bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex Oncological Decision-Making Utilizing Fast-and-Frugal Trees in a Community Setting—Role of Academic and Hybrid Modeling
Authors: Salgia Ravi , Mambetsariev Isa , Tan Tingting , Schwer Amanda , Pearlstein Daryl P. , Chehabi Hazem , Baroz Angel , Fricke Jeremy , Pharaon Rebecca , Romo Hannah , Waddington Thomas , Babikian Razmig , Buck Linda , Kulkarni Prakash , Cianfrocca Mary , Djulbegovic Benjamin , Pal Sumanta K.
Published: June 2020

Non-small cell lung cancer is a devastating disease and with the advent of targeted therapies and molecular testing, the decision-making process has become complex. While established guidelines and pathways offer some guidance, they are difficult to utilize in a busy community practice and are not always implemented in the community. The rationale of the study was to identify a cohort of patients with lung adenocarcinoma at a City of Hope community site (n = 11) and utilize their case studies to develop a decision-making framework utilizing fast-and-frugal tree (FFT) heuristics. Most patients had stage IV (N = 9, 81.8%) disease at the time of the first consultation. The most common symptoms at initial presentation were cough (N = 5, 45.5%), shortness of breath (N = 3, 27.2%), and weight loss (N = 3, 27.2%). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ranged from 0-1 in all patients in this study. Distribution of molecular drivers among the patients were as follows: EGFR (N = 5, 45.5%), KRAS (N = 2, 18.2%), ALK (N = 2, 18.2%), MET (N = 2, 18.2%), and RET (N = 1, 9.1%). Seven initial FFTs were developed for the various case scenarios, but ultimately the decisions were condensed into one FFT, a molecular stage IV FFT, that arrived at accurate decisions without sacrificing initial information. While these FFT decision trees may seem arbitrary to an experienced oncologist at an academic site, the simplicity of their utility is essential for community practice where patients often do not get molecular testing and are not assigned proper therapy.
Vaccines and Therapies in Development for SARS-CoV-2 Infections
Authors: Wu David , Koganti Raghuram , Lambe Upendra P. , Yadavalli Tejabhiram , Nandi Shyam S. , Shukla Deepak
Published: June 2020

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The virus causes severe respiratory symptoms which manifest disproportionately in the elderly. Currently, there are over 6.5 million cases and 380,000 deaths reported. Given the current severity of the outbreak, there is a great need for antiviral therapies and vaccines to treat and prevent COVID-19. In this review, we provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the emerging therapies and vaccines that show promise in combating COVID-19. We also highlight potential viral targets that could be exploited by researchers and drug manufacturers.
Practical Classification and Evaluation of Optically Recorded Food Data by Using Various Big-Data Analysis Technologies
Authors: Jarschel Tim , Laroque Christoph , Maschke Ronny , Hartmann Peter
Published: June 2020

An increasing shortening of product life cycles, as well as the trend towards highly individualized food products, force manufacturers to digitize their own production chains. Especially the collection, monitoring, and evaluation of food data will have a major impact in the future on how the manufacturers will satisfy constantly growing customer demands. For this purpose, an automated system for collecting and analyzing food data was set up to promote advanced production technologies in the food industry. Based on the technique of laser triangulation, various types of food were measured three-dimensionally and examined for their chromatic composition. The raw data can be divided into individual data groups using clustering technologies. Subsequent indexing of the data in a big data architecture set the ground for setting up real-time data visualizations. The cluster-based back-end system for data processing can also be used as an organization-wide communication network for more efficient monitoring of companies’ production data flows. The results not only describe the procedure for digitization of food data, they also provide deep insights into the practical application of big data analytics while helping especially small- and medium-sized enterprises to find a good introduction to this field of research.
Pointwise Slant and Pointwise Semi-Slant Submanifolds in Almost Contact Metric Manifolds
Authors: Park Kwang Soon
Published: June 2020

In almost contact metric manifolds, we consider two kinds of submanifolds: pointwise slant, pointwise semi-slant. On these submanifolds of cosymplectic, Sasakian and Kenmotsu manifolds, we obtain characterizations and study their topological properties and distributions. We also give their examples. In particular, we obtain some inequalities consisting of a second fundamental form, a warping function and a semi-slant function.
More Effective Criteria for Oscillation of Second-Order Differential Equations with Neutral Arguments
Authors: Moaaz Osama , Anis Mona , Baleanu Dumitru , Muhib Ali
Published: June 2020

The motivation for this paper is to create new criteria for oscillation of solutions of second-order nonlinear neutral differential equations. In more than one respect, our results improve several related ones in the literature. As proof of the effectiveness of the new criteria, we offer more than one practical example.
The Analytical Analysis of Time-Fractional Fornberg–Whitham Equations
Authors: Alderremy A. A. , Khan Hassan , Shah Rasool , Aly Shaban , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: June 2020

