) leaky mode and metal-insulator-metal waveguide modes are responsible for the peak transmission bands, while the formation of the hybrid SPP bound modes confined on the bottom nanograting makes the dip transmission bands, all of which are the consequence of the plasmonic hybridization between the two neighboring metallic nanogratings.
3′,8″-Dimerization Enhances the Antioxidant Capacity of Flavonoids: Evidence from Acacetin and Isoginkgetin
Authors: Li Xican , Ouyang Xiaojian , Cai Rongxin , Chen Dongfeng
Published: May 2019

To probe the effect of 3′,8″-dimerization on antioxidant flavonoids, acacetin and its 3′,8″-dimer isoginkgetin were comparatively analyzed using three antioxidant assays, namely, the ·O2− scavenging assay, the Cu2+ reducing assay, and the 2,2′-azino bis(3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assay. In these assays, acacetin had consistently higher IC50 values than isoginkgetin. Subsequently, the acacetin was incubated with 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy radicals (4-methoxy-TEMPO) and then analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC−ESI−Q−TOF−MS) technology. The results of the UHPLC−ESI−Q−TOF−MS analysis suggested the presence of a dimer with m/z 565, 550, 413, 389, 374, 345, 330, and 283 peaks. By comparison, standard isoginkgetin yielded peaks at m/z 565, 533, 518, 489, 401, 389, 374, and 151 in the mass spectra. Based on these experimental data, MS interpretation, and the relevant literature, we concluded that isoginkgetin had higher electron transfer potential than its monomer because of the 3′,8″-dimerization. Additionally, acacetin can produce a dimer during its antioxidant process; however, the dimer is not isoginkgetin.
Exploring Ecological Alternatives for Crop Protection Using Coriandrum sativum Essential Oil
Authors: Sumalan Renata Maria , Alexa Ersilia , Popescu Iuliana , Negrea Monica , Radulov Isidora , Obistioiu Diana , Cocan Ileana
Published: May 2019

Essential oils (EOs) are a natural source of active compounds with antifungal, antimycotoxigenic, and herbicidal potential, and have been successfully used in organic agriculture, instead of chemical compounds obtained by synthesis, due to their high bioactivity and the absence of toxicity. The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of Coriandrum sativum essential oil (CEO) as a potential source of bioactive constituents and its applications as an antifungal and bioherbicidal agent. The CEO was obtained by steam distillation of coriander seeds and GC-MS technique was used to determine the chemical composition. Furthermore, in vitro tests were used to determine the antifungal potential of CEO on Fusarium graminearum mycelia growth through poisoned food technique, resulting in the minimum fungistatic (MCFs) and fungicidal concentrations (MCFg). The antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effect of CEO was studied on artificially contaminated wheat seeds with F. graminearum spores. Additionally, the herbicidal potential of CEO was studied by fumigating monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weed seeds, which are problematic in agricultural field crops in Romania. The in vitro studies showed the antifungal potential of CEO, with a minimum concentration for a fungistatic effect of 0.4% and the minimum fungicidal concentration of 0.6%, respectively. An increase in the antifungal effects was observed in the in vivo experiment with F. graminearum, where a mixture of CEO with Satureja hortensis essential oil (SEO) was used. This increase is attributed to the synergistic effect of both EOs. Moreover, the synthesis of deoxynivalenol (DON)-type mycotoxins was found to be less inhibited. Hence, CEO has shown an herbicidal potential on weed seeds by affecting inhibition of germination.
Exploring User Perception Challenges in Vibrotactile Haptic Display Using Resonant Microbeams under Contact with Skin
Authors: Wi Daehan , Sodemann Angela A.
Published: May 2019

