bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biguanides Inhibit Complex I, II and IV of Rat Liver Mitochondria and Modify Their Functional Properties
Authors: DRAHOTA Z. , PALENICKOVA E. , ENDLICHER R. , MILEROVA M. , BREJCHOVA J. , VOSAHLIKOVA M. , SVOBODA P. , KAZDOVA L. , KALOUS M. , CERVINKOVA Z. , CAHOVA M.
Published: September 2020

In this study, we focused on an analysis of biguanides effects on mitochondrial enzyme activities, mitochondrial membrane potential and membrane permeability transition pore function. We used phenformin, which is more efficient than metformin, and evaluated its effect on rat liver mitochondria and isolated hepatocytes. In contrast to previously published data, we found that phenformin, after a 5 min pre-incubation, dose-dependently inhibits not only mitochondrial complex I but also complex II and IV activity in isolated mitochondria. The enzymes complexes inhibition is paralleled by the decreased respiratory control index and mitochondrial membrane potential. Direct measurements of mitochondrial swelling revealed that phenformin increases the resistance of the permeability transition pore to Ca2+ ions. Our data might be in agreement with the hypothesis of Schäfer (1976) that binding of biguanides to membrane phospholipids alters membrane properties in a non-specific manner and, subsequently, different enzyme activities are modified via lipid phase. However, our measurements of anisotropy of fluorescence of hydrophobic membrane probe diphenylhexatriene have not shown a measurable effect of membrane fluidity with the 1 mM concentration of phenformin that strongly inhibited complex I activity. Our data therefore suggest that biguanides could be considered as agents with high efficacy but low specifity.
Steroid Metabolome in the Umbilical Cord: Is It Necessary To Differentiate Between Arterial and Venous Blood?
Authors: PAŠKOVÁ A. , PAŘÍZEK A. , HILL M. , VELÍKOVÁ M. , KUBÁTOVÁ J. , DUŠKOVÁ M. , ADAMCOVÁ K. , KOUCKÝ M. , ŠIMJAK P. , ČERNÝ A. , STÁRKA L.
Published: September 2020

Steroids are important markers in pregnancy. Although estimating their levels separately in umbilical arterial (UA) and venous blood (UV) enable more precise insights into the functioning fetoplacental unit compared to using mixed umbilical blood (UM), selective aspiration of UA and UV is technically more demanding than collecting UM. We measured the levels of 67 unconjugated steroids and steroid polar conjugates in UA and UV using GC-MS in 80 women giving birth within weeks 28 to 42 of gestation. The samples were sorted into three groups: women entering labor within weeks 28-32 (group A, n=19), weeks 33-37 (group B, n=19), and weeks 38-42 (group C, n=42) of gestation, respectively. The preterm labors were due to pathologies unrelated to steroid status. Most unconjugated steroids exhibited pronounced arteriovenous differences (AVD). The AVD were less distinct in more stable steroid conjugates. Most steroids positively correlate with gestational age, but unconjugated 5β-reduced pregnanes show negative correlations, as do testosterone and androstenediol, substrates for the placental synthesis of estrogens. Tight correlations between steroids in UA and UV indicate that steroid measurements in UA, UV and UM can be accurately derived from each other, which is important for the diagnostics of steroid related diseases in newborns.
The Determination of Optimal Initial Tension in Rat Coronary Artery Using Wire Myography
Authors: PING N.-N. , CAO L. , XIAO X. , LI S. , CAO Y.-X.
Published: September 2020

The aim of the present study was to determine the optimal initial tension, i.e. initial stretch for rat coronary artery when using the multi-wire myograph system. We used the normalization procedure to mimic physiological conditions and to stretch the coronary arterial segments to normalized internal circumference (IC1). It is determined the internal circumference when the vessel relaxed under a transmural pressure of 100 mm Hg (IC100), and the IC1 is calculated by multiplying the IC100 by a factor k. The impact of different factor k on the initial stretch and agonist-induced tension of coronary arteries were investigated. The results showed that the maximal agonist-induced tension was achieved at the factor k value of 0.90 and the initial stretch tension was given 1.16±0.04 mN/mm. The most appropriate factor k value was 0.90-0.95 and the most appropriate initial tension was 1.16-1.52 mN/mm. The equilibration time of the coronary artery segments should be at least 1.0 h. In the same optimal initial tension, the agonist-induced tension increased as equilibration time lengthened.
The Effect of Stabilization and Strengthening Exercises on Back Pain
Authors: Jankauskaitė Rūta , Sipavičienė Saulė
Published: September 2020