This article is dealing with the analytical solution of Fornberg–Whitham equations in fractional view of Caputo operator. The effective method among the analytical techniques, natural transform decomposition method, is implemented to handle the solutions of the proposed problems. The approximate analytical solutions of nonlinear numerical problems are determined to confirm the validity of the suggested technique. The solution of the fractional-order problems are investigated for the suggested mathematical models. The solutions-graphs are then plotted to understand the effectiveness of fractional-order mathematical modeling over integer-order modeling. It is observed that the derived solutions have a closed resemblance with the actual solutions. Moreover, using fractional-order modeling various dynamics can be analyzed which can provide sophisticated information about physical phenomena. The simple and straight-forward procedure of the suggested technique is the preferable point and thus can be used to solve other nonlinear fractional problems.
Oral Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Role of Non-Invasive Surrogate Markers of Disease Activity
Authors: Ribaldone Davide Giuseppe , Brigo Selvaggia , Mangia Michela , Saracco Giorgio Maria , Astegiano Marco , Pellicano Rinaldo
Published: June 2020

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), can be associated with several extra-intestinal manifestations requiring a multidisciplinary management both in terms of work-up and therapy. Oral lesions are common in patients with IBD, with a prevalence ranging from 5% to 50%. These can represent an oral location of IBD as well as a side-effect of drugs used to treat the intestinal disease. Oral manifestations, occurring in patients with IBD, can be divided in nonmalignant, specific, and non-specific ones, and malignant lesions. While there is undoubtedly a need to search for an IBD in patients with oral lesions associated with intestinal symptoms, the work-up of those with an exclusive oral lesion should be personalized. Fecal calprotectin is a non-invasive marker of intestinal inflammation and may be used to select which patients need to undergo endoscopic examination, thereby avoiding unnecessary investigations. The pharmacological armamentarium to treat oral lesions associated with IBD includes topical or systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, and biologic drugs.
Allelopathic Potential of Rice and Identification of Published Allelochemicals by Cloud-Based Metabolomics Platform
Authors: Ho Thi L. , Nguyen Tu T. C. , Vu Danh C. , Nguyen Nhu Y. , Nguyen Trang T. T. , Phong Trieu N. H. , Nguyen Cuong T. , Lin Chung-Ho , Lei Zhentian , Sumner Lloyd W. , Le Vang V.
Published: June 2020

The methanol extracts of nine popular cultivated Vietnamese rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.cv. OM 2395, 5451, 6976, 380, 5930, 4498, 3536, N406, and 7347) were used to explore their allelopathic potential on barnyardgrass (Echinochola crus-galli L.). At 0.1 g mL−1, OM 5930, OM 4498, and OM 6976 correlatively possessed greatest phytotoxicity on barnyardgrass shoot (98.77%, 90.75%, and 87.17%) and root (99.39%, 92.83%, and 86.56%) growth. The following study aimed to detect previously-known allelochemicals in those rice using XCMS online cloud-based metabolomics platform. Twenty allelochemicals were semi-quantified and seven of them were detected predominantly and five was putatively confirmed in OM 5930 (mg/ 100g fresh rice) as salicylic acid (5.0076), vanillic acid (0.1246), p-coumaric acid (0.1590), 2,4-dimethoxybenzoic acid (0.1045), and cinnamic acid (3.3230). These compounds were active at concentrations greater than 0.5 mM and the average EC50 were 1.24 mM. The results indicated that OM 5930 may use as promising candidates in weed biological control for rice production.
Review of Oxepine-Pyrimidinone-Ketopiperazine Type Nonribosomal Peptides
Authors: Guo Yaojie , Frisvad Jens C. , Larsen Thomas O.
Published: June 2020

Recently, a rare class of nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) bearing a unique Oxepine-Pyrimidinone-Ketopiperazine (OPK) scaffold has been exclusively isolated from fungal sources. Based on the number of rings and conjugation systems on the backbone, it can be further categorized into three types A, B, and C. These compounds have been applied to various bioassays, and some have exhibited promising bioactivities like antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi and transcriptional activation on liver X receptor α. This review summarizes all the research related to natural OPK NRPs, including their biological sources, chemical structures, bioassays, as well as proposed biosynthetic mechanisms from 1988 to March 2020. The taxonomy of the fungal sources and chirality-related issues of these products are also discussed.
Isotopic Tracers Unveil Distinct Fates for Nitrogen Sources during Wine Fermentation with Two Non-Saccharomyces Strains
Authors: Su Ying , Seguinot Pauline , Bloem Audrey , Ortiz-Julien Anne , Heras José María , Guillamón José Manuel , Camarasa Carole
Published: June 2020

Non-Saccharomyces yeast strains have become increasingly prevalent in the food industry, particularly in winemaking, because of their properties of interest both in biological control and in complexifying flavour profiles in end-products. However, unleashing the full potential of these species would require solid knowledge of their physiology and metabolism, which is, however, very limited to date. In this study, a quantitative analysis using 15N-labelled NH4Cl, arginine, and glutamine, and 13C-labelled leucine and valine revealed the specificities of the nitrogen metabolism pattern of two non-Saccharomyces species, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima. In T. delbrueckii, consumed nitrogen sources were mainly directed towards the de novo synthesis of proteinogenic amino acids, at the expense of volatile compounds production. This redistribution pattern was in line with the high biomass-producer phenotype of this species. Conversely, in M. pulcherrima, which displayed weaker growth capacities, a larger proportion of consumed amino acids was catabolised for the production of higher alcohols through the Ehrlich pathway. Overall, this comprehensive overview of nitrogen redistribution in T. delbrueckii and M. pulcherrima provides valuable information for a better management of co- or sequential fermentation combining these species with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Impact of High-Hydrostatic Pressure Treatments Applied Singly or in Combination with Moderate Heat on the Microbial Load, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Bacterial Diversity of Guacamole
Authors: Rodríguez López Javier , Grande Mª. José , Pérez-Pulido Rubén , Galvez Antonio , Lucas Rosario
Published: June 2020