Resonant vibrotactile microbeams use the concept of resonance to excite the vibration of cantilever beams, which correspond to pixels of an image. The primary benefit of this type of tactile display is its potential for high resolution. This paper presents the concept of the proposed system and human skin contact experiments to explore user perception challenges related to beam vibration during skin contact. The human skin contact experiments can be described in five phases: dried skin contact to metal beam tips, wet and soaped skin contact to metal beam tips, skin contact with a constraint, normal force measurement, and skin contact to the tips of silicone rubber beams attached to metal beam tips. Experimental results are analyzed to determine in what cases of skin contact the beams stop vibrating. It is found that the addition of silicone rubber beams allows the primary metal beams to continue vibrating while in contact with skin. Thus, the vibration response of a metal beam with silicone rubber beams is investigated for the better understanding of the effect of silicone rubber beams on the metal beam vibration.
Elaeagnus glabra f. oxyphylla Attenuates Scopolamine-Induced Learning and Memory Impairments in Mice by Improving Cholinergic Transmission via Activation of CREB/NGF Signaling
Authors: Sohn Eunjin , Lim Hye-Sun , Kim Yu Jin , Kim Bu-Yeo , Kim Joo-Hwan , Jeong Soo-Jin
Published: May 2019

We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of an Elaeagnus glabra f. oxyphylla (EGFO) ethanol extract in mice with scopolamine-induced memory dysfunction. Fifty male mice were randomly divided into a normal control group, a scopolamine-treated group, a scopolamine and EGFO extract-treated group, and a scopolamine and tacrine-treated group. EGFO (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) was received for 21 days. Step-through passive avoidance and Y-maze tests were performed to examine the effects of treatment on learning and memory impairments. Acetylcholine (Ach) levels and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity were measured via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), nerve growth factor (NGF), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and apoptosis-related protein expression were determined via Western blot analysis. EGFO pretreatment significantly attenuated scopolamine-induced memory impairments, relative to findings observed in the scopolamine-treated group. Levels of cholinergic factors in the brain tissues were markedly attenuated in the scopolamine-treated group. EGFO treatment also attenuated neural apoptosis in scopolamine-treated mice by decreasing the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax, Bcl2, cleaved caspase-3, and TUNEL staining. These results suggest that EGFO improves memory and cognition in a mouse model of memory impairment by restoring cholinergic and anti-apoptotic activity, possibly via activation of CREB/NGF signaling.
Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among adolescents living in Germany—Results from EsKiMo II
Authors: Perlitz Hanna , Mensink Gert B.M. , Lage Barbosa Clarissa , Richter Almut , Brettschneider Anna-Kristin , Lehmann Franziska , Patelakis Eleni , Frank Melanie , Heide Karoline , Haftenberger Marjolein
Published: May 2019

Dietary supplements may contribute to nutrient intake; however, actual data on dietary supplement use among adolescents living in Germany are rare. The aim of this analysis was to describe the current use of dietary supplements, its determinants, and reasons of use. Changes in supplement use over time were evaluated by comparing the results with those from EsKiMo I (2006). Data from the Eating Study as a KiGGS Module EsKiMo II (2015–2017) were used to analyze supplement intake according to sociodemographic, health characteristics, and physical exercise behavior of 12–17-year-olds (n = 1356). Supplement use during the past four weeks was assessed by a standardized computer assisted personal interview. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the association between supplement use and its determinants. Between 2015–2017, 16.4% (95%-CI: 13.0–19.7%) of the adolescents used dietary supplements, and its use decreased with lower levels of physical exercise and overweight. Most supplement users used only one supplement, often containing both vitamins and minerals. The most frequently supplemented nutrients were vitamin C and magnesium. The main reported reason to use supplements was ‘to improve health’. Prevalence of supplement use was slightly lower in 2015-2017 than in 2006 (18.5%; 95%-CI: 15.8–21.2%). The results underline the importance of including nutrient intake through dietary supplements in nutrition surveys.
Frequent Usage of Convenience Stores is Associated with Low Diet Quality
Authors: Kaji Ayumi , Hashimoto Yoshitaka , Sakai Ryosuke , Okada Hiroshi , Hamaguchi Masahide , Ushigome Emi , Majima Saori , Yamazaki Masahiro , Fukui Michiaki
Published: May 2019

