bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consequences Matter: Compassion in Conservation Means Caring for Individuals, Populations and Species
Authors: Johnson Paul , Adams Vanessa , Armstrong Doug , Baker Sandra , Biggs Duan , Boitani Luigi , Cotterill Alayne , Dale Emma , O’Donnell Holly , Douglas David , Droge Egil , Ewen John , Feber Ruth , Genovesi Piero , Hambler Clive , Harmsen Bart , Harrington Lauren , Hinks Amy , Hughes Joelene , Katsis Lydia , Loveridge Andrew , Moehrenschlager Axel , O’Kane Christopher , Pierre Meshach , Redpath Steve , Sibanda Lovemore , Soorae Pritpal , Stanley Price Mark , Tyrrell Peter , Zimmermann Alexandra , Dickman Amy
Published: December 2019

Human activity affecting the welfare of wild vertebrates, widely accepted to be sentient, and therefore deserving of moral concern, is widespread. A variety of motives lead to the killing of individual wild animals. These include to provide food, to protect stock and other human interests, and also for sport. The acceptability of such killing is widely believed to vary with the motive and method. Individual vertebrates are also killed by conservationists. Whether securing conservation goals is an adequate reason for such killing has recently been challenged. Conventional conservation practice has tended to prioritise ecological collectives, such as populations and species, when their interests conflict with those of individuals. Supporters of the ‘Compassionate Conservation’ movement argue both that conservationists have neglected animal welfare when such conflicts arise and that no killing for conservation is justified. We counter that conservationists increasingly seek to adhere to high standards of welfare, and that the extreme position advocated by some supporters of ‘Compassionate Conservation’, rooted in virtue ethics, would, if widely accepted, lead to considerable negative effects for conservation. Conservation practice cannot afford to neglect consequences. Moreover, the do-no-harm maxim does not always lead to better outcomes for animal welfare.
Zinc and Copper with New Triazine Hydrazone Ligand: Two Novel Organic Complexes Enhanced Expression of Peptide Growth Factors and Cytokine Genes in Weaned V-Line Rabbit
Authors: Elokil Abdelmotaleb , Imbabi Tharwat , Mohamed Hany , Abouelezz Khaled , Ahmed-Farid Omar , Shishay Girmay , Sabike Islam , Liu Huazhen
Published: December 2019

Two novel transitional organic Zn/Cu complexes based on a new biocompatible bidentate triazine–hydrazone ligand (Thz) was designed, synthesized, and evaluated in this study. This study evaluated the effects of injecting 60 mg of Zn and 40 mg of Cu in three different forms, twice per week, for eight weeks on growth performance, expression of growth factors and cytokine genes, carcass yield, blood biochemicals, and intestinal morphology in weaned rabbits. The tested complexes were sulfate (Cu/ZnSO4), montmorillonite (Cu/Zn-Mnt), and triazine hydrazone (Cu/Zn-Thz). A total of 60 V-line weaned rabbits at four weeks of age were assigned to four treatments (n = 15), which were intramuscularly injected with 0.5 mL of either (1) saline (control) or saline containing (2) Cu/ZnSO4, (3) Cu/Zn-Mnt, or (4) Cu/Zn-Thz. Compared to the controls, the rabbits injected with Cu/Zn-Thz showed a higher (p < 0.01) growth rate, carcass yield (p < 0.05), and liver expression of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), growth hormone receptor (GHR), fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF1), and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFB1) (p < 0.05), as well as better jejunum morphometric variables (p < 0.05). On the other hand, mRNA of FGF1, TGF1, TCIRG1, and adenosine deaminase (ADA) were higher expressed (p < 0.05) in the spleen tissues of Cu/Zn-Mnt group. Collectively, the results indicated that our novel synthesized organic complexes of Zn/Cu-Thz proved to be a suitable feed supplement, as it increased rabbit productive performance through enhancing expression of peptide growth factors and cytokine genes.
Tracing Penicillin Movement in Citrus Plants Using Fluorescence-Labeled Penicillin
Authors: Killiny Nabil , Gonzalez-Blanco Pedro , Santos-Ortega Yulica , Al-Rimawi Fuad , Levy Amit , Hijaz Faraj , Albrecht Ute , Batuman Ozgur
Published: December 2019

Huánglóngbìng (HLB), citrus greening, is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus plants worldwide. In North America, HLB is caused by the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. No cure exists at present, and the use of antibiotics for the control of HLB has gained interest due to the significant losses to the citrus industry. Because of unsatisfactory results when using foliar applications of antibiotics, concerns were raised regarding the uptake and translocation of these materials within trees. We, therefore, investigated a method that allows us to study the movement of antibiotic materials in citrus plants. Herein, we utilized a fluorescence-labeled penicillin, BOCILLIN™ FL-Penicillin (FL-penicillin), to study the uptake and translocation of penicillin in citrus plants. FL-penicillin was applied by puncture to the stem of young citrus seedlings and was traced by using fluorescence microscopy. After application, we detected FL-penicillin in the leaves and in the stem xylem and phloem tissues above and below the application site in both intact and partially bark-girdled citrus seedlings, indicating that it is easily taken up and transported through the plant vascular system. In addition, we detected FL-penicillin in the gut of D. citri, which were allowed to feed on the treated plants, suggesting translocation of this molecule into the vascular tissue. We propose that the use of fluorescent-labeled molecules could be an effective tool for understanding the uptake and translocation of antibiotics and other macromolecules in plants and insects.
Albayzin 2018 Evaluation: The IberSpeech-RTVE Challenge on Speech Technologies for Spanish Broadcast Media
Authors: Lleida Eduardo , Ortega Alfonso , Miguel Antonio , Bazán-Gil Virginia , Pérez Carmen , Gómez Manuel , de Prada Alberto
Published: December 2019