Guacamole is an avocado sauce highly appreciated for its pleasant taste and nutritional value. The present study addressed the impact of high-hydrostatic pressure (HP) treatments on the product safety and bacterial diversity. Four HP treatments, 5 min each, were applied: (A) 450 megapascals (MPa) at 22 °C; (B) 450 MPa at 50 °C; (C) 600 MPa at 22 °C; (D) 600 MPa at 50 °C. Controls and treated samples were refrigerated stored for 50 days. The residual surviving fraction was lowest for the 600 MPa treatment at 50 °C. Bacterial growth on media supplemented with antibiotics (cefotaxime and imipenem) or the biocide benzalkonium chloride was detected only from control samples but not from HP-treated samples. High throughput sequencing analysis indicated that the bacterial diversity of control samples was dominated by members of Fam. Enterobacteriaceae, but it changed to a lactic acid microbiota during storage. HP-treated samples showed reduced relative abundances of Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria and higher abundances of Pantoea, Ralstonia and Methylobacterium. Results from the study indicate that HP treatments of guacamole at 50 °C show higher microbial inactivation compared to 22 °C. However, all treatments reduced the levels of Enterobacteriaceae and penem-tolerant bacteria and provided product stability against acidification by lactic acid bacteria.
In Vivo Wound Healing and In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity Evaluation of Phlomis russeliana Extract Gel Formulations
Authors: Okur Mehmet Evren , Karadağ Ayşe Esra , Üstündağ Okur Neslihan , Özhan Yağmur , Sipahi Hande , Ayla Şule , Daylan Benay , Demirci Betül , Demirci Fatih
Published: June 2020

The air-dried aerial parts of Phlomis russeliana (Sims) Lag. Ex Benth. was extracted by methanol and fractionated by n-hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate, respectively. The wound healing properties of P. russeliana extract gel was evaluated using the in vivo excisional wound model using Balb-c mice. Initially, the P. russeliana methanol extract showed LOX inhibitory activity at IC50 = 23.2 µg/mL, whereas the DPPH• assay showed IC50 = 0.89 mg/mL, and the ABTS• assay showed IC50 = 0.99 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, a remarkable anti-inflammatory activity was observed in the cell culture assay. Thereafter, activity-guided fractionation was performed by LOX enzyme inhibition assays, and the structures of the two most active fractions were revealed by both GC–FID and GC/MS analyses, simultaneously. Phytol and 1-heptadecanoic acid were characterized as the active constituents. Moreover, the P. russeliana extract gel formulation was applied for in vivo tests, where the new gel formulation supported the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity findings. As a conclusion, this experimental results support the wound healing evidence based on the ethnobotanical application of Phlomis species with further potential.
Conversion of the Propane–Butane Fraction into Arenes on MFI Zeolites Modified by Zinc Oxide and Activated by Low-Temperature Plasma
Authors: Erofeev Vladimir I. , Dzhalilova Sofiya N. , Erofeev Mikhail V. , Ripenko Vasilii S. , Reschetilowski Vladimir P.
Published: June 2020

The effect of modification of MFI zeolite 1–5 wt.% ZnO activated by plasma on acid and catalytic properties in the conversion of the propane–butane fraction into arenes was investigated. The high-silica zeolites with silicate module 45 were synthesized from alkaline alumina–silica gels in the presence of an ‘X-oil’ organic structure-forming additive. The modification of the zeolite with zinc was carried out by impregnating the zeolite granules in the H-form with an aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2. The obtained zeolites were characterized by X-ray phase analysis and IR spectroscopy. It is shown that the synthesized zeolites belong to the high-silica MFI zeolites. The study of microporous zeolite-containing catalysts during the conversion of C3-C4 alkanes to aromatic hydrocarbons made it possible to establish that the highest yield of aromatic hydrocarbons is observed on zeolite catalysts modified with 1 and 3% ZnO and amount to 63.7 and 64.4% at 600 °C, respectively, which is 7.7–8.4% more than on the original zeolite. The preliminary activation of microporous zeolites modified with 1–5% ZnO and plasma leads to an increase in the yield of aromatic hydrocarbons from the propane–butane fraction; the maximum yield of arenes is observed in zeolite catalysts modified with 1 and 3% ZnO and activated by plasma, amounting to 64.9 and 65.5% at 600 °C, respectively, which is 8.9–9.5% more than on the initial zeolite. The activity of the zeolite catalysts modified by ZnO and activated by plasma show good agreement with their acid properties. Activation of the zeolites modified by 1 and 3% ZnO and plasma leads to an increase in the concentration of the weak acid sites of the catalyst to 707 and 764 mmol/g in comparison with plasma-inactivated 1 and 3% ZnO/ZKE-XM catalysts at 626 and 572 mmol/g, respectively.
Effect of Addition of Pectins from Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) on Vitamin C Production during Heterolactic Fermentation
Authors: Fazio Alessia , La Torre Chiara , Caroleo Maria Cristina , Caputo Paolino , Cannataro Roberto , Plastina Pierluigi , Cione Erika
Published: June 2020