Previous studies have revealed that the density of convenience stores in the neighborhood was associated with chronic diseases. In Japan, convenience stores are more common, and it is thus more important to assess whether people use convenience stores than the density or availability of the convenience stores. In this cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes, the association between the usage of the convenience stores and dietary habits or the prevalence of hypertension was evaluated. Among the 206 men and 161 women in the study, 24 men and 9 women used convenience stores three or more times per week. Fruit and vegetable intake (men, 132 (102−191) vs. 192 (128−267) g/1000 kcal, p = 0.019; and women, 178 (132−207) vs. 239 (172−313) g/1000 kcal, p = 0.063) of patients who frequently use convenience stores was lower compared to those who did not. Net endogenous acid production score (men, 55.2 (45.4−65.2) vs. 48.9 (42.3−56.8) mEq/day, p = 0.013; and women, 56.9 (52.6−59.8) vs. 46.3 (40.9−54.0) mEq/day, p = 0.050) and intake of carbohydrate to fiber ratio (men, 21.5 (20.0−29.3) vs. 19.9 (15.7−25.0), p = 0.052; and women, 21.0 (18.9−23.9) vs. 16.2 (13.8−20.3), p = 0.017) of patients who frequently use convenience stores were higher compared to those who did not. Additionally, frequent usage of convenience stores was associated with the prevalence of hypertension after adjusting for covariates (5.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.12−22.50; p = 0.035). In conclusion, frequent usage of convenience stores is associated with low diet quality and the prevalence of hypertension.
Deprescribing: Fashion Accessory or Fig Leaf?
Authors: Zermansky Arnold G.
Published: May 2019

Deprescribing is the general practice fashion accessory that no prescriber can be seen without. However, it is in danger of becoming a “fig leaf” substitute for the entire medication review suite.
Dufour Effect with Ramped Wall Temperature and Specie Concentration on Natural Convection Flow through a Channel
Authors: Jha Basant Kumar , Gambo Yusuf Ya’u
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we have obtained an analytical solution to the problem of unsteady free convection and mass transfer flow of an incompressible fluid through a vertical channel in the presence of Dufour effect (or diffusion thermo). The bounding plates are assumed to have ramped wall temperature as well as specie concentration. The mathematical model responsible for the physical situation is presented in dimensionless form and solved analytically using the powerful Laplace Transform Technique (LTT) under relevant initial and boundary conditions. In order to cross check the accuracy of the analytical results, numerical solutions are obtained using PDEPE solver in MATLAB. The expressions for temperature, concentration, and velocity are obtained. The effects of Dufour parameter, Prandtl number ( P r ) , Schmidt number ( S c ) , and dimensionless time are described during the course of these discussions. The temperature, concentration, and velocity profiles are graphically presented for some realistic values of P r = 0.025 ,   0.71 ,   7.0 ,   11.62 ,   100.0 and S c = 0.22 ,   0.60 ,   1.00 ,   2.62 , while the values of all other parameters are arbitrarily taken.
Rewriting Race, Gender and Religion in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Paradise
Authors: Hathaway Heather
Published: May 2019

This article explores author Toni Morrison’s creation of female spiritual leaders in her 1977 novel, Song of Solomon, and her 1998 novel, Paradise. I argue that she deliberately distorts Biblical imagery and narrative to rewrite women into the roles of spiritual agents rather than subjects, using irony and inversion, in Song of Solomon. She builds on this in Paradise by exploring the limitations of patriarchal orthodox Christian systems of social order and control by casting them in light of alternative spiritual beliefs, most notably Gnosticism.
Harmonizing Multi-Source Remote Sensing Images for Summer Corn Growth Monitoring
Authors: Zhang Mingzheng , Zhu Dehai , Su Wei , Huang Jianxi , Zhang Xiaodong , Liu Zhe
Published: May 2019