The IberSpeech-RTVE Challenge presented at IberSpeech 2018 is a new Albayzin evaluation series supported by the Spanish Thematic Network on Speech Technologies (Red Temática en Tecnologías del Habla (RTTH)). That series was focused on speech-to-text transcription, speaker diarization, and multimodal diarization of television programs. For this purpose, the Corporacion Radio Television Española (RTVE), the main public service broadcaster in Spain, and the RTVE Chair at the University of Zaragoza made more than 500 h of broadcast content and subtitles available for scientists. The dataset included about 20 programs of different kinds and topics produced and broadcast by RTVE between 2015 and 2018. The programs presented different challenges from the point of view of speech technologies such as: the diversity of Spanish accents, overlapping speech, spontaneous speech, acoustic variability, background noise, or specific vocabulary. This paper describes the database and the evaluation process and summarizes the results obtained.
Influence of Second Viscosity on Pressure Pulsation
Authors: Himr Daniel , Habán Vladimír , Fialová Simona
Published: December 2019

A mathematical model of pulsating flow is proposed in the paper. The model includes more accurate description of energy dissipation, so it allows, for example, better stability analysis of water power plant control and more effective operation. Flow in a pipeline system is usually treated as a one-dimensional flow. This is also applied for more difficult cases of the Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids simulations in the rigid or flexible pipes. Computational simulations of pressure pulsations in pipelines often predict lower damping than what the experimental results show. This discrepancy can be caused by neglecting one of the important damping mechanisms. The second viscosity describes the energy losses due to the compressibility of the liquid. Its existence and use in the computations specifies the real pulsations damping descriptions and predictions. A frequency dependent model of pressure pulsations including second viscosity is introduced. The second viscosity is determined from the system eigenvalue. The experiments were performed with water for low frequencies (from 0.1 to 1 kHz). This area is not fully covered by the current available research results.
Separability of Nonassociative Algebras with Metagroup Relations
Authors: Ludkowski Sergey V.
Published: December 2019

This article is devoted to a class of nonassociative algebras with metagroup relations. This class includes, in particular, generalized Cayley–Dickson algebras. The separability of the nonassociative algebras with metagroup relations is investigated. For this purpose the cohomology theory is utilized. Conditions are found under which such algebras are separable. Algebras satisfying these conditions are described.
The Environment Is a Key Factor in Determining the Anti-Amyloid Efficacy of EGCG
Authors: Sneideris Tomas , Sakalauskas Andrius , Sternke-Hoffmann Rebecca , Peduzzo Alessia , Ziaunys Mantas , Buell Alexander K. , Smirnovas Vytautas
Published: December 2019

Millions of people around the world suffer from amyloid-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Despite significant and sustained efforts, there are still no disease-modifying drugs available for the majority of amyloid-related disorders, and the overall failure rate in clinical trials is very high, even for compounds that show promising anti-amyloid activity in vitro. In this study, we demonstrate that even small changes in the chemical environment can strongly modulate the inhibitory effects of anti-amyloid compounds. Using one of the best-established amyloid inhibitory compounds, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), as an example, and two amyloid-forming proteins, insulin and Parkinson’s disease-related α -synuclein, we shed light on the previously unexplored sensitivity to solution conditions of the action of this compound on amyloid fibril formation. In the case of insulin, we show that the classification of EGCG as an amyloid inhibitor depends on the experimental conditions select, on the method used for the evaluation of the efficacy, and on whether or not EGCG is allowed to oxidise before the experiment. For α -synuclein, we show that a small change in pH value, from 7 to 6, transforms EGCG from an efficient inhibitor to completely ineffective, and we were able to explain this behaviour by the increased stability of EGCG against oxidation at pH 6.
Evaluating Iso-Mukaadial Acetate and Ursolic Acid Acetate as Plasmodium falciparum Hypoxanthine-Guanine-Xanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase Inhibitors
Authors: Opoku Francis , Govender Penny P. , Pooe Ofentse J. , Simelane Mthokozisi B.C.
Published: December 2019

To date, Plasmodium falciparum is one of the most lethal strains of the malaria parasite. P. falciparum lacks the required enzymes to create its own purines via the de novo pathway, thereby making Plasmodium falciparum hypoxanthine-guanine-xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (PfHGXPT) a crucial enzyme in the malaria life cycle. Recently, studies have described iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate as promising antimalarials. However, the mode of action is still unknown, thus, the current study sought to investigate the selective inhibitory and binding actions of iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate against recombinant PfHGXPT using in-silico and experimental approaches. Recombinant PfHGXPT protein was expressed using E. coli BL21 cells and homogeneously purified by affinity chromatography. Experimentally, iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate, respectively, demonstrated direct inhibitory activity towards PfHGXPT in a dose-dependent manner. The binding affinity of iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate on the PfHGXPT dissociation constant (KD), where it was found that 0.0833 µM and 2.8396 µM, respectively, are indicative of strong binding. The mode of action for the observed antimalarial activity was further established by a molecular docking study. The molecular docking and dynamics simulations show specific interactions and high affinity within the binding pocket of Plasmodium falciparum and human hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferases. The predicted in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion/toxicity (ADME/T) properties predicted that the iso-mukaadial acetate ligand may follow the criteria for orally active drugs. The theoretical calculation derived from ADME, molecular docking and dynamics provide in-depth information into the structural basis, specific bonding and non-bonding interactions governing the inhibition of malarial. Taken together, these findings provide a basis for the recommendation of iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate as high-affinity ligands and drug candidates against PfHGXPT.
Identification of Homeobox Genes Associated with Lignification and Their Expression Patterns in Bamboo Shoots
Authors: Xu Xiurong , Lou Yongfeng , Yang Kebin , Shan Xuemeng , Zhu Chenglei , Gao Zhimin
Published: December 2019

Homeobox (HB) genes play critical roles in regulating various aspects of plant growth and development. However, little is known about HB genes in bamboo. In this study, a total of 115 HB genes (PeHB001–PeHB115) were identified from moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) and grouped into 13 distinct classes (BEL, DDT, HD-ZIP I–IV, KNOX, NDX, PHD, PINTOX, PLINC, SAWADEE, and WOX) based on the conserved domains and phylogenetic analysis. The number of members in the different classes ranged from 2 to 24, and they usually varied in terms of exon–intron distribution pattern and length. There were 20 conserved motifs found in 115 PeHBs, with motif 1 being the most common. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that PeHBs had diverse molecular functions, with 19 PeHBs being annotated as having xylem development, xylem, and phloem pattern formation functions. Co-expression network analysis showed that 10 of the 19 PeHBs had co-expression correlations, and three members of the KNOX class were hub proteins that interacted with other transcription factors (TFs) such as MYB, bHLH, and OVATE, which were associated with lignin synthesis. Yeast two-hybridization results further proved that PeHB037 (BEL class) interacted with PeHB057 (KNOX class). Transcriptome expression profiling indicated that all PeHBs except PeHB017 were expressed in at least one of the seven tissues of moso bamboo, and 90 PeHBs were expressed in all the tissues. The qRT-PCR results of the 19 PeHBs showed that most of them were upregulated in shoots as the height increased. Moreover, a KNOX binding site was found in the promoters of the key genes involved in lignin synthesis such as Pe4CL, PeC3H, PeCCR, and PeCOMT, which had positive expression correlations with five KNOX genes. Similar results were found in winter bamboo shoots with prolonged storage time, which was consistent with the degree of lignification. These results provide basic data on PeHBs in moso bamboo, which will be helpful for future functional research on PeHBs with positive regulatory roles in the process of lignification.
N-Cadherin Is Critical for the Survival of Germ Cells, the Formation of Steroidogenic Cells, and the Architecture of Developing Mouse Gonads
Authors: Piprek Rafal P. , Kolasa Michal , Podkowa Dagmara , Kloc Malgorzata , Kubiak Jacek Z.
Published: December 2019

Normal gonad development assures the fertility of the individual. The properly functioning gonads must contain a sufficient number of the viable germ cells, possess a correct architecture and tissue structure, and assure the proper hormonal regulation. This is achieved by the interplay between the germ cells and different types of somatic cells. N-cadherin coded by the Cdh2 gene plays a critical role in this interplay. To gain an insight into the role of N-cadherin in the development of mouse gonads, we used the Cre-loxP system to knock out N-cadherin separately in two cell lines: the SF1+ somatic cells and the OCT4+ germ cells. We observed that N-cadherin plays a key role in the survival of both female and male germ cells. However, the N-cadherin is not necessary for the differentiation of the Sertoli cells or the initiation of the formation of testis cords or ovigerous cords. In the later stages of gonad development, N-cadherin is important for the maintenance of testis cord structure and is required for the formation of steroidogenic cells. In the ovaries, N-cadherin is necessary for the formation of the ovarian follicles. These results indicate that N-cadherin plays a major role in gonad differentiation, structuralization, and function.
Farnesol, a Quorum-Sensing Molecule of Candida albicans Triggers the Release of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
Authors: Zawrotniak Marcin , Wojtalik Karolina , Rapala-Kozik Maria
Published: December 2019

The efficient growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi in the host organism is possible due to the formation of microbial biofilms that cover the host tissues. Biofilms provide optimal local environmental conditions for fungal cell growth and increased their protection against the immune system. A common biofilm-forming fungus—Candida albicans—uses the quorum sensing (QS) mechanism in the cell-to-cell communication, which determines the biofilm development and, in consequence, host colonization. In the presented work, we focused on the ability of neutrophils—the main cells of the host’s immune system to recognize quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) produced by C. albicans, especially farnesol (FOH), farnesoic acid (FA), and tyrosol (TR), with emphasis on the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation in a process called netosis. Our results showed for the first time that only farnesol but not farnesolic acid or tyrosol is capable of activating the NET production. By using selective inhibitors of the NET signaling pathway and analyzing the activity of selected enzymes such as Protein Kinase C (PKC), ERK1/2, and NADPH oxidase, we showed that the Mac−1 and TLR2 receptors are responsible for FOH recognizing and activating the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent netosis pathway.
Spheroid Culture System Methods and Applications for Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Ryu Na-Eun , Lee Soo-Hong , Park Hansoo
Published: December 2019

Owing to the importance of stem cell culture systems in clinical applications, researchers have extensively studied them to optimize the culture conditions and increase efficiency of cell culture. A spheroid culture system provides a similar physicochemical environment in vivo by facilitating cell–cell and cell–matrix interaction to overcome the limitations of traditional monolayer cell culture. In suspension culture, aggregates of adjacent cells form a spheroid shape having wide utility in tumor and cancer research, therapeutic transplantation, drug screening, and clinical study, as well as organic culture. There are various spheroid culture methods such as hanging drop, gel embedding, magnetic levitation, and spinner culture. Lately, efforts are being made to apply the spheroid culture system to the study of drug delivery platforms and co-cultures, and to regulate differentiation and pluripotency. To study spheroid cell culture, various kinds of biomaterials are used as building forms of hydrogel, film, particle, and bead, depending upon the requirement. However, spheroid cell culture system has limitations such as hypoxia and necrosis in the spheroid core. In addition, studies should focus on methods to dissociate cells from spheroid into single cells.
The Enigmatic Function of PARP1: From PARylation Activity to PAR Readers
Authors: Kamaletdinova Tatiana , Fanaei-Kahrani Zahra , Wang Zhao-Qi
Published: December 2019

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is catalysed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs, also known as ARTDs) and then rapidly removed by degrading enzymes. Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is produced from PARylation and provides a delicate and spatiotemporal interaction scaffold for numerous target proteins. The PARylation system, consisting of PAR synthesizers and erasers and PAR itself and readers, plays diverse roles in the DNA damage response (DDR), DNA repair, transcription, replication, chromatin remodeling, metabolism, and cell death. Despite great efforts by scientists in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and pharmacology over the last five decades, the biology of PARPs and PARylation remains enigmatic. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the biological function of PARP1 (ARTD1), the founding member of the PARP family, focusing on the inter-dependent or -independent nature of different functional domains of the PARP1 protein. We also discuss the readers of PAR, whose function may transduce signals and coordinate the cellular processes, which has recently emerged as a new research avenue for PARP biology. We aim to provide some perspective on how future research might disentangle the biology of PARylation by dissecting the structural and functional relationship of PARP1, a major effector of the PARPs family.
Structural Biology and Electron Microscopy of the Autophagy Molecular Machinery
Authors: Lai Louis Tung Faat , Ye Hao , Zhang Wenxin , Jiang Liwen , Lau Wilson Chun Yu
Published: December 2019

Autophagy is a highly regulated bulk degradation process that plays a key role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. During autophagy, a double membrane-bound compartment termed the autophagosome is formed through de novo nucleation and assembly of membrane sources to engulf unwanted cytoplasmic components and targets them to the lysosome or vacuole for degradation. Central to this process are the autophagy-related (ATG) proteins, which play a critical role in plant fitness, immunity, and environmental stress response. Over the past few years, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and single-particle analysis has matured into a powerful and versatile technique for the structural determination of protein complexes at high resolution and has contributed greatly to our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagosome biogenesis. Here we describe the plant-specific ATG proteins and summarize recent structural and mechanistic studies on the protein machinery involved in autophagy initiation with an emphasis on those by single-particle analysis.
Effect of Asymmetric Epoxy Coating/Metal Electrodes on the Electrochemical Noise Measurements Under Marine Alternating Hydrostatic Pressure
Authors: Meng Fandi , Liu Yushan , Liu Li , Cui Yu , Wang Fuhui
Published: December 2019

Electrochemical noise (EN) is expected to be an in-situ evaluation method for coating performance in the real deep-ocean environment. The asymmetric factors of working electrodes (WEs) in EN configuration, including coating area, coating thickness, and coating impedance, were considered under marine alternating hydrostatic pressure (AHP) condition. The effect of WE asymmetry was discussed mainly by EN time records, wavelet analysis and shot noise method. The results indicated that coating impedance is the most important factor, and the coating with higher impedance contributes more to current noise in a pair of electrodes. The reason of asymmetry influence on EN measurements is mainly by the variation of average charge of current sources but not the current source frequency during the initial period of coating failure process. When the obvious corrosion of metal substrate happens, the corresponding EN proportion relationship between coating/metal WEs may be not exist.
Generation of DC, AC, and Second-Harmonic Spin Currents by Electromagnetic Fields in an Inversion-Asymmetric Antiferromagnet
Authors: Ikeda Tatsuhiko N.
Published: December 2019

Manipulating spin currents in magnetic insulators is a key technology in spintronics. We theoretically study a simple inversion-asymmetric model of quantum antiferromagnets, where both the exchange interaction and the magnetic field are staggered. We calculate spin currents generated by external electric and magnetic fields by using a quantum master equation. We show that an ac electric field with amplitude E 0 leads, through exchange-interaction modulation, to the dc and second-order harmonic spin currents proportional to E 0 2 . We also show that dc and ac staggered magnetic fields B 0 generate the dc and ac spin currents proportional to B 0 , respectively. We elucidate the mechanism by an exactly solvable model, and thereby propose the ways of spin current manipulation by electromagnetic fields.
Photoinhibition of Streptococcus mutans Biofilm-Induced Lesions in Human Dentin by Violet-Blue Light
Authors: Felix Gomez Grace Gomez , Lippert Frank , Ando Masatoshi , Zandona Andrea F. , Eckert George J. , Gregory Richard L.
Published: December 2019

This in vitro study determined the effectiveness of violet-blue light on Streptococcus mutans (UA159) biofilm induced dentinal lesions. Biofilm was formed on human dentin specimens in a 96-well microtiter plate and incubated for 13 h in the presence of tryptic soy broth (TSB) or TSB supplemented with 1% sucrose (TSBS). Violet-blue light (405 nm) from quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLFTM) was used to irradiate the biofilm. Supernatant liquid was removed, and the biofilm was irradiated continuously with QLF for 5 min twice daily with an interval of 6 h for 5 d, except with one treatment on the final day. Colony forming units (CFU) of the treated biofilm, changes in fluorescence (∆F; QLF-Digital BiluminatorTM), lesion depth (L), and integrated mineral loss (∆Z; both transverse microradiography) were quantified at the end of the fifth day. Statistical analysis used analysis of variance (ANOVA), testing at a 5% significance level. In the violet-blue light irradiated groups, there was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of bacterial viability (CFU) of S. mutans with TSB and TSBS. Violet-blue light irradiation resulted in the reduction of ∆F and L of the dentinal surface with TSBS. These results indicate that violet-blue light has the capacity to reduce S. mutans cell numbers.
Didactic Focus Areas in Science Education Research
Authors: Lampiselkä Jarkko , Kaasinen Arja , Kinnunen Päivi , Malmi Lauri
Published: December 2019

This study provides an overview of the didactic focus areas in educational research in biology, chemistry and physics, seeking to identify the focus areas that are investigated frequently and those that have been studied rarely or not at all. We applied the didactic focus-based categorization analysis method (DFCM), which is based on an extension of the didactic triangle. As the data set, we used 250 papers published in the Nordic Studies in Science Education (NorDiNa) between 2005 and 2013, and the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2013 conference proceedings covering education at upper secondary and tertiary levels. The results show that the teacher’s pedagogical actions and the student–content relationship were the most frequently studied aspects. On the other hand, teachers’ reflections on the students’ perceptions and attitudes about goals and content, and teachers’ conceptions of the students’ actions towards achieving the goals were studied least. Irrespective of the publication forum, the distributions of foci to different categories were quite similar. Our historical analysis completes the recent studies in the field as it is based on the theory driven categorization system instead of the data driven approaches used by the previous researchers. Moreover, our further observations on more recent publications suggest that no significant changes have taken place, and therefore wider discussion about the scope and the coverage of the research in science education is needed.
Perception of Falls and Confidence in Self-Management of Falls among Older Adults
Authors: Li Qiwei , Mpofu Elias , Yin Cheng , Turner Keith W.
Published: December 2019

Objectives: Fall preventive programs aim to reduce risks for mortality from fall-related injuries among older adults. However, the covariation between personal perceptions of falls and factors and confidence of self-management in falls (CSMoF) is still under-studied despite its importance to fall prevention. We aimed to investigate the relative contribution of CSMoF in relation to fall risk self-perceptions while controlling for demographics and self-reported health and functioning. Method: Participants were 691 older adults recruited from Area Agency on Aging at Arlington, Texas (females = 76.1%, mean age = 76.23, SD = 6.44, with chronic condition = 79.5%). They completed measures of physical functioning, CSMoF, fall risk perceptions and fear of falls. Results: Regression analyses indicated that fear of fall was the most predictive factor of CSMoF among older persons, accounting for about 25% of the variance. Physical function measures of age, chronic illnesses of metabolism, sensory impairment, and health status were also significant predictors of the CSMoF, but to a lesser extent than fear of falls and fall perceptions. The interaction of perception of falls and fall experience attenuated CSMoF, with physical functioning limitations. Conclusion: The joint effects of perception of falls and fear of falls likely explain CSMoF among older adults more than physical functional indicators. Fall prevention programs for older adults should prioritize to address modifiable subjective factors of fall perceptions, fear of falls, and CSMoF across health and functioning statuses.
Modeling Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Urban Crowd Flows
Authors: Qin Kun , Xu Yuanquan , Kang Chaogui , Sobolevsky Stanislav , Kwan Mei-Po
Published: December 2019

Metropolitan cities are facing many socio-economic problems (e.g., frequent traffic congestion, unexpected emergency events, and even human-made disasters) related to urban crowd flows, which can be described in terms of the gathering process of a flock of moving objects (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians) towards specific destinations during a given time period via different travel routes. Understanding the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban crowd flows is therefore of critical importance to traffic management and public safety, yet it is very challenging as it is affected by many complex factors, including spatial dependencies, temporal dependencies, and environmental conditions. In this research, we propose a novel matrix-computation-based method for modeling the morphological evolutionary patterns of urban crowd flows. The proposed methodology consists of four connected steps: (1) defining urban crowd levels, (2) deriving urban crowd regions, (3) quantifying their morphological changes, and (4) delineating the morphological evolution patterns. The proposed methodology integrates urban crowd visualization, identification, and correlation into a unified and efficient analytical framework. We validated the proposed methodology under both synthetic and real-world data scenarios using taxi mobility data in Wuhan, China as an example. Results confirm that the proposed methodology can enable city planners, municipal managers, and other stakeholders to identify and understand the gathering process of urban crowd flows in an informative and intuitive manner. Limitations and further directions with regard to data representativeness, data sparseness, pattern sensitivity, and spatial constraint are also discussed.
Analysis of the Cycling Flow Between Origin and Destination for Dockless Shared Bicycles Based on Singular Value Decomposition
Authors: Cao Min , Cai Boqin , Ma Shangjing , Lü Guonian , Chen Min
Published: December 2019

Recently, an increasing number of cities have deployed bicycle-sharing systems to solve the first/last mile connection problem, generating a large quantity of data. In this paper, singular value decomposition (SVD) was used to extract the main features of the cycling flow from the origin and destination (OD) data of shared bicycles in Beijing. The results show that (1) pairs of OD flow clusters can be derived from the pairs of vectors after SVD, and each pair of clusters represents a small part of an area with dockless shared bicycles; (2) the spatial clusters derived from the top vectors of SVD are highly coincident with the hot spot areas in the heatmap of shared bicycles; (3) approximately 30% of the study area accounts for nearly 80% of bike riding; (4) nearly 70% of the clustered area derived from the top 1000 vectors of SVD is associated with subway stations; and (5) the types of point of interest (POI) differ between the origin area and destination area for the clustered area of the top 1000 vectors.
Decision Model for Predicting Social Vulnerability Using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Abarca-Alvarez Francisco Javier , Reinoso-Bellido Rafael , Campos-Sánchez Francisco Sergio
Published: December 2019

Social vulnerability, from a socio-environmental point of view, focuses on the identification of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups and the conditions and dynamics of the environments in which they live. To understand this issue, it is important to identify the factors that explain the difficulty of facing situations with a social disadvantage. Due to its complexity and multidimensionality, it is not always easy to point out the social groups and urban areas affected. This research aimed to assess the connection between certain dimensions of social vulnerability and its urban and dwelling context as a fundamental framework in which it occurs using a decision model useful for the planning of social and urban actions. For this purpose, a holistic approximation was carried out on the census and demographic data commonly used in this type of study, proposing the construction of (i) a knowledge model based on Artificial Neural Networks (Self-Organizing Map), with which a demographic profile is identified and characterized whose indicators point to a presence of social vulnerability, and (ii) a predictive model of such a profile based on rules from dwelling variables constructed by conditional inference trees. These models, in combination with Geographic Information Systems, make a decision model feasible for the prediction of social vulnerability based on housing information.
As-Built BIM for a Fifteenth-Century Chinese Brick Structure at Various LoDs
Authors: Sun Zheng , Xie Jiangtao , Zhang Yingying , Cao Yongkang
Published: December 2019

Building information modeling (BIM) has received significant research attention in the field of built heritage. As-built BIM refers to a BIM representation of the “as-is” conditions of built heritage at the time of a survey. Determining the level of development (LoD) is crucial for as-built BIM owing to its relevance to model effects and modeling efforts. This study addresses this issue from the viewpoint of a brick structure based on a case study of a fifteenth-century ruin in Nanjing, China. Three LoDs are proposed based on the combined use of a commercial platform and auxiliary tools: A host model linked with raster images composed using orthoimage and relief maps (LoD 1), an as-built volume with semantic skins (LoD 2), and a brick-by-brick model with custom industry foundation class parameters at local areas (LoD 3). The results reveal that LoD 1 caters to an efficient web-based workflow for brick-damage annotations; as-built dimensions can be extracted from LoD 2; and LoD 3 enables attributes, such as damage types, to be attached at the brick level. In future studies, the detection of brick shapes is expected to automate the process of as-built surface mapping.
Topological Properties of E-Metric Spaces with Applications to Fixed Point Theory
Authors: Huang Huaping
Published: December 2019

The purpose of this paper is to present some topological properties in E-metric spaces such as the properties of e-sequences, the decision conditions of e-Cauchy sequences, the characteristics of non-normal cones, and so on. Moreover, the theorem of nested closed-balls in such spaces is displayed. In addition, some principal applications to fixed point theory are also given.
Fractional Integrations of a Generalized Mittag-Leffler Type Function and Its Application
Authors: Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy
Published: December 2019

A generalized form of the Mittag-Leffler function denoted by p E q ; δ λ , μ ; ν x is established and studied in this paper. The fractional integrals involving the newly defined function are investigated. As an application, the solutions of a generalized fractional kinetic equation containing this function are derived and the nature of the solution is studied with the help of graphical analysis.
A Characterization of Polynomial Density on Curves via Matrix Algebra
Authors: Escribano Carmen , Gonzalo Raquel , Torrano Emilio
Published: December 2019

In this work, our aim is to obtain conditions to assure polynomial approximation in Hilbert spaces L 2 ( μ ) , with μ a compactly supported measure in the complex plane, in terms of properties of the associated moment matrix with the measure μ . To do it, in the more general context of Hermitian positive semidefinite matrices, we introduce two indexes, γ ( M ) and λ ( M ) , associated with different optimization problems concerning theses matrices. Our main result is a characterization of density of polynomials in the case of measures supported on Jordan curves with non-empty interior using the index γ and other specific index related to it. Moreover, we provide a new point of view of bounded point evaluations associated with a measure in terms of the index γ that will allow us to give an alternative proof of Thomson’s theorem, by using these matrix indexes. We point out that our techniques are based in matrix algebra tools in the framework of Hermitian positive definite matrices and in the computation of certain indexes related to some optimization problems for infinite matrices.
Cost-Based Optimum Design of Reinforced Concrete Retaining Walls Considering Different Methods of Bearing Capacity Computation
Authors: Moayyeri Neda , Gharehbaghi Sadjad , Plevris Vagelis
Published: December 2019

This paper investigates the effect of computing the bearing capacity through different methods on the optimum construction cost of reinforced concrete retaining walls (RCRWs). Three well-known methods of Meyerhof, Hansen, and Vesic are used for the computation of the bearing capacity. In order to model and design the RCRWs, a code is developed in MATLAB. To reach a design with minimum construction cost, the design procedure is structured in the framework of an optimization problem in which the initial construction cost of the RCRW is the objective function to be minimized. The design criteria (both geotechnical and structural limitations) are considered constraints of the optimization problem. The geometrical dimensions of the wall and the amount of steel reinforcement are used as the design variables. To find the optimum solution, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed. Three numerical examples with different wall heights are used to capture the effect of using different methods of bearing capacity on the optimal construction cost of the RCRWs. The results demonstrate that, in most cases, the final design based on the Meyerhof method corresponds to a lower construction cost. The research findings also reveal that the difference among the optimum costs of the methods is decreased by increasing the wall height.
Physiological and Proteomic Approaches to Address the Active Role of Botrytis cinerea Inoculation in Tomato Postharvest Ripening
Authors: Tzortzakis Nikolaos
Published: December 2019

Botrytis cinerea is an unbearable postharvest threat with significant economic impacts. Necrotrophic B. cinerea can readily infect ripe fruit resulting in the rapid progression of symptoms of the disease. To unravel the mechanism by which tomato fruit opposes pathogen attack, we investigated the changes in quality-related attributes as a direct response (DR) or systemic response (SR) of infected tomatoes to the B. cinerea. Additionally, the SR of protein yield and composition were studied in fruit stored at 11 °C/90% relative humidity (RH) for one week. Fungal infection accelerated ripening with increased ethylene and respiration rates. Fruit softening, ascorbic acid and β-carotene increase were associated with DR but not with the SR of the pathogen. Pathogen infection increased lipid peroxidation, causing the production of hydrogen peroxide and oxidative stress, as fruit activated both enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms to trigger stress. B. cinerea increased up to 6.6% the protein yield and downregulated at least 39 proteins. Proteins involved in fruit ripening, such as an ethylene biosynthetic enzyme, were increased in wound-inoculated fruit. Moreover, antioxidant proteins, such as ascorbate peroxidase-APX1 and superoxide dismutase-SOD, increased in infected tomatoes, as these proteins are involved in reactive oxygen species detoxification. Constitutively-expressed proteins tended to be either increased (chaperonin and malate dehydrogenase) or remained unaffected (dehydrin) by pathogen inoculation. Protein levels involved in the metabolism of carbohydrate, the pentose phosphate pathway, terpenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis were differently affected during the treatments. By enabling a better understanding of the fungal direct or systemic response on fruit quality and ripening through biochemical and proteome studies, we may improve the plant–pathogen interaction and complexity.
Thriving in Wetlands: Ecophysiology of the Spiral-Shaped Methanotroph Methylospira mobilis as Revealed by the Complete Genome Sequence
Authors: Oshkin Igor Y. , Miroshnikov Kirill K. , Danilova Olga V. , Hakobyan Anna , Liesack Werner , Dedysh Svetlana N.
Published: December 2019

Candidatus Methylospira mobilis is a recently described spiral-shaped, micro-aerobic methanotroph, which inhabits northern freshwater wetlands and sediments. Due to difficulties of cultivation, it could not be obtained in a pure culture for a long time. Here, we report on the successful isolation of strain Shm1, the first axenic culture of this unique methanotroph. The complete genome sequence obtained for strain Shm1 was 4.7 Mb in size and contained over 4800 potential protein-coding genes. The array of genes encoding C1 metabolic capabilities in strain Shm1 was highly similar to that in the closely related non-motile, moderately thermophilic methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. The genomes of both methanotrophs encoded both low- and high-affinity oxidases, which allow their survival in a wide range of oxygen concentrations. The repertoire of signal transduction systems encoded in the genome of strain Shm1, however, by far exceeded that in Methylococcus capsulatus Bath but was comparable to those in other motile gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs. The complete set of motility genes, the presence of both the molybdenum–iron and vanadium-iron nitrogenases, as well as a large number of insertion sequences were also among the features, which define environmental adaptation of Methylospira mobilis to water-saturated, micro-oxic, heterogeneous habitats depleted in available nitrogen.
Characterization of Nine Compounds Isolated from the Acid Hydrolysate of Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng and Evaluation of Their In Vitro Activity towards HIV Protease
Authors: Wang Xia , Wei Ying , Tian Wei-Yi , Sakharkar Meena Kishore , Liu Qing , Yang Xin , Zhou Yan-Zi , Mou Cheng-Li , Cai Gui-Lan , Yang Jian
Published: December 2019

In this study, we isolated nine compounds from the acid hydrolysate of the flower buds of Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng and characterized their chemical structures using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and electron ionization mass spectroscopy (EI-MS). These compounds were identified as β-sitosterol (1), 5,5′-dibutoxy-2,2′-bifuran (2), nonacosane-10-ol (3), ethyl (3β)-3,23-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oate (4), oleanolic acid (5), ethyl caffeate (6), caffeic acid (7), isovanillin (8), and hederagenin (9), with 4 as a new triterpene compound. Inhibitory activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease was also evaluated for the compounds, and only ethyl caffeate, caffeic acid, and isovanillin (6, 7, and 8) exhibited inhibitory effects, with IC50 values of 1.0 μM, 1.5 μM, and 3.5 μM, respectively. Molecular docking with energy minimization and subsequent molecular dynamic (MD) simulation showed that ethyl caffeate and caffeic acid bound to the active site of HIV protease, while isovanillin drifted out from the active site and dissociated into bulk water during MD simulations, and most of the binding residues of HIV protease have been previously identified for HIV protease inhibitors. These results suggest that caffeic acid derivatives may possess inhibitory activities towards HIV protease other than previously reported inhibitory activities against HIV integrase, and thus ethyl caffeate and caffeic acid could be used as lead compounds in developing potential HIV protease inhibitors, and possibly even dual-function inhibitors against HIV.
Obtaining and Characterization of the PLA/Chitosan Foams with Antimicrobial Properties Achieved by the Emulsification Combined with the Dissolution of Chitosan by CO2 Saturation
Authors: Mania Szymon , Partyka Karolina , Pilch Joanna , Augustin Ewa , Cieślik Mateusz , Ryl Jacek , Jinn Jia-Rong , Wang Ya-Jane , Michałowska Anna , Tylingo Robert
Published: December 2019

A new method of obtaining functional foam material has been proposed. The materials were created by mixing the poly lactic acid (PLA) solution in chloroform, chitosan (CS) dissolved in water saturated with CO2 and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and freeze-dried for removal of the solvents. The composite foams were characterized for their structural (SEM, FT-IR, density, porosity), thermal (DSC), functional (hardness, elasticity, swelling capacity, solubility), and biological (antimicrobial and cytotoxic) properties. Chitosan in the composites was a component for obtaining their foamed form with 7.4 to 22.7 times lower density compared to the neat PLA and high porosity also confirmed by the SEM. The foams had a hardness in the range of 70–440 kPa. The FT-IR analysis confirmed no new chemical bonds between the sponge ingredients. Other results showed low sorption capacity (2.5–7.2 g/g) and solubility of materials (less than 0.2%). The obtained foams had the lower Tg value and improved ability of crystallization compared to neat PLA. The addition of chitosan provides the bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Biocompatibility studies have shown that the materials obtained are not cytotoxic to the L929 cell line.
Common Secondary and Tertiary Structural Features of Aptamer–Ligand Interaction Shared by RNA Aptamers with Different Primary Sequences
Authors: Ilgu Muslum , Yan Shuting , Khounlo Ryan M. , Lamm Monica H. , Nilsen-Hamilton Marit
Published: December 2019

Aptamer selection can yield many oligonucleotides with different sequences and affinities for the target molecule. Here, we have combined computational and experimental approaches to understand if aptamers with different sequences but the same molecular target share structural and dynamical features. NEO1A, with a known NMR-solved structure, displays a flexible loop that interacts differently with individual aminoglycosides, its ligand affinities and specificities are responsive to ionic strength, and it possesses an adenosine in the loop that is critical for high-affinity ligand binding. NEO2A was obtained from the same selection and, although they are only 43% identical in overall sequence, NEO1A and NEO2A share similar loop sequences. Experimental analysis by 1D NMR and 2-aminopurine reporters combined with molecular dynamics modeling revealed similar structural and dynamical characteristics in both aptamers. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the target ligand drives aptamer structure and also selects relevant dynamical characteristics for high-affinity aptamer-ligand interaction. Furthermore, they suggest that it might be possible to “migrate” structural and dynamical features between aptamer group members with different primary sequences but with the same target ligand.