bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric correction for satellite-derived bathymetry in the Caribbean waters: from a single image to multi-temporal approaches using Sentinel-2A/B
Authors: Caballero Isabel , Stumpf Richard P.
Published: March 2020

Different atmospheric correction (AC) procedures for Sentinel-2 satellites are evaluated for their effectiveness in retrieving consistent satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) over two islands in the Caribbean (Buck and Culebra). The log-ratio method for SDB, which allows use of minimal calibration information from lidar surveys (25 points in this study), is applied to several Sentinel-2A/B scenes at 10 m spatial resolution. The overall performance during a one-year study period depends on the image quality and AC. Three AC processors were evaluated: ACOLITE Exponential model (EXP), ACOLITE Dark Spectrum Fitting model (DSF), and C2RCC model. ACOLITE EXP and ACOLITE DSF produce greater consistency and repeatability with accurate results in a scene-by-scene analysis (mean errors ∼1.1 m) for depths up to 23 m (limit of lidar surveys). In contrast, C2RCC produces lower accuracy and noisier results with generally higher (>50%) errors (mean errors ∼2.2 m), but it is able to retrieve depth for scenes in Buck Island that have moderately severe sunglint. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a multi-temporal compositing model for SDB mapping, using ACOLITE for the input scenes, could achieve overall median errors <1 m for depths ranging 0-23 m. The simple and effective compositing model can considerably enhance coastal SDB estimates with high reliability and no missing data, outperforming the traditional single image approaches and thus eliminating the need to evaluate individual scenes. The consistency in the output from the AC correction indicates the potential for automated application of the multi-scene compositing technique, which can apply the open and free Sentinel-2 data set for the benefit of operational and scientific investigations.
Gestaltung und Erprobung einer Virtual-Reality-Anwendung zur Unterstützung des Prototypings in Design-Thinking-Prozessen
Authors: Vogel Jannis , Schuir Julian , Thomas Oliver , Teuteberg Frank
Published: March 2020

Um in zunehmend komplexen und wettbewerbsintensiven Märkten konkurrenzfähig bleiben zu können, muss die Innovationskraft eines Unternehmens sichergestellt werden. Dabei kommt dem Menschen und seiner Kreativität eine zentrale Rolle zu. Design Thinking bietet ein Methodenspektrum, um die Kreativität von Einzelnen in einem gruppendynamischen, benutzerzentrierten Prozess in Innovationen zu überführen. Es kommen insbesondere spielerische Ansätze zur Kreativitätsförderung zum Einsatz, zu denen beispielsweise das Lego-Prototyping gehört. Digitale Unterstützungswerkzeuge sind bisher selten, obwohl sowohl Forschung als auch Praxis die virtuelle Realität aufgrund ihres immersiven Charakters zunehmend als ein Kreativitätsmedium betrachten. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird daher eine Virtual-Reality-Anwendung zur Unterstützung des Prototypings in Design-Thinking-Prozessen als ein Proof of Concept vorgestellt und im Rahmen einer Case-Study evaluiert. Im Ergebnis resultiert eine Virtual-Reality-Umgebung, die einen positiven Effekt auf das Design-Thinking-Prototyping hinsichtlich der Kreativitätsförderung, der Effizienz und der Intuition hat. Hervorgehend aus den Evaluationsergebnissen entstehen Ansätze für eine folgende Iteration sowie Handlungsempfehlungen für die Gestaltung und den Einsatz unternehmensbezogener VR-Anwendungen. Perspektivisch gesehen eröffnen VR-Anwendungen neue Potenziale zur Gestaltung von digitalisierten Arbeitswelten.
PRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE COMPOSITION OF SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE EXTRACTS FROM EXOCARPY CITRUS MEYERI TAN.
Authors: Molokhova Yelena Igorevna , Ponomareva Yekaterina Ivanovna , Kudinov Andrey Viktorovich
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction to obtain essential oils from exocarpy of Meyer lemon in comparison with the pressing method.

The plant material is represented by the exocarpy of Meyer lemon Citrus meyeri Tan., Rutovye family – Rutaceae, collected in the vicinity of Khujand (Republic of Tajikistan), in November 2014. Supercritical carbon dioxide extracts (CO2 extracts) were obtained at the Research Center for Ecological GORO resources (Rostov-on-Don) at the KOERS1 installation. As a comparison, we used the essential oil obtained by direct pressing on hydraulic presses without heating. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the components was carried out by gas chromatography with chromatography-mass spectrometric detection.