Continuous monitoring of crop growth status using time-series remote sensing image is essential for crop management and yield prediction. The growing season of summer corn in the North China Plain with the period of rain and hot, which makes the acquisition of cloud-free satellite imagery very difficult. Therefore, we focused on developing image datasets with both a high temporal resolution and medium spatial resolution by harmonizing the time-series of MOD09GA Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images and 30-m-resolution GF-1 WFV images using the improved Kalman filter model. The harmonized images, GF-1 images, and Landsat 8 images were then combined and used to monitor the summer corn growth from 5th June to 6th October, 2014, in three counties of Hebei Province, China, in conjunction with meteorological data and MODIS Evapotranspiration Data Set. The prediction residuals ( Δ P R K ) in NDVI between the GF-1 observations and the harmonized images was in the range of −0.2 to 0.2 with Gauss distribution. Moreover, the obtained phenological curves manifested distinctive growth features for summer corn at field scales. Changes in NDVI over time were more effectively evaluated and represented corn growth trends, when considered in conjunction with meteorological data and MODIS Evapotranspiration Data Set. We observed that the NDVI of summer corn showed a process of first decreasing and then rising in the early growing stage and discuss how the temperature and moisture of the environment changed with the growth stage. The study demonstrated that the synthesized dataset constructed using this methodology was highly accurate, with high temporal resolution and medium spatial resolution and it was possible to harmonize multi-source remote sensing imagery by the improved Kalman filter for long-term field monitoring.
Mass-Sensitive Sensing of Melamine in Dairy Products with Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Matrix Challenges
Authors: Zeilinger Martin , Sussitz Hermann , Cuypers Wim , Jungmann Christoph , Lieberzeit Peter
Published: May 2019

Food standards and quality control are important means to ensure public health. In the last decade, melamine has become a rather notorious example of food adulteration: Spiking products with low-cost melamine in order to feign high amino acid content exploits the lack in specificity of the established Kjeldahl method for determining organic nitrogen. This work discusses the responses of a sensor based on quartz crystal microbalances (QCM) coated with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to detect melamine in real life matrices both in a selective and a sensitive manner. Experiments in pure milk revealed no significant sensor responses. However, sensor response increased to a frequency change of −30Hz after diluting the matrix ten times. Systematic evaluation of this effect by experiments in melamine solutions containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) and casein revealed that proteins noticeably influence sensor results. The signal of melamine in water (1600 mg/L) decreases to half of its initial value, if either 1% BSA or casein are present. Higher protein concentrations decrease sensor responses even further. This suggests significant interaction between the analyte and proteins in general. Follow-up experiments revealed that centrifugation of tagged serum samples results in a significant loss of sensor response, thereby further confirming the suspected interaction between protein and melamine.
A Textile Sensor for Long Durations of Human Motion Capture
Authors: Hu Sufeng , Dai Miaoding , Dong Tianyun , Liu Tao
Published: May 2019

Human posture and movement analysis is important in the areas of rehabilitation, sports medicine, and virtual training. However, the development of sensors with good accuracy, low cost, light weight, and suitability for long durations of human motion capture is still an ongoing issue. In this paper, a new flexible textile sensor for knee joint movement measurements was developed by using ordinary fabrics and conductive yarns. An electrogoniometer was adopted as a standard reference to calibrate the proposed sensor and validate its accuracy. The knee movements of different daily activities were performed to evaluate the performance of the sensor. The results show that the proposed sensor could be used to monitor knee joint motion in everyday life with acceptable accuracy.
Myoelectric Signal Classification of Targeted Muscles Using Dictionary Learning
Authors: Yoo Hyun-Joon , Park Hyeong-jun , Lee Boreom
Published: May 2019