Background. Back pain is one of the most common health issue worldwide. Physical therapy is the most appropriate intervention to treat nonspecific lower back pain. However, the most effective form of exercise is unknown.The aim of research was to determine the effect of different physical therapy programs for people with low back pain on functional status, pain intensity and quality of life.Methods. Patients who have chronic nonspecific low back pain participated in the research. They were randomly divided into two groups. All of them were getting electrotherapy and physical therapy. Both of the groups were getting strengthening exercises program, group 2 additionally received lumbar stabilization exercises. The following research methods were used: assessment of trunk mobility, trunk muscle static endurance, pain, functional status (Roland Morris, Oswestry questionnaires), quality of life (EQ-5D questionnaire). Data was analyzed using statistical analysis “MS Office Excel 2013”, “R x64 3.4.0” programs.Results. After physical therapy, the pain, functional status, disability and health related quality of life parameters improved statistically significantly (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two exercise groups in all parameters (p > 0.05).Conclusions. Lumbar stabilization and strengthening exercise program and only strengthening program were found to have significant positive effects on pain, functional status and quality of life. No statistically significant difference was found between two physical therapy programs for lumbar spine mobility, trunk muscle static endurance, functional status, back pain and quality of life.Keywords: strengthening exercises, physical therapy, lumbar stabilization exercises, back pain.
The Aged Radio Body: Corporeality and Old Age in Beckett'sAll That Fall
Authors: Querido Pedro
Published: September 2020

This article sets out to examine the aged radio body in Samuel Beckett's All That Fall. Its main argument is that there is a conceptual symbiosis between the radiogenic problematisation of corporeality and the deliberate thematisation of old age in All That Fall. The two main issues explored in this article – which are inextricably intertwined – concern the notion of reluctant corporeality, that is, the idea that the radiophonic body in All That Fall is very real but also frail and therefore resented; and the understanding of old age as a crucial theme that can and should be interpreted in the light of different age theories, such as disengagement theory, irremediable regret, and the réveil mortel.
‘El Informal’, el doblaje y su programación en ‘access prime time’ como ejes del éxito televisivo de un formato periodístico de humor
Authors: Gascón Vera Patricia
Published: September 2020

Las imitaciones, los doblajes y los sketches musicales empleados a finales de los noventa en la televisión española por El Informal fueron algunas de las claves del éxito de este formato. Unas técnicas que todavía pueden verse en las escaletas actuales, ya que hace dos décadas este formato periodístico de humor fue pionero en el uso de técnicas audiovisuales. También de recursos televisivos como la utilización y progresión de la figura de los reporteros, su programación con gratas cifras de audiencia en la franja del access prime time o la creación de un argot propio. Para conocer su historia, se ha realizado un análisis descriptivo de la mano de cinco criterios con los que medir el éxito televisivo; junto con dos metodologías complementarias entre sí, el análisis de contenido y la entrevista en profundidad. Una triangulación metodológica con la se ha obtenido el presente análisis histórico de un formato que ha derivado en nuevas tendencias de producción, contenido y consumo, dentro de la tipología de programas que conjugan humor y actualidad. Como se comprueba en los resultados, se estima que El Informal puede entenderse como pionero de la televisión actual, y representa un exponente audiovisual en la historia reciente de la televisión.
El número musical en las series de televisión: la sincronía musicovisual como característica principal de la escena musical
Authors: Galeano Galea Pedro
Published: September 2020

El número musical se ha convertido en un recurso usual en las series de televisión. Esta investigación señala tres objetivos: estudiar la aparición del número musical y sus características principales en la ficción televisiva; definir la tipología de música utilizada en dichas actuaciones; y, por último, señalar qué clase de sincronía musicovisual se emplea en la muestra seleccionada. En este estudio descriptivo se han empleado dos procedimientos: la revisión bibliográfica de fuentes actuales y el estudio de 76 casos de números musicales en diferentes episodios. Las series de televisión, en su mayoría en formato dramedia, incluyen uno o varios números musicales en algunos de sus episodios, tanto para homenajear al género del musical como para ofrecer nuevos contenidos a su público. En muchos casos se emplea la música preexistente y más concretamente la forma cover para ofrecer canciones interpretadas por el propio elenco de la serie. Una característica importante es la sincronía musicovisual en este tipo de escenas, siendo generalmente clasificada como unificadora y producida tanto por el fraseo, las muecas en el rostro de los personajes y sus movimientos corporales, como por el ritmo de montaje en la posproducción del capítulo.
Representaciones identitarias en los perfiles de Facebook de los refugiados en el contexto italiano
Authors: Bianco Rosella , Ortiz-Cobo Mónica
Published: September 2020

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la relación de las publicaciones de Facebook con los procesos identitarios de los refugiados, ya que las redes sociales constituyen un medio a través del cual la identidad se construye y reconstruye. Este artículo presenta el análisis de datos derivados de una etnografía en el contexto italiano, en la que se han empleado como instrumentos de recogida de datos la entrevista en profundidad y la observación virtual de la red social Facebook. A través de sus representaciones vinculadas al país de origen, y al país de acogida, se han podido trazar los distintos recorridos de los migrantes forzados y la construcción de sus identidades. En algunos casos emerge una identidad en diáspora, en otros se manifiesta una identidad múltiple e híbrida e incluso hay quien se aísla y mantiene únicamente la identidad de origen.
Resonancia cultural y consonancia informativa como elementos favorecedores de la simbiosis discursiva entre activismo y periodismo en protestas educativas
Authors: Carratalá Adolfo
Published: September 2020

El movimiento neocon que impulsó la protesta contra Educación para la Ciudadanía se reactivó con el anuncio del Ejecutivo de Pedro Sánchez de introducir una nueva asignatura de valores cívicos y éticos en el currículo escolar. Esta investigación analiza los mensajes difundidos por las principales organizaciones conservadoras para determinar el protagonismo que este tema tuvo en su producción comunicativa y si responden a un marco de acción colectiva. Además, se contrasta dicho discurso con el que plantearon las mismas entidades entre 2004-2008 y se estudia su reproducción en la prensa ideológicamente afín. Se analizan los mensajes de estos grupos en Twitter (n = 131) y en sus webs (n = 11) así como las piezas publicadas por ABC y La Razón (n = 17) durante julio de 2018. Los resultados señalan que las organizaciones neocon articularon un discurso movilizador que integra la reacción contra Educación para la Ciudadanía como resonancia cultural y que logró cabida en los periódicos analizados gracias a la consonancia periodística.
Miscarriage Rate Is High With Frozen-Thawed Blastocysts Arising From Poor-Quality Cleavage Stage Embryos
Authors: Xia Lan , Zhao Shen , Xu Huiui , Wu Xian , Zhang Aijun , Niu Zhihong
Published: September 2020

Embryos with low morphological scores can still develop to the blastocyst stage and result in good clinical outcomes. However, no studies have reported the possible effects of transferring cryopreserved blastocysts developed from poor-quality cleavage stage embryos on pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. In this retrospective study, the clinical value of transferring blastocysts derived from day 3 poor-quality cleavage stage embryos during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer procedures was evaluated. According to the quality of embryos on day 3 from which the transferred blastocyst originated, patients were divided into three groups: poor-quality (111 cycles, group A), good-quality (235 cycles, group B), and top-quality (119 cycles, group C). Group A experienced the highest miscarriage rate (30.2%) which was increased when compared to group C (12.5%) (P = 0.03). The clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates were not significantly different among the three groups. However, good blastocyst originating from top day 3 embryos resulted in higher live birth rate. Of the 218 live births, no differences in obstetric and perinatal outcomes were noted among the three groups. The results showed that extended culture of poor-quality cleavage stage embryos could resulted in favorable clinical pregnancy rates but at a higher incidence of miscarriages. Meanwhile, the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes was not increased.
Staphylococcus epidermidis Boosts Innate Immune Response by Activation of Gamma Delta T Cells and Induction of Perforin-2 in Human Skin
Authors: Pastar Irena , O’Neill Katelyn , Padula Laura , Head Cheyanne R. , Burgess Jamie L. , Chen Vivien , Garcia Denisse , Stojadinovic Olivera , Hower Suzanne , Plano Gregory V. , Thaller Seth R. , Tomic-Canic Marjana , Strbo Natasa
Published: September 2020

Perforin-2 (P-2) is an antimicrobial protein with unique properties to kill intracellular bacteria. Gamma delta (GD) T cells, as the major T cell population in epithelial tissues, play a central role in protective and pathogenic immune responses in the skin. However, the tissue-specific mechanisms that control the innate immune response and the effector functions of GD T cells, especially the cross-talk with commensal organisms, are not very well understood. We hypothesized that the most prevalent skin commensal microorganism,Staphylococcus epidermidis, may play a role in regulating GD T cell-mediated cutaneous responses. We analyzed antimicrobial protein P-2 expression in human skin at a single cell resolution using an amplified fluorescencein situhybridization approach to detect P-2 mRNA in combination with immunophenotyping. We show thatS. epidermidisactivates GD T cells and upregulates P-2 in human skinex vivoin a cell-specific manner. Furthermore, P-2 upregulation followingS. epidermidisstimulation correlates with increased ability of skin cells to kill intracellularStaphylococcus aureus. Our findings are the first to reveal that skin commensal bacteria induce P-2 expression, which may be utilized beneficially to modulate host innate immune responses and protect from skin infections.
A Comparison of Ensemble and Dimensionality Reduction DEA Models Based on Entropy Criterion
Authors: Pendharkar Parag C.
Published: September 2020

Dimensionality reduction research in data envelopment analysis (DEA) has focused on subjective approaches to reduce dimensionality. Such approaches are less useful or attractive in practice because a subjective selection of variables introduces bias. A competing unbiased approach would be to use ensemble DEA scores. This paper illustrates that in addition to unbiased evaluations, the ensemble DEA scores result in unique rankings that have high entropy. Under restrictive assumptions, it is also shown that the ensemble DEA scores are normally distributed. Ensemble models do not require any new modifications to existing DEA objective functions or constraints, and when ensemble scores are normally distributed, returns-to-scale hypothesis testing can be carried out using traditional parametric statistical techniques.
Analysis of Metabolomic Changes in Lettuce Leaves under Low Nitrogen and Phosphorus Deficiencies Stresses
Authors: Gao Hongyan , Mao Hanping , Ullah Ikram
Published: September 2020

Nitrogen and phosphorus limitation affect the growth, development, and productivity of lettuce, which exert a marked influence on metabolites. To compare the influence of low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus stresses on various metabolites of lettuce leaves, experiments were performed under three conditions of treatment—low-nitrogen stress, low-phosphorus stress, and normal samples. Metabolomic analyses were conducted based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Principle components analysis yielded distinctive clustering information among the holistic samples; fold change analysis, t-test and orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis were used for the selection of metabolic biomarkers. Ten pathways were selected which were significantly enriched by metabolic biomarkers. Metabolic biomarkers were screened by fold change (FC) value, p-value and variable importance in the projection (VIP) value, low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus stresses caused an increase in 16 metabolites (FC > 2, p-value < 0.05, VIP > 1) and a decrease in 26 metabolites (FC < 0.5, p-value < 0.05, VIP > 1). Outside of these, our results showed that inositol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, stachyose, dinoseb, and 7, 8-dihydroxycoumarin increase in low-nitrogen stress samples. Low-phosphorus stress caused accumulation of citrate, isocitrate, l-5-oxoproline, succinate, and histamine, which may be considered potential metabolic biomarkers. The metabolites could be used to monitor the nitrogen and phosphorus status of lettuce and to guide appropriate fertilization regimens.
Interactive Effects of Nitrogen and Humic Substances Applications on Bioethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum and Combustion Characteristics of Its Bagasse
Authors: Nazli Recep Irfan , Tansi Veyis , Gulnaz Osman , Kafkas Ebru , Kusvuran Alpaslan , Ozturk Hasan Huseyin , Bostan Budak Dilek
Published: September 2020

Sweet sorghum seems to be one of the most promising energy crops for a wide range of ecological conditions thanks to its high yield potential and drought tolerance. A two-year field trial was conducted in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment in Turkey to evaluate the interactive effects of different nitrogen fertilizer levels (100, 150, and 200 kg ha−1) and humic substances (0, 15, 30, and 45 L ha−1) applications on the biomass and bioethanol yields of sweet sorghum, and combustion characteristics of its bagasse. Sweet sorghum showed a positive response to increased nitrogen fertilizer and humic subtances application levels in terms of biomass and bioethanol production. Lignocellulosic and total bioethanol yields significantly increased up to 2910 and 3336.6 L ha−1 as a result of the combined application of the 200 kg ha−1 N and 15 L ha−1 humic subtances (HS), respectively. However, HS application had a detrimental effect on the bagasse combustion quality, because it caused a considerable increase in the mineral and ash concentrations. Briefly, combined application of 200 kg ha−1 N and 15 L ha−1 HS may be suggested to be applied for the sustainable bioethanol production from sweet sorghum, while the application of HS likely does not provide any economic and environmental benefit if bagasse would be used as solid biofuel feedstock.
Role of Biocontrol Agents in Management of Corm Rot of Saffron Caused by Fusarium oxysporum
Authors: Gupta Vishal , Kumar Krishna , Fatima Kausar , Razdan Vijay Kumar , Sharma Bhagwati Charan , Mahajan Vidushi , Rai Pradeep Kumar , Sharma Akash , Gupta Vikas , Hassan Mir Gulam , Hussain Rafakat
Published: September 2020

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is considered as one of the most expensive spices. Fusarium corm rot of saffron, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, is known to cause severe yield losses worldwide. In the present study, efficacy of biocontrol agents (Trichoderma asperellum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus stratosphericus, Bacillus pumilus, and Bacillus subtilis) along with a chemical fungicide, carbendazim, was evaluated for managing the corm rot of saffron. Under in vitro conditions, using dual culture and poison food techniques on potato dextrose agar, T. asperellum and carbendazim significantly reduced the mycelial growth of the pathogen F. oxysporum, with the inhibition of 62.76 and 60.27%, respectively, compared with control. Under field conditions, dipping of saffron corms in carbendazim and T. asperellum exhibited maximum reduction of 82.77 and 77.84%, respectively, in the disease incidence, during the first year of experiment. However, during the second year, maximum reduction in the incidence of corm rot (68.63%) was recorded with the T. asperellum. Moreover, the population density of F. oxysporum was also significantly reduced by 60 and 80.19% while using T. asperellum after 75 and 260 days of sowing of saffron corms, compared to its population before planting of corms. In case of growth promotion traits, such as sprouting and flowering, biocontrol treatments reduced the number of days (average) of sprouting and flower emergence after sowing, compared to control.
Identification of Black Rot Resistance in a Wild Brassica Species and Its Potential Transferability to Cauliflower
Authors: Sheng Xiao-Guang , Branca Ferdinando , Zhao Zhen-Qing , Wang Jian-Sheng , Yu Hui-Fang , Shen Yu-Sen , Gu Hong-Hui
Published: September 2020

Black rot is a destructive disease that affects B. oleracea crops, causing significant losses to growers throughout the world. The purpose of this study was to screen out new sources resistant to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris race 4 (Xcc4) in 26 cauliflower and six related wild species, and to assess the inheritance of resistance. The results indicate that most of the tested accessions were susceptible or had intermediate resistance, except the Boc4601 (a cauliflower stable inbred line) and PI435896, UNICT5168, and UNICT5169 (wild accessions). Among them, UNICT5169 (Brassica montana) and PI435896 (Brassica balearica) showed the strongest resistance to Xcc4, with significantly lower disease index (DI), area of the infected part (AIP) and proportion of the infected part to the total leaf area (PTL) values. UNICT 5169 was selected as an Xcc4-resistant parent because of its relatively good cross seed-setting rate with cauliflower cultivars. F1 hybrids were successfully produced between this wild resistant accession (UNICT 5169) and one susceptible cauliflower breeding line (Boc3202-4), indicating the potential transferability of this resistance to cauliflower. The results of the symptoms severity evaluation of the F2 population indicate that Xcc4 resistance in UNICT5169 is a quantitative trait, which guides future resistance gene location and black rot resistance breeding.
Association between Productivity, Fatty Acid Profiles, Oil Bodies’ Ultrastructure and Molecular Markers in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Cultivars
Authors: Abbas Mohamed , El-Shabrawi Hattem , Hamza Mohamed , Wahba Hend , Shahba Mohamed
Published: September 2020

The commercial Nigerian peanut cultivars Ex-Dakar, Samnut-22 and Samnut-26, the Egyptian cultivar Ismailia-1 and the American cultivar NC-7 were genetically differentiated and the cultivars’ effects on growth and yield components, total lipid contents, including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and oil body size and number were investigated. Experiments were carried out at Cairo University Research Station, Giza, Egypt, during the summer seasons of 2016 and 2017. All cultivars had high contents of total unsaturated fatty acids and low contents of saturated fatty acids. Variations among tested cultivars in oil body size and number were documented and cultivars were ranked based on their oil bodies’ size as Ismailia-1 > Samnut-26 > NC-7 > Ex-Dakar ≥ Samnut-22. Oil body size and number were inversely related. This variation can be explained by the different amounts of acidic amino acids and the protein structure on the surface of the oil bodies of these cultivars. The distributions of protein bodies and oil bodies seemed to be negatively correlated. Cultivar effect was significant, and variation was found in seed production and quality in addition to the size and number of oil bodies, oil productivity, and oil quality among cultivars. Seasonal effects were not evident due to the stability of the climatic conditions during the two seasons of the study.
Transcriptional Regulator YqeI, Locating at ETT2 Locus, Affects the Pathogenicity of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Xue Mei , Xiao Yating , Fu Dandan , Raheem Muhammad Akmal , Shao Ying , Song Xiangjun , Tu Jian , Xue Ting , Qi Kezong
Published: September 2020

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the leading cause of systemic infections in poultry worldwide and has a hidden threat to public health. Escherichia coli type three secretion system 2 (ETT2), similar to the Salmonella pathogenicity island SPI1, is widely distributed in APEC and associated with virulence. The function of YqeI, which is one of the hypothetical transcriptional regulators locating at the ETT2 locus of APEC, is unknown. In this study, we successfully obtained the mutant strain AE81ΔyqeI of the wild type strain AE81 and performed the transcriptional profiling assays. Additionally, the transcriptional sequencing results revealed that YqeI influenced localization, locomotion and biological adhesion and so on. The transmission electron microscope observation showed that the wild type strain AE81 possessed long curved flagella, whereas the mutant strain AE81ΔyqeI hardly had any. The strain AE81ΔyqeI exhibited lower motility than AE81 after culturing the dilute bacterial suspension on a semisolid medium. It was also found that the survival ability of AE81ΔyqeI weakened significantly when AE81ΔyqeI was cultured with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% SPF serum in PBS, and AE81ΔyqeI had decreased adherence to DF-1 cells compared with AE81 in the bacterial adhesion assay. The bacterial colonization assay indicated that the virulence of AE81ΔyqeI was reduced in the heart, liver, spleen, and lung. These results confirmed that the transcription regulator YqeI is involved in APEC’s pathogenicity, and this study provides clues for future research.
Feeding Fungal-Pretreated Corn Straw Improves Health and Meat Quality of Lambs Infected with Gastrointestinal Nematodes
Authors: Xiang Hai , Zhao Xueli , Fang Yi , Wang Fei , Liang Rong , Sun Xuezhao , Wang Shuiping , Zhong Rongzhen
Published: September 2020

Infections with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) adversely affect meat color in lambs. Although white-rot fungi (WRF) pretreatment increases nutritional value and fiber digestion of corn straw for lambs, whether it can improve meat quality of lambs infected with GINs is unknown. The objective of this experiment was to study effects of feeding WRF-pretreated corn straw on the health and meat quality of lambs infected with GINs. Sixteen healthy Ujumqin lambs were orally drenched with 3rd-stage GINs larvae and randomly divided into two dietary treatments of control (CON) and WRF diets for 70 days of feeding. Results showed that feeding WRF-pretreated corn straw decreased L* and b* values (p < 0.05) and increased a* value (p < 0.01) of both longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles of lambs infected with GINs. Feeding WRF-pretreatment corn straw decreased fecal egg count (p = 0.014) and increased packed cell volume (p = 0.013) of lambs from 28 d of feeding and increased plasma iron content (p = 0.008) of lambs from 56 d of the feeding. Feeding WRF-pretreatment corn straw decreased myosin heavy-chain (MyHC)-I (p = 0.032) and MyHC-IIα (p = 0.025) content in LTL muscle and MyHC-I (p = 0.022) and MyHC-IIβ (p = 0.048) in SM muscle of lambs. In conclusion, although there were no significant changes in the content of most amino acids or increased intensity of better flavor compounds, meat quality and health of lambs infected with GINs was significantly improved by feeding WRF-pretreated corn straw due to increased PCV and meat color and tenderness.
Prevalence and Distribution of Lesions in the Nasal Bones and Mandibles of a Sample of 144 Riding Horses
Authors: Pérez-Manrique Lucia , León-Pérez Karina , Zamora-Sánchez Emmanuel , Davies Sarah , Ober Christopher , Wilson Bethany , McGreevy Paul
Published: September 2020

Restrictive nosebands are used in equestrian sports to hold the bit in place and reduce mouth-opening, a response that can attract penalties in some sports and is thought to reduce the rider’s control of the horse. Sustained pressure from such tightly fitted (restrictive) nosebands denies normal behaviour and thus, causes frustration and distress that can jeopardise horse welfare. It also may push the cheek against the molar teeth, compress soft tissues including blood vessels and nerves, and possibly induce chronic changes to underlying bone. This study of mature cavalry horses (n = 144) was designed to explore relationships between visual and palpable damage to structures that underlie the nosebands of horses and any related bony changes in those horses as evidenced by radiography. Working independently of each other, two researchers inspected the horses for visual changes and palpable changes before the horses were radiographed. The radiographs were assessed by a separate pair of veterinary radiologists, again working independently of each other. Among the current population of horses, 37.5% had one or more radiographic changes to the nasal bones according to both radiologists, and 13.8% had one or more radiographic changes to the mandible. For nasal bones, the two radiologists reported bone deposition in 6.9% and 8.3% of the horses and bone thinning in 33.3% and 56.9% of the horses, respectively. By palpation, they found that 82% and 84% of the horses had palpable bone deposition of the nasal bones and 32% and 33.4% had palpable bone thinning. For the mandibles, the radiologists reported increased bone deposition in 18.8% and 32.6% of the horses but no bone thinning. By palpation, the two examiners reported 30.6% and 32.7% of the horses had palpable bone deposition and 10.4% and 11.1% had palpable bone thinning. This is the first report of lesions to the mandible at this site and this article presents the first confirmation of bony lesions at the site typically subjected to pressure from restrictive nosebands. These results suggest that radiographic bone thinning is more apparent in the nasal bones of riding horses than in the mandible and that both palpable and radiographic bone deposition are more likely in the mandible than in the nasal bones. That said, we note that the current study provides no evidence of a causal link between any piece of gear or its putative tightness and the lesions in these anatomical locations. Further studies are needed to identify risk factors for these clusters of lesions. The inadvertent deformation of bones in the horse’s head for competitive advantage is difficult to justify on ethical grounds.
UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS-Based Molecular Networking Guided Isolation and Dereplication of Antibacterial and Antifungal Constituents of Ventilago denticulata
Authors: Azizah Muhaiminatul , Pripdeevech Patcharee , Thongkongkaew Tawatchai , Mahidol Chulabhorn , Ruchirawat Somsak , Kittakoop Prasat
Published: September 2020

Ventilago denticulata is an herbal medicine for the treatment of wound infection; therefore this plant may rich in antibacterial agents. UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS-Based molecular networking guided isolation and dereplication led to the identification of antibacterial and antifungal agents in V. denticulata. Nine antimicrobial agents in V. denticulata were isolated and characterized; they are divided into four groups including (I) flavonoid glycosides, rhamnazin 3-rhamninoside (7), catharticin or rhamnocitrin 3-rhamninoside (8), xanthorhamnin B or rhamnetin 3-rhamninoside (9), kaempferol 3-rhamninoside (10) and flavovilloside or quercetin 3-rhamninoside (11), (II) benzisochromanquinone, ventilatones B (12) and A (15), (III) a naphthopyrone ventilatone C (16) and (IV) a triterpene lupeol (13). Among the isolated compounds, ventilatone C (16) was a new compound. Moreover, kaempferol, chrysoeriol, isopimpinellin, rhamnetin, luteolin, emodin, rhamnocitrin, ventilagodenin A, rhamnazin and mukurozidiol, were tentatively identified as antimicrobial compounds in extracts of V. denticulata by a dereplication method. MS fragmentation of rhamnose-containing compounds gave an oxonium ion, C6H9O3+ at m/z 129, while that of galactose-containing glycosides provided the fragment ion at m/z 163 of C6H11O5+. These fragment ions may be used to confirm the presence of rhamnose or galactose in mass spectrometry-based analysis of natural glycosides or oligosaccharide attached to biomolecules, that is, glycoproteins.
Withanolide C Inhibits Proliferation of Breast Cancer Cells via Oxidative Stress-Mediated Apoptosis and DNA Damage
Authors: Yu Tzu-Jung , Tang Jen-Yang , Lin Li-Ching , Lien Wan-Ju , Cheng Yuan-Bin , Chang Fang-Rong , Ou-Yang Fu , Chang Hsueh-Wei
Published: September 2020

Some withanolides, particularly the family of steroidal lactones, show anticancer effects, but this is rarely reported for withanolide C (WHC)—especially anti-breast cancer effects. The subject of this study is to evaluate the ability of WHC to regulate the proliferation of breast cancer cells, using both time and concentration in treatment with WHC. In terms of ATP depletion, WHC induced more antiproliferation to three breast cancer cell lines, SKBR3, MCF7, and MDA-MB-231, than to normal breast M10 cell lines. SKBR3 and MCF7 cells showing higher sensitivity to WHC were used to explore the antiproliferation mechanism. Flow cytometric apoptosis analyses showed that subG1 phase and annexin V population were increased in breast cancer cells after WHC treatment. Western blotting showed that cleaved forms of the apoptotic proteins poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (c-PARP) and cleaved caspase 3 (c-Cas 3) were increased in breast cancer cells. Flow cytometric oxidative stress analyses showed that WHC triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide (MitoSOX) production as well as glutathione depletion. In contrast, normal breast M10 cells showed lower levels of ROS and annexin V expression than breast cancer cells. Flow cytometric DNA damage analyses showed that WHC triggered γH2AX and 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) expression in breast cancer cells. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment reverted oxidative stress-mediated ATP depletion, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Therefore, WHC kills breast cancer cells depending on oxidative stress-associated mechanisms.
Multi-Pass Stamping Forming a Concave Ring
Authors: Zhang Song , Shu Xuedao , Shi Jianan , Li Zixuan
Published: September 2020

To improve the production quality and efficiency of the concave ring, a multi-pass stamping technology is used to replace the spinning technology to form the concave ring. First, the multi-pass stamping dies are designed according to the structural characteristics of the concave ring. Then, the process parameters are determined based on the bending conditions and the dimensional requirements of the concave ring. Next, the rationality of the designed stamping dies is verified by analyzing the stress and strain field of the multi-pass stamping concave ring. Finally, the stamping experiments are carried out. Experimental results show that the dimensional error of the concave ring formed by multi-pass stamping is less than 0.5%. The multi-pass stamping technology is feasible to form the concave ring. The reasonable design of the mold is the key factor to prevent defects in the workpiece. The concave ring formed by multi-pass stamping meets the industrial requirements.
Render U-Net: A Unique Perspective on Render to Explore Accurate Medical Image Segmentation
Authors: Li Chen , Chen Wei , Tan Yusong
Published: September 2020

Organ lesions have a high mortality rate, and pose a serious threat to people’s lives. Segmenting organs accurately is helpful for doctors to diagnose. There is a demand for the advanced segmentation model for medical images. However, most segmentation models directly migrated from natural image segmentation models. These models usually ignore the importance of the boundary. To solve this difficulty, in this paper, we provided a unique perspective on rendering to explore accurate medical image segmentation. We adapt a subdivision-based point-sampling method to get high-quality boundaries. In addition, we integrated the attention mechanism and nested U-Net architecture into the proposed network Render U-Net.Render U-Net was evaluated on three public datasets, including LiTS, CHAOS, and DSB. This model obtained the best performance on five medical image segmentation tasks.
Analysis of the Target Detection Performance of Air-to-Air Airborne Radar Using Long-Range Propagation Simulation in Abnormal Atmospheric Conditions
Authors: Lim Tea Heung , Go Minho , Seo Chulhun , Choo Hosung
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we propose the analysis of the target detection performance of air-to-air airborne radars using long-range propagation simulations with a novel quad-linear refractivity model under abnormal atmospheric conditions. The radar propagation characteristics and the target detection performance are simulated using the Advanced Refractive Effects Prediction System (AREPS) software, where the refractivity along the altitude, array antenna pattern, and digital terrain elevation data are considered as inputs to obtain the path loss of the wave propagation. The quad-linear model is used to approximate the actual refractivity data, which are compared to the data derived using the conventional trilinear refractivity model. On the basis of the propagation simulations, we propose a detection performance metric in terms of the atmosphere (DPMA) for intuitively examining the long-range propagation characteristics of airborne radars in air-to-air situations. To confirm the feasibility of using the DPMA map in various duct scenarios, we employ two actual refractive indices to observe the DPMA results in relation to the height of the airborne radar.
Evaluation of a Greek Diatomaceous Earth for Stored Product Insect Control and Techniques That Maximize Its Insecticidal Efficacy
Authors: Baliota Georgia V. , Athanassiou Christos G.
Published: September 2020

Laboratory bioassays were conducted to evaluate the insecticidal efficacy of a diatomaceous earth deposit from Greece, for a wide range of stored product insects. In this context, populations of five different insect species, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin DuVal, the confused flour beetle; Sitophilus oryzae (L.), the rice weevil; Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), the lesser grain borer; Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), the sawtoothed grain beetle; Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), the rusty grain beetle, which cover a major spectrum of insects species of stored products worldwide, were used in the bioassays. The different treatment of diatomaceous earth (DE) rocks (grinding, diatomaceous enrichment, powder granulometry) led to the creation of five types of formulations (namely DE1, DE2, DE3, DE5 and DE6) that exhibited significant fluctuations in their insecticidal efficacy when applied on wheat. In general, some of the modified formulations were found to be very effective against species such as R. dominica and T. confusum that may be difficult to control at the current labeled doses of commercial DE formulations. Overall, our data clearly indicate that this specific Greek deposit has considerable insecticidal properties, which can be further utilized in designing commercial formulations for insect control at the postharvest stages of durable agricultural commodities, provided that the deposit will be modified at specific enrichment and granulometry levels.
Design of a Smart Visiting Service Management System for Personal Information Collection in Order to Integrate Tourism Management into an Isolated Island
Authors: Teng Xiao , Shen Zhenjiang
Published: September 2020

Personal information is collected by different smart services and integrated into one big data database, in contemplation of the smart visiting service management on an isolated island. Thereby, the information about a certain person’s activities is possibly managed by one database, and smart services are conveniently provided for the users, at the same time protecting their personal information. In a case study on Huangguan Island, personal information was collected in an urban space by different smart service providers, for various business purposes. The personal information was collected on the isolated island not only via personal mobile devices, but also from smart facilities arranged by the building and transportation means. As opposed to the previous research reports on tourism information services for smart tourism using big data analysis and processing, we proposed a smart visiting service management system in order to integrate tourism services into an isolated island. After reviewing the proposed smart visiting service management system in the case study practice, the principles of personal information collection were defined in this work.
A Study on the Evaluation Method of Highway Driving Assist System Using Monocular Camera
Authors: Bae Geon Hwan , Lee Seon Bong
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we propose a method to evaluate Highway Driving Assist (HDA) systems, a type of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), using a monocular camera, which eliminates the need of experts or expensive equipment and reduces the time, effort, and cost required in such tests. We use the information from the images captured by the monocular camera, such as the lane and rear tires of the lead vehicle, and from the geometrical composition, including the heading angle and the distance of the camera from the front bumper of the test vehicle. To verify the evaluation method, we used the image and geometric information to calculate the distances of the lead vehicle and the lane center from the test vehicle. We compared and analyzed the method using DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System), Data Acquisition(DAQ) and the method using monocular camera. Therefore, it was determined that the proposed method of evaluating HDA systems using a monocular camera is reliable because of the small margin of error between the theoretical with monocular camera and real vehicle test with DAQ and DGPS.
Finite-Time Path Following Control of an Underactuated Marine Surface Vessel with Input and Output Constraints
Authors: Fu Mingyu , Wang Lulu
Published: September 2020

This paper develops a finite-time path following control scheme for an underactuated marine surface vessel (MSV) with external disturbances, model parametric uncertainties, position constraint and input saturation. Initially, based on the time-varying barrier Lyapunov function (BLF), the finite-time line-of-sight (FT-LOS) guidance law is proposed to obtain the desired yaw angle and simultaneously constrain the position error of the underactuated MSV. Furthermore, the finite-time path following constraint controllers are designed to achieve tracking control in finite time. Additionally, considering the model parametric uncertainties and external disturbances, the finite-time disturbance observers are proposed to estimate the compound disturbance. For the sake of avoiding the input saturation and satisfying the requirements of finite-time convergence, the finite-time input saturation compensators were designed. The stability analysis shows that the proposed finite-time path following control scheme can strictly guarantee the constraint requirements of the position, and all error signals of the whole control system can converge into a small neighborhood around zero in finite time. Finally, comparative simulation results show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed finite-time path following control scheme.
The Oral Microbiome of Healthy Japanese People at the Age of 90
Authors: Nomura Yoshiaki , Kakuta Erika , Kaneko Noboru , Nohno Kaname , Yoshihara Akihiro , Hanada Nobuhiro
Published: September 2020

For a healthy oral cavity, maintaining a healthy microbiome is essential. However, data on healthy microbiomes are not sufficient. To determine the nature of the core microbiome, the oral-microbiome structure was analyzed using pyrosequencing data. Saliva samples were obtained from healthy 90-year-old participants who attended the 20-year follow-up Niigata cohort study. A total of 85 people participated in the health checkups. The study population consisted of 40 male and 45 female participants. Stimulated saliva samples were obtained by chewing paraffin wax for 5 min. The V3–V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene were amplified by PCR. Pyrosequencing was performed using MiSeq. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were assigned on the basis of a 97% identity search in the EzTaxon-e database. Using the threshold of 100% detection on the species level, 13 species were detected: Streptococcus sinensis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus salivarius, KV831974_s, Streptococcus parasanguinis, Veillonella dispar, Granulicatella adiacens, Streptococcus_uc, Streptococcus peroris, KE952139_s, Veillonella parvula, Atopobium parvulum, and AFQU_vs. These species represent potential candidates for the core make-up of the human microbiome.
Translational Roadmap for the Organs-on-a-Chip Industry toward Broad Adoption
Authors: Allwardt Vanessa , Ainscough Alexander J. , Viswanathan Priyalakshmi , Sherrod Stacy D. , McLean John A. , Haddrick Malcolm , Pensabene Virginia
Published: September 2020

Organs-on-a-Chip (OOAC) is a disruptive technology with widely recognized potential to change the efficiency, effectiveness, and costs of the drug discovery process; to advance insights into human biology; to enable clinical research where human trials are not feasible. However, further development is needed for the successful adoption and acceptance of this technology. Areas for improvement include technological maturity, more robust validation of translational and predictive in vivo-like biology, and requirements of tighter quality standards for commercial viability. In this review, we reported on the consensus around existing challenges and necessary performance benchmarks that are required toward the broader adoption of OOACs in the next five years, and we defined a potential roadmap for future translational development of OOAC technology. We provided a clear snapshot of the current developmental stage of OOAC commercialization, including existing platforms, ancillary technologies, and tools required for the use of OOAC devices, and analyze their technology readiness levels. Using data gathered from OOAC developers and end-users, we identified prevalent challenges faced by the community, strategic trends and requirements driving OOAC technology development, and existing technological bottlenecks that could be outsourced or leveraged by active collaborations with academia.