As a result of the study, it was found that the optimal parameters of CO2 extraction, which provide the highest content of limonene and γ-terpinene in the extract, are: 50 °С, 16 MPa, and 30 min. A comparative analysis of the content of extract components showed that the yield of limonene during supercritical extraction, compared with traditional technology, increased by 7.5%, the γ-terpinene content was 1.5 times. In addition, significant differences were found in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the essential oil and the CO2 extract of Meyer lemon. In essential oil, the content is higher: α- and β-pinene, p-cumene, geranial, and others. In the CO2 extract, the content is higher: sabinene, α-humulene, β-bisabolene and other low-volatile compounds, with an additional 9 components: α-thuen, terpenolene, geranyl acetate, etc., which indicates the need for an additional pharmacological study of the CO2-extract of Meyer lemon.
CONTENT OF VITAMIN C IN BERRIES OF THE GRAPES CULTIVATED IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE SOUTH OF WESTERN SIBERIA
Authors: Borodulina Irina Dmitriyevna , Vorotyntseva Mariya Vasil'yevna , Makarova Galina Aleksandrovna , Zemtsova Anna Yakovlevna , Sokolova Galina Gennad'yevna
Published: March 2020

Grapes is a highly valuable food product due to the presence in it of a number of biologically active substances, among which vitamins occupy a special place. One of the most important and studied in grapes is vitamin C (ascorbic acid). The ascorbic acid contained in plant tissue participates in redox metabolism, thereby increasing the resistance of plant organisms to infections and low negative temperatures. Studies aimed at determining the concentration of vitamin C in plant material are important both for breeding and for identifying the most sustainable competitive varieties.

The purpose of these studies is to study the content of vitamin C in grapes cultivated in the South of Western Siberia. Conducted research with 12 introduced varieties and selected forms growing in the collection of the Research Institute of horticulture of Siberia M.A. Lisavenko, allowed to establish dependence of accumulation of ascorbic acid in berries on weather conditions; to allocate 5 genotypes with high content of vitamin C. It is noted that the ripening period of berries, their color, as well as the direction of use and ecological and geographical origin of varieties and selected forms did not affect the accumulation of vitamin C in the period 2014–2016.
ACTIVE CARBONS, OBTAINED BY THERMOCHEMICAL ACTIVATION OF RAPE STRAW
Authors: Khviyuzova Kristina Aleksandrovna , Bogdanovich Николай Иванович , Voropayeva Nadezhda Leonidovna , Karpachev Vladimir Vladimirovich
Published: March 2020

The presence of a huge amount of waste of plant origin, including annually renewable, is a high innovative resource for obtaining a variety of useful products of large and small-tonnage chemistry. Processing straw of agricultural crops into activated carbons (AC), which are successfully used in various industries and agriculture, is one of the possible directions of using agricultural waste (AIC) to obtain new functional materials with specific properties. The paper presents studies on the physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of activated carbons based on rape straw and discusses the prospects of their application for solving the most important problems of the agricultural sector. The effect of thermochemical activation temperature (650–750 °С) on the characteristics of the porous structure of adsorbents was studied. The characteristics are calculated on the basis of isotherms of low-temperature (77 K) nitrogen adsorption-desorption. Temperature dependences of the specific surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume were obtained. It was found that KOH promotes surface development and the formation of a porous system in the entire temperature range.
THE STUDY OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS OF THE BERRIES OF THREE SPECIES OF PLANTS OF THE GENUS VACCINIUM, GROWING IN THE KHANTY-MANSI AUTONOMOUS AREA
Authors: Belova Yekaterina Andreyevna , Tritek Vladislav Stanislavovich , Shul'gau Zarina Toktamısovna , Gulyayev Aleksandr Yevgen'yevich , Krivykh Elena Alekseyevna , Kovalenko Lyudmila Vasil'yevna , Drenin Aleksey Anatol'yevich , Botirov Erkin Khozhiakbarovich
Published: March 2020

The chemical composition of polyphenolic compounds of cranberry fruits (Vaccinium oxycoccus L.), blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), growing in the Surgut region of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, was first studied. Fresh berries were extracted five times with an 80% aqueous-alcoholic mixture at room temperature. The obtained extracts were combined, filtered, and the solvent from the filtrate was distilled off under vacuum on a rotary evaporator. The composition of the obtained extracts by HPLC identified 15 glycosides of anthocyanidins, as well as 30 phenolic compounds related to hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, catechins and procyanidins. The phenolic compounds were identified in accordance with the retention times and absorption spectra of the corresponding analytical standards. The main phenolic compound of cranberry berry extract is chlorogenic acid. The increase in the polyphenol content in the series was established: cranberries–lingonberries– blueberries. Our data on the whole in terms of the content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity are comparable with the results of a study of cranberries and blueberries from the Alaska region, not significantly differing in the content of anthocyanins and individual flavones. Significant differences in phenolic components are revealed when comparing our data with data on cranberries and cranberries from the regions of northern and eastern Europe (Poland, Belarus, Norway). The quantitative differences found for individual polyphenols are likely to be related to geographic and local environmental conditions. The high content of polyphenols in the berries we studied suggests the possibility of using them as pharmaceutical raw materials.
RESEARCH OF THE CONTENT OF PHENOLS, FLAVONOIDS, ANTIOXIDANT FORCE, AND ANTI-RADICAL AC-TIVITY OF SALVIA TESQUICOLA SAGE LEAVES (FAMILY CRYSTAL)
Authors: Makarova Nadezhda Viktorovna , Valiulina Dinara Fanisovna , Kirushina Viktoriya Aleksandrovna
Published: March 2020