Surface electromyography (sEMG) signals comprise electrophysiological information related to muscle activity. As this signal is easy to record, it is utilized to control several myoelectric prostheses devices. Several studies have been conducted to process sEMG signals more efficiently. However, research on optimal algorithms and electrode placements for the processing of sEMG signals is still inconclusive. In addition, very few studies have focused on minimizing the number of electrodes. In this study, we investigated the most effective method for myoelectric signal classification with a small number of electrodes. A total of 23 subjects participated in the study, and the sEMG data of 14 different hand movements of the subjects were acquired from targeted muscles and untargeted muscles. Furthermore, the study compared the classification accuracy of the sEMG data using discriminative feature-oriented dictionary learning (DFDL) and other conventional classifiers. DFDL demonstrated the highest classification accuracy among the classifiers, and its higher quality performance became more apparent as the number of channels decreased. The targeted method was superior to the untargeted method, particularly when classifying sEMG signals with DFDL. Therefore, it was concluded that the combination of the targeted method and the DFDL algorithm could classify myoelectric signals more effectively with a minimal number of channels.
CONE: A Connected Dominating Set-Based Flooding Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Lisiecki Dennis , Zhang Peilin , Theel Oliver
Published: May 2019

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) play a significant role in a large number of applications, e.g., healthcare and industry. A WSN typically consists of a large number of sensor nodes which rely on limited power sources in many applications. Therefore, improving the energy efficiency of WSNs becomes a crucial topic in the research community. As a fundamental service in WSNs, network flooding offers the advantages that information can be distributed fast and reliably throughout an entire network. However, network flooding suffers from low energy efficiency due to the large number of redundant transmissions in the network. In this work, we exploit connected dominating sets (CDS) to enhance the energy efficiency of network flooding by reducing the number of transmissions. For this purpose, we propose a connected dominating set-based flooding protocol (CONE). CONE inhibits nodes that are not in the CDS from rebroadcasting packets during the flooding process. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of CONE in both simulations and a real-world testbed, and then we compare CONE to a baseline protocol. Experimental results show that CONE improves the end-to-end reliability and reduces the duty cycle of network flooding in the simulations. Additionally, CONE reduces the average energy consumption in the FlockLab testbed by 15%.
Copper(I)-Catalyzed Click Chemistry as a Tool for the Functionalization of Nanomaterials and the Preparation of Electrochemical (Bio)Sensors
Authors: Yáñez-Sedeño P. , González-Cortés A. , Campuzano S. , Pingarrón J. M.
Published: May 2019

Proper functionalization of electrode surfaces and/or nanomaterials plays a crucial role in the preparation of electrochemical (bio)sensors and their resulting performance. In this context, copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) has been demonstrated to be a powerful strategy due to the high yields achieved, absence of by-products and moderate conditions required both in aqueous medium and under physiological conditions. This particular chemistry offers great potential to functionalize a wide variety of electrode surfaces, nanomaterials, metallophthalocyanines (MPcs) and polymers, thus providing electrochemical platforms with improved electrocatalytic ability and allowing the stable, reproducible and functional integration of a wide range of nanomaterials and/or different biomolecules (enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids and peptides). Considering the rapid progress in the field, and the potential of this technology, this review paper outlines the unique features imparted by this particular reaction in the development of electrochemical sensors through the discussion of representative examples of the methods mainly reported over the last five years. Special attention has been paid to electrochemical (bio)sensors prepared using nanomaterials and applied to the determination of relevant analytes at different molecular levels. Current challenges and future directions in this field are also briefly pointed out.
Superimposed Training Combined Approach for a Reduced Phase of Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio
Authors: Lopez-Lopez Lizeth , Cardenas-Juarez Marco , Stevens-Navarro Enrique , Pineda-Rico Ulises , Arce Armando , Orozco-Lugo Aldo G.
Published: May 2019

This paper presents an approach to exploit the superimposed training (ST)-based primary users’ (PUs) transmissions in the context of spectrum sensing for cognitive radio. In the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the proposed scheme splits the spectrum sensing phase into two sample processing periods, allowing a secondary user (SU) to carry out a training sequence synchronization (with a small probability of error) before the implementation of a robust spectrum sensing algorithm that enhances the detection, based on the deterministic signal components embedded in the ST PU’s signals along with the unknown data signal. The overall sensing performance is improved using a reasonable number of samples to achieve a high probability of detection, resulting in a reduced spectrum sensing duration. Furthermore, a low computational complexity version of the proposed ST combined approach for a reduced phase (SCAR-Phase) of spectrum sensing is presented, which attains the same detection performance with a smaller number of real operations in the low SNR. In the practical consideration of imperfect training sequence synchronizations, the results show the advantages of exploiting the ST sequence to perform spectrum sensing, thus quantifying the significant improvement in detection performance and the maximum SU’s achievable throughput.
FusionAtt: Deep Fusional Attention Networks for Multi-Channel Biomedical Signals
Authors: Yuan Ye , Jia Kebin
Published: May 2019

Recently, pervasive sensing technologies have been widely applied to comprehensive patient monitoring in order to improve clinical treatment. Various types of biomedical signals collected by different sensing channels provide different aspects of patient health information. However, due to the uncertainty and variability in clinical observation, not all the channels are relevant and important to the target task. Thus, in order to extract informative representations from multi-channel biosignals, channel awareness has become a key enabler for deep learning in biosignal processing and has attracted increasing research interest in health informatics. Towards this end, we propose FusionAtt—a deep fusional attention network that can learn channel-aware representations of multi-channel biosignals, while preserving complex correlations among all the channels. FusionAtt is able to dynamically quantify the importance of each biomedical channel, and relies on more informative ones to enhance feature representation in an end-to-end manner. We empirically evaluated FusionAtt in two clinical tasks: multi-channel seizure detection and multivariate sleep stage classification. Experimental results showed that FusionAtt consistently outperformed the state-of-the-art models in four different evaluation measurements, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed fusional attention mechanism.
Cultured Microfungal Communities in Biological Soil Crusts and Bare Soils at the Tabernas Desert, Spain
Authors: Grishkan Isabella , Lázaro Roberto , Kidron Giora J.
Published: May 2019

We examined the variations in microfungal communities from different surface types (cyanobacterial crusts, lichen-dominated crusts, and noncrusted bare surface) at two different positions—north-oriented slope and sun-exposed plain in the Tabernas Desert, Spain. A total of 77 species from 46 genera was isolated using the soil dilution plate method. The studied mycobiota, similar to the majority of desert mycobiotas, was dominated by melanin-containing species. However, in the Tabernas crusts, unlike the studied crusts of the Negev Desert (Israel) and the Tengger Desert (China), melanized fungi with large multicellular spores were much less abundantly represented, while the thermotolerant group, Aspergillus spp., remarkably contributed to the communities’ structure. Density of microfungal isolates positively correlated with chlorophyll content indicating possible significant influence of organic matter content on fungal biomass. The variations in crust composition, biomass, and the position of habitats were accompanied by the variations in microfungal community structure, diversity level, and isolate densities, with the communities at the plain sun-exposed position being much less variable than the communities at the north-oriented position. The study shows that microclimatic and edaphic factors play an essential role in the development of crust and noncrust microfungal communities, and their structure can be a sensitive indicator of changing environmental conditions at a microscale.
The Effect of Soundscapes and Lightscapes on the Perception of Safety and Social Presence Analyzed in a Laboratory Experiment
Authors: Calleri Cristina , Astolfi Arianna , Pellegrino Anna , Aletta Francesco , Shtrepi Louena , Bo Elena , Di Stefano Martina , Orecchia Paola
Published: May 2019

The present study evaluates the effect of soundscape and lightscape variations on the perceived safety and perceived social presence in a pedestrian area through laboratory experiments. Thirty-one participants were presented with nine different virtual scenarios, in which the same underpass was reproduced under different soundscape and lightscape conditions. The participants were asked to assess each scenario considering 10 items related to perceived safety and perceived social presence. A principal component analysis allowed the 10 items to be reduced to two principal components, namely “perceived safety” and “perceived social presence”. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA analysis was conducted to assess the effect of modifications of both the soundscape and lightscape on the two components. The obtained results showed that the soundscape had an effect on both the perceived safety (p < 0.05) and perceived social presence (p < 0.05), while the lightscape variations implemented in this experiment only had a statistically significant effect on the latter (p < 0.05). The results of such studies may be of interest for public design and management as they may be conducted by means of non-intrusive and cost-effective techniques.