Soluble fibers, including pectins from apple and lemon, are commonly used as prebiotic and to prepare functional foods. The present study aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional properties of pectins extracted from jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.). Pectins were extracted from jujubes at three stages of harvesting and characterized by FTIR and SEM analyses. Whole milk inoculated with kefir grains was supplemented by 0.25 mg·mL−1 of pectins. The pH value and vitamin C content were evaluated after 24 and 48 h of fermentation. Pectins from jujubes at the first harvesting stage (PJ1K) showed the lowest methoxylation degree. The addition of pectins enhanced the production of vitamin C during heterolactic process. This result was found to depend on jujube harvesting stage as PJ1K stimulated the growth of yeasts in kefir grains yielding to the highest amount of vitamin C (0.83 ± 0.01 µg·mL−1) compared to other samples (0.53–0.60 µg·mL−1) at 24 h. Lactic acid bacteria diminish pH rapidly with respect to control (4.13 ± 0.05), according to the stage of maturation, reducing its initial value by 38.3% in PJ1K. Besides being an excellent prebiotic, pectins from jujubes could be used to enrich kefir with vitamin C.
Pharmacokinetic Properties of 68Ga-labelled Folic Acid Conjugates: Improvement Using HEHE Tag
Authors: Larenkov Anton , Rakhimov Marat , Lunyova Kristina , Klementyeva Olga , Maruk Alesya , Machulkin Aleksei
Published: June 2020

The folate receptor (FR) is a promising cell membrane-associated target for molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy of cancer (FR-α) and potentially also inflammatory diseases (FR-β) through use of folic acid-based radioconjugate. FR is often overexpressed by cells of epithelial tumors, including tumors of ovary, cervix, endometrium, lungs, kidneys, etc. In healthy tissues, FR can be found in small numbers by the epithelial cells, mainly in the kidneys. Extremely high undesired accumulation of the folate radioconjugates in the renal tissue is a main drawback of FR-targeting concept. In the course of this work, we aimed to reduce the undesirable accumulation of folate radioconjugates in the kidneys by introducing a histidine/glutamic acid tag into their structure. Two folic acid based compounds were synthesized: NODAGA-1,4-butanediamine-folic acid (FA-I, as control) and NODAGA-[Lys-(HE)2]-folic acid (FA-II) which contains a (His-Glu)2 fragment. In vitro studies with FR (+) cells (KB and others) showed that both compounds have specificity for FR. Introduction of (HE)2-tag does not affect FR binding ability of the conjugates. In vivo biodistribution studies with normal laboratory animals, as well as with KB tumor bearing animals, were carried out. The results showed that introduction of the (HE)2 tag into the structure of folate radioconjugates can significantly reduce the accumulation of these compounds in non-target tissues and important organs (the accumulation in the kidneys is reduced 2–4 times), leaving the accumulation in tumor at least at the same level, and even increasing it.
Editorial for the Special Issue on Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy in Materials Chemistry
Authors: Edén Mattias
Published: June 2020

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has, over the past few decades, emerged as the most powerful spectroscopic technique for studying molecular structure across a sub-nanometer scale, as well as for probing molecular dynamics over widely spanning timescales (ns to s) [...]
Erratum: Moreira, J., et al., Spin-Coated Polysaccharide-Based Multilayered Freestanding Films with Adhesive and Bioactive Moieties. Molecules 2020, 25, 840
Authors: Moreira Joana , Vale Ana C. , Pires Ricardo A. , Botelho Gabriela , Reis Rui L. , Alves Natália M.
Published: June 2020

The authors wish to make changes to the published paper [...]
Chiral Lanthanide Complexes with l- and d-Alanine: An X-ray and Vibrational Circular Dichroism Study
Authors: Lyczko Krzysztof , Rode Joanna E. , Dobrowolski Jan Cz.
Published: June 2020

A whole series of [Ln(H2O)4(Ala)2]26+ dimeric cationic lanthanide complexes with both l- and d-alanine enantiomers was synthesized. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 100 and 292 K shows the formation of two types of dimers (I and II) in crystals. Between the dimer centers, the alanine molecules behave as bridging (μ2-O,O’-) and chelating bridging (μ2-O,O,O’-) ligands. The first type of bridge is present in dimers I, while both bridge forms can be observed in dimers II. The IR and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of all l- and d-alanine complexes were registered in the 1750–1250 cm−1 range as KBr pellets. Despite all the studied complexes are exhibiting similar crystal structures, the spectra reveal correlations or trends with the Ln–O1 distances which exemplify the lanthanide contraction effect in the IR spectra. This is especially true for the positions and intensities of some IR bands. Unexpectedly, the ν(C=O) VCD bands are quite intense and their composed shapes reveal the inequivalence of the C=O vibrators in the unit cell which vary with the lanthanide. Unlike in the IR spectra, the ν(C=O) VCD band positions are only weakly correlated with the change of Ln and the VCD intensities at most show some trends. Nevertheless, this is the first observation of the lanthanide contraction effect in the VCD spectra. Generally, for the heavier lanthanides (Ln: Dy–Lu), the VCD band maxima are very close to each other and the mirror reflection of the band of two enantiomers is usually better than that of the lighter Lns. DFT calculations show that the higher the multiplicity the higher the stability of the system. Actually, the molecular geometry in crystals (at 100 K) is well predicted based on the highest-spin structures. Also, the simulated IR and VCD spectra strongly depend on the Ln electron configuration but the best overall agreement was reached for the Lu complex, which is the only system with a fully filled f-shell.
Immobilization of Naringinase from Aspergillus Niger on a Magnetic Polysaccharide Carrier
Authors: Bodakowska-Boczniewicz Joanna , Garncarek Zbigniew
Published: June 2020

Naringinase is an enzymatic complex used in the deglycosylation of compounds with a high application potential in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of the study was to immobilize naringinase from Aspergillus niger KMS on a magnetic carrier obtained on the basis of carob gum activated by polyethyleneimine. Response surface methodology was used to optimize naringinase immobilization taking into account the following factors: pH, immobilization time, initial concentration of naringinase and immobilization temperature. The adsorption of the enzyme on a magnetic carrier was a reversible process. The binding force of naringinase was increased by crosslinking the enzyme with the carrier using dextran aldehyde. The crosslinked enzyme had better stability in an acidic environment and at a higher temperature compared to the free form. The immobilization and stabilization of naringinase by dextran aldehyde on the magnetic polysaccharide carrier lowered the activation energy, thus increasing the catalytic capacity of the investigated enzyme and increasing the activation energy of the thermal deactivation process, which confirms higher stability of the immobilized enzyme in comparison with free naringinase. The preparation of crosslinked naringinase retained over 80% of its initial activity after 10 runs of naringin hydrolysis from fresh and model grapefruit juice.
Molecular Identification, Characterization, and Expression Analysis of a Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor (GnRH-R) in Pacific Abalone, Haliotis discus hannai
Authors: Sharker Md. Rajib , Sukhan Zahid Parvez , Kim Soo Cheol , Lee Won Kyo , Kho Kang Hee
Published: June 2020

A full-length cDNA sequence encoding a GnRH receptor was cloned from the pleuropedal ganglion of the Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. The cloned sequence is 1499-bp in length encoding a protein of 460 amino acid residues, with a molecular mass of 52.22 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 9.57. The architecture of HdhGnRH-R gene exhibited key features of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including seven membrane spanning domains, putative N-linked glycosylation motifs, and phosphorylation sites of serine and threonine residues. It shared 63%, 52%, and 30% sequence identities with Octopus vulgaris, Limulus polyphemus, and Mizuhopecten yessoensis GnRH-R II sequences, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that HdhGnRH-R gene was clustered with GnRH-R II of O. vulgaris and O. bimaculoides. qPCR assay demonstrated that the mRNA expression level of this receptor was significantly higher in the pleuropedal ganglion than that in any other examined tissue. Transcriptional activities of this gene in gonadal tissues were significantly higher in the ripening stage. The mRNA expression of this gene was significantly higher in pleuropedal ganglion, testis, and ovary at higher effective accumulative temperature (1000 °C). In situ hybridization revealed that HdhGnRH-R mRNA was expressed in neurosecretory cells of pleuropedal ganglion. Our results suggest that HdhGnRH-R gene synthesized in the neural ganglia might be involved in the control of gonadal maturation and gametogenesis of H. discus hannai. This is the first report of GnRH-R in H. discus hannai and the results may contribute to further studies of GPCRs evolution or may useful for the development of aquaculture method of this abalone species.
Dehydrozingerone, a Curcumin Analog, as a Potential Anti-Prostate Cancer Inhibitor In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Mapoung Sariya , Suzuki Shugo , Fuji Satoshi , Naiki-Ito Aya , Kato Hiroyuki , Yodkeeree Supachai , Sakorn Natee , Ovatlarnporn Chitchamai , Takahashi Satoru , Limtrakul (Dejkriengkraikul) Pornngarm
Published: June 2020

Curcumin (Cur) exhibits biological activities that support its candidacy for cancer treatment. However, there are limitations to its pharmacological effects, such as poor solubility and bioavailability. Notably, the use of Cur analogs has potential for addressing these limitations. Dehydrozingerone (DZG) is a representative of the half-chemical structure of Cur, and many reports have indicated that it is anticancer in vitro. We, therefore, have hypothesized that DZG could inhibit prostate cancer progression both in vitro and in vivo. Results revealed that DZG decreased cell proliferation of rat castration-resistant prostate cancer, PLS10 cells, via induction of the cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase in vitro. In the PLS10 xenograft model, DZG significantly decreased the growth of subcutaneous tumors when compared to the control via the inhibition of cell proliferation and angiogenesis. To prove that DZG could improve the limitations of Cur, an in vivo pharmacokinetic was determined. DZG was detected in the serum at higher concentrations and remained up to 3 h after intraperitoneal injections, which was longer than Cur. DZG also showed superior in vivo tissue distribution than Cur. The results suggest that DZG could be a candidate of the Cur analog that can potentially exert anticancer capabilities in vivo and thereby improve its bioavailability.
Comparison of the Physical and Sensory Properties of Hybrid Citrus Fruit Jaffa® Sweetie in Relation to the Parent Fruits
Authors: Lubinska-Szczygeł Martyna , Polkowska Żaneta , Dymerski Tomasz , Gorinstein Shela
Published: June 2020

In the presented study, an overall Jaffa sweetie evaluation was made to find a correlation between Citrus grandis Osbeck × Citrus paradisi Macf. and its parent fruits’ (Citrus grandis Osbeck, Citrus paradisi Macf.) properties. Based on the sensory analysis, it was found that the taste and aroma of the new hybrid fruit are close to pummelo. By the use of chromatographic analysis, the selected monoterpenes present in the fruits were quantified. α-terpineol was typed as the main monoterpene compound in the headspace of sweetie and grapefruit, with the concentrations: 20.96 and 87.9 μg/g, respectively. In turn, γ-terpinene was chosen as the most important monoterpene determining the flavor of sweetie fruit. Based on two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC-TOF-MS) and principal component analysis (PCA) of the data, several volatile compounds were associated with analyzed fruits’ aroma. Jaffa Sweetie is the hybrid fruit with sensory properties similar to pummelo with a higher content of monoterpenes, which improves its health benefits compared to the parent fruit. The research presents an instrumental method for assessing the aroma properties of the fruit as a reference method for sensory analysis, commonly used in the industry.
Yeast Telomerase RNA Flexibly Scaffolds Protein Subunits: Results and Repercussions
Authors: Zappulla David C.
Published: June 2020

It is said that “hindsight is 20-20,” so, given the current year, it is an opportune time to review and learn from experiences studying long noncoding RNAs. Investigation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase RNA, TLC1, has unveiled striking flexibility in terms of both structural and functional features. Results support the “flexible scaffold” hypothesis for this 1157-nt telomerase RNA. This model describes TLC1 acting as a tether for holoenzyme protein subunits, and it also may apply to a plethora of RNAs beyond telomerase, such as types of lncRNAs. In this short perspective review, I summarize findings from studying the large yeast telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex in the hope that this hindsight will sharpen foresight as so many of us seek to mechanistically understand noncoding RNA molecules from vast transcriptomes.
Supramolecular Peptide Assemblies as Antimicrobial Scaffolds
Authors: Simonson Andrew W. , Aronson Matthew R. , Medina Scott H.
Published: June 2020

Antimicrobial discovery in the age of antibiotic resistance has demanded the prioritization of non-conventional therapies that act on new targets or employ novel mechanisms. Among these, supramolecular antimicrobial peptide assemblies have emerged as attractive therapeutic platforms, operating as both the bactericidal agent and delivery vector for combinatorial antibiotics. Leveraging their programmable inter- and intra-molecular interactions, peptides can be engineered to form higher ordered monolithic or co-assembled structures, including nano-fibers, -nets, and -tubes, where their unique bifunctionalities often emerge from the supramolecular state. Further advancements have included the formation of macroscopic hydrogels that act as bioresponsive, bactericidal materials. This systematic review covers recent advances in the development of supramolecular antimicrobial peptide technologies and discusses their potential impact on future drug discovery efforts.
Formation and Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Homo-PP and Co-PP Resins during Manufacturing Process and Accelerated Photoaging Degradation
Authors: Kang Peng , Wu Peng , Jin Yan , Shi Shengpeng , Gao Dali , Chen Guangxin , Li Qifang
Published: June 2020

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polypropylene (PP) seriously restricts the application of PP in an automotive field. Herein, the traceability of VOCs from PP resins during manufacturing process and accelerated photoaging degradation was clarified on basis of an accurate characterization method of key VOCs. The influence of PP structures on changing the accelerated photoaging degradation on the VOCs was systematic. The VOCs were identified by means of Gas chromatography (GC) coupled with both a hydrogen flame ion detector (FID) and a mass spectrometry detector (MSD). Results showed that both the molecular structure of PP and the manufacturing process affected the species and contents of VOCs. In addition, the photoaging degradation of PP resulted in a large number of new emerged volatile carbonyl compounds. Our work proposed a possible VOC formation mechanism during the manufacturing and photoaging process. VOCs from PP resins were originated from oligomers and chain random scission during thermomechanical degradation. However, β scission of alkoxy radical and Norrish tape I reactions of ketones via intermediate transition were probably the main VOCs formation routes towards PP during photoaging degradation. This work could provide scientific knowledge on both the accurate traceability of VOCs emissions and new technology for development of low-VOCs PP composites for vehicle.
Anticancer Activity of Pyrimethamine via Ubiquitin Mediated Degradation of AIMP2-DX2
Authors: Kim Dae Gyu , Park Chul Min , Huddar Srigouri , Lim Semi , Kim Sunghoon , Lee Sunkyung
Published: June 2020

While aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional protein 2 (AIMP2) is a tumor suppressor, its exon 2-depleted splice variant (AIMP2-DX2 or shortly DX2) is highly expressed in human lung cancer, and the ratio of DX2 to AIMP2 increases according to the progression of lung cancer. In this study, pyrimethamine inhibited the level of DX2 (IC50 = 0.73 µM) in A549 cells expressing nanoluciferase-tagged DX2. In a panel of 5 lung cancer cell lines with various DX2 levels, pyrimethamine most potently suppressed the growth of H460 cells, which express high levels of DX2 (GI50 = 0.01 µM). An immunoblot assay in H460 cells showed that pyrimethamine decreased the DX2 level dose-dependently but did not affect the AIMP2 level. Further experiments confirmed that pyrimethamine resulted in ubiquitination-mediated DX2 degradation. In an in vivo mouse xenograft assay using H460 cells, intraperitoneal administration of pyrimethamine significantly reduced the tumor size and weight, comparable with the effects of taxol, without affecting body weight. Analysis of tumor tissue showed a considerably high concentration of pyrimethamine with a decreased levels of DX2. These results suggest that pyrimethamine, currently used as anti-parasite drug, could be repurposed to treat lung cancer patients expressing high level of DX2.
Discovery of Anti-Amoebic Inhibitors from Screening the MMV Pandemic Response Box on Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Acanthamoeba castellanii
Authors: Rice Christopher A. , Troth Emma V. , Russell A. Cassiopeia , Kyle Dennis E.
Published: June 2020

Pathogenic free-living amoebae, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and several Acanthamoeba species are the etiological agents of severe brain diseases, with case mortality rates > 90%. A number of constraints including misdiagnosis and partially effective treatments lead to these high fatality rates. The unmet medical need is for rapidly acting, highly potent new drugs to reduce these alarming mortality rates. Herein, we report the discovery of new drugs as potential anti-amoebic agents. We used the CellTiter-Glo 2.0 high-throughput screening methods to screen the Medicines for Malaria Ventures (MMV) Pandemic Response Box in a search for new active chemical scaffolds. Initially, we screened the library as a single-point assay at 10 and 1 µM. From these data, we reconfirmed hits by conducting quantitative dose–response assays and identified 12 hits against B. mandrillaris, 29 against N. fowleri, and 14 against A. castellanii ranging from nanomolar to low micromolar potency. We further describe 11 novel molecules with activity against B. mandrillaris, 22 against N. fowleri, and 9 against A. castellanii. These structures serve as a starting point for medicinal chemistry studies and demonstrate the utility of phenotypic screening for drug discovery to treat diseases caused by free-living amoebae.
Effects of Rhizome Length and Planting Depth on the Emergence and Growth of Alepidea amatymbica Eckl. & Zeyh
Authors: Mangoale Ramatsobane Maureen , Afolayan Anthony Jide
Published: June 2020

Alepidea amatymbica is used as a herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases. As a result of its high medicinal value, this plant is being overexploited by herbal traders with little attention being paid to its conservation, which could lead to its extinction. Cultivation of Alepidea amatymbica was conducted to determine the appropriate planting depth and rhizome fragment length for the growth of this plant. The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with two factors in a 6 × 3 factorial design. There were six levels of fragment length (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 cm) and three levels of burial depth (2.5, 5 and 7.5 cm). Emergence rate, number of leaves, leaf area, and plant height, number of florets, rhizome length gain, rhizome weight gain, shoot moisture, and rhizome moisture were measured as growth parameters. The best overall yield in terms of plant height, shoot emergence, rhizome weight gain, number of florets and number of leaves was observed in 7.5 cm planting depth at 6 cm rhizome length. Four- centimetre rhizome length had the highest leaf area of 111.9 ± 3.5 cm2, 101.3 ± 3.5 cm2, 105 ± 3.5 cm2 at 2.5, 5, 7.5 cm planting depth respectively. Shorter fragment lengths showed high potential for vegetative propagation in terms of rhizome length gain at all burial depths. These results suggest that A. amatymbica can regenerate from buried rhizomes and they may contribute to the establishment of a protocol for propagation that could help in conservation of this plant to avoid its extinction
Allelopathic Effects of Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata Sch. Bip. on the Tuber Sprouting and Seedling Growth of Cyperus rotundus L.
Authors: Hsueh Ming-Tung , Fan Chihhao , Chang Wen-Lian
Published: June 2020

Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata Sch. Bip. (BPr) had been found capable of excluding Cyperus rotundus L. (CR) from its vegetation in fallow fields. Both allelopathy and competition of BPr were able to limit the growth of CR, but this has not been extensively investigated. To verify the two effects of BPr on CR management, density-dependent experiments and interspecies competitions with the application of activated carbon were conducted. The effects of BPr soil and its residues on the reproduction of CR were also evaluated. The results showed that the residues of BPr reduced the growth (54–61% of control) and tuber number (58–71% of control) of CR in the 3 plants pot−1 treatment but not in higher density treatments. In the interspecies competition, BPr exhibited an allelopathic but not competitive effect on CR when activated carbon was absent. CR tuber sprouting was significantly suppressed when sowed in the BPr soil. Likewise, BPr residue mulch inhibited the CR plant density by 87% as compared to natural-occurring CR residue mulch in the field. This study revealed that BPr might have potential for use as a cover plant and allelopathic mulch to control CR in the agroecosystem.
Phytochemical Profile and Pharmacological Activities of Water and Hydroethanolic Dry Extracts of Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull. Herb
Authors: Starchenko Galyna , Hrytsyk Andriy , Raal Ain , Koshovyi Oleh
Published: June 2020

According to the WHO data (2017), depression is the most predominant disease worldwide, with about 300 million people suffering from it, and bipolar disorder is the second most common. Therefore, it is relevant to research new medicines based on medicinal herbal raw materials with anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. Common heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull.), a flowering plant of the Ericaceae family, is a promising species for research in this area. The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical profile and several biological activities of hydroethanolic dry extracts from the C. vulgaris herb. Nineteen phenolic substances were identified and quantified in the extracts by HPLC. The quantitative content of the basic groups of biologically active compounds was determined by spectrophotometry. Arbutin was dominant among the hydroquinone derivatives; chlorogenic acid among the hydroxycinnamic acids; rutin, hyperoside and quercetin-3-D-glucoside among the flavonoids; and (+)-gallocatechin and (-)-epigallocatechin among the tannin metabolites. The water and hydroethanolic extract were compared, the extract of C. vulgaris herb obtained with 70% hydroethanolic had the most pronounced anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anxiolytic, stress-protective, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects, and it is a promising substance for the development of new drugs or food supplements.
Comparative Plastomics of Ashwagandha (Withania, Solanaceae) and Identification of Mutational Hotspots for Barcoding Medicinal Plants
Authors: Mehmood Furrukh , Abdullah  , Ubaid Zartasha , Bao Yiming , Poczai Peter , Mirza Bushra
Published: June 2020

Within the family Solanaceae, Withania is a small genus belonging to the Solanoideae subfamily. Here, we report the de novo assembled chloroplast genome sequences of W. coagulans, W. adpressa, and W. riebeckii. The length of these genomes ranged from 154,162 to 154,364 base pairs (bp). These genomes contained a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) ranging from 25,029 to 25,071 bp that were separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,635–85,765 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,457–18,469 bp. We analyzed the structural organization, gene content and order, guanine-cytosine content, codon usage, RNA-editing sites, microsatellites, oligonucleotide and tandem repeats, and substitutions of Withania plastomes, which revealed high similarities among the species. Comparative analysis among the Withania species also highlighted 10 divergent hotspots that could potentially be used for molecular marker development, phylogenetic analysis, and species identification. Furthermore, our analyses showed that even three mutational hotspots (rps4-trnT, trnM-atpE, and rps15) were sufficient to discriminate the Withania species included in current study.
A Survey of Trunk Disease Pathogens within Citrus Trees in Iran
Authors: Espargham Nahid , Mohammadi Hamid , Gramaje David
Published: June 2020

Citrus trees with cankers and dieback symptoms were observed in Bushehr (Bushehr province, Iran). Isolations were made from diseased cankers and branches. Recovered fungal isolates were identified using cultural and morphological characteristics, as well as comparisons of DNA sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer region, translation elongation factor 1α, β-tubulin, and actin gene regions. Dothiorella viticola, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Neoscytalidium hyalinum, Phaeoacremonium (P.) parasiticum, P. italicum, P. iranianum, P. rubrigenum, P. minimum, P. croatiense, P. fraxinopensylvanicum, Phaeoacremonium sp., Cadophora luteo-olivacea, Biscogniauxia (B.) mediterranea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. boninense, Peyronellaea (Pa.) pinodella, Stilbocrea (S.) walteri, and several isolates of Phoma, Pestalotiopsis, and Fusarium species were obtained from diseased trees. The pathogenicity tests were conducted by artificial inoculation of excised shoots of healthy acid lime trees (Citrus aurantifolia) under controlled conditions. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was the most virulent and caused the longest lesions within 40 days of inoculation. According to literature reviews, this is the first report of L. theobromae and N. hyalinum on citrus in Iran. Additionally, we report several Phaeoacremonium species, S. walteri, Pa. pinodella and C. luteo-olivacea on citrus trees for the first time in the world.
Air-Forced Flow in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Calculation of Fan-Induced Friction in Open-Cathode Conduits with Virtual Roughness
Authors: Brkić Dejan , Praks Pavel
Published: June 2020

Measurements of pressure drop during experiments with fan-induced air flow in the open-cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) show that flow friction in its open-cathode side follows logarithmic law similar to Colebrook’s model for flow through pipes. The stable symbolic regression model for both laminar and turbulent flow presented in this article correlates air flow and pressure drop as a function of the variable flow friction factor which further depends on the Reynolds number and the virtual roughness. To follow the measured data, virtual inner roughness related to the mesh of conduits of fuel cell used in the mentioned experiment is 0.03086, whereas for pipes, real physical roughness of their inner pipe surface goes practically from 0 to 0.05. Numerical experiments indicate that the novel approximation of the Wright-ω function reduced the computational time from half of a minute to fragments of a second. The relative error of the estimated friction flow factor is less than 0.5%.
Adaptive Control Strategy of Energy Storage System Participating in Primary Frequency Regulation
Authors: Fang Chaoxiong , Tang Yuchen , Ye Rong , Lin Zhangsui , Zhu Zhenshan , Wen Buying , Ye Chengtao
Published: June 2020

In order to solve the capacity shortage problem in power system frequency regulation caused by large-scale integration of renewable energy, the battery energy storage-assisted frequency regulation is introduced. In this paper, an adaptive control strategy for primary frequency regulation of the energy storage system (ESS) was proposed. The control strategy combined virtual droop control, virtual inertial control, and virtual negative inertial control. The virtual inertial control was used to reduce the frequency change rate, and the virtual droop control was used to reduce the steady-state frequency deviation. The virtual droop control and the virtual inertia control were adopted in the frequency deterioration stage to slow down the frequency drop. While in the frequency recovery stage, the virtual negative inertia control worked together with the virtual droop control to accelerate the frequency recovery. Besides, the coefficients of the control methods were related to the state of charge (SOC) of ESS to avoid over-charging and over-discharging of the battery. Finally, a simulation model was built in MATLAB/SIMULINK, and case studies were conducted to verify the proposed control strategy. Results showed that the proposed method could meet the demand for frequency regulation and was beneficial to the cycle life of ESS.