In the course of the work, the content of phenols, flavonoids, antiradical activity and antioxidant power were studied for extracts of sage leaves of the genus Salvia tesquicola (of the Clear-colored family), obtained by traditional infusion methods and using innovative technologies – microwave radiation and ultrasonic processing. It was found that the highest content of phenols and flavonoids was observed during the treatment of aqueous extracts of sage leaves with ultrasonic radiation for 1.5 hours – 1056 mg (HA)/100 g and 346 mg (K) /100 g, respectively. The highest content of dry substances is observed when treating aqueous extracts of sage leaves with ultrasonic radiation (15.32%). Summarizing the data on the three studied parameters, the solids content, the total content of phenols and flavonoids, we can recommend the use of ultrasonic treatment as a factor that increases the content of the studied substances in extracts of sage leaves Salvia tesquicola.

The lowest antiradical activity was observed in aqueous extracts of sage leaves, obtained at 37 °C for 2 hours (3.6 mg/ml). The maximum value of antioxidant strength according to the FRAP method was revealed when obtaining aqueous extracts of sage leaves using ultrasonic radiation at 37 °C for 1.5 h – 24.30 mmol Fe2+/1 kg of the feedstock. Analysis of the data obtained from all studied parameters in the study of concentrated extracts of sage leaves, showed slight differences compared with those obtained in the study of aqueous extracts of sage leaves, namely: the content of phenols - 347 mg (HA)/100 g, the content of flavonoids – 387 mg (K)/ 100 g, contains Contents solids - 38.52%, antiradical activity - 2.4 mg /ml, the antioxidant power of FRAP method – 9.99 mmol Fe2+/1 kg of feedstock.
STANDARDIZATION OF ESSENTIAL OIL OF NEPETA СATARIA L. (CATNIP OIL)
Authors: Nguyen Tkhi Khay Iyen , Terninko Inna Ivanovna , Polyakova Marina Valeriyevna , Terninko Taisiya Mikhaylovna
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the article was to study and develop approaches to the standardization of the essential oil obtained from the herb of the catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) which was achieved by solving the following tasks: obtaining the essential oil, choosing the parameters of its standardization and normalizing them, studying the component composition and choosing the marker compound followed by quantitative assessment. GC-MS method was used to determine the composition and the major components of the essential oil. The dominant component is nepetalacton (29.74%). Quality indicators (general appearance, transparence, colour, odour, solubility, presence of alcohol, water, foreign esters, fatty oils and resinified essential oil, loss on drying, relative density, optical rotation, refractive index, acid value), which will be further used in the development of regulatory documents (draft monograph for the Pharmacopoeia) on the catnip essential oil have been determined and normalized. The gas chromatography method for quantitative determination of nepetalactone of catnip oil has been developed and validated. The content of nepetalacton in catnip oil, determined by the GC method, was 42.37%. Statistical processing of the obtained results showed that all the validation parameters are within acceptance criteria, therefore, the recommended method can be used in the analytical laboratory to assess the quality of catnip oil.
COMPLEXATION OF APPLE PECTIN, MODIFIED TO PHARMACOPHORE, WITH THE CATIONS MANGANESE (II) IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
Authors: Mudarisova Roza Khanifovna , Sagitova Alina Failovna , Kukovinets Ol'ga Sergeyevna
Published: March 2020

Complex formation in systems containing manganese (II), natural pectin and/or pectin modified by organic pharmacophores (nicotine, salicylic, 5-aminosalicylic, anthranilic acids) was studied by spectral (UV-, IR-, NMR 13C spectroscopy), potentiometric and viscometric methods. Method isomolar series and the molar relationship defined by the molar composition and the range of stability of metal complexes: pectin + nicotinic acid > pectin + acid 5-aminosalicylic > pectin + anthranilic acid > pectin + salicylic acid > native pectin. It is shown that the stability constant of metal complexes is significantly influenced by the reaction temperature and the structure of the pharmacophore. The presence of an amino group in the structure of an aromatic molecule increases the stability of metal complexes by 1.5–2 orders of magnitude. The standard thermodynamic characteristics (∆Hº; ∆Gº; ∆Sº) are calculated, which indicate that the processes of complexation in all cases are enthalpy-entropy favorable (∆Hº<0, ∆Sº>0) and proceed spontaneously (∆Gº<0). The influence of the structure of the drug compound in the polymer ligand on a number of physical and chemical properties of metal complexes was revealed. The data of NMR 13C and IR-spectra allow us to conclude that not only carboxyl groups but also hydroxyl functions of polymer matrices participate in the coordination interaction of pectin and/or pharmacophore-containing pectin with manganese (II) cations.
SWIRL STAGES FOR HEAT AND MASS EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT
Authors: Bogatkova Anastasiya Viktorovna , Frolov Aleksandr Sergeyevich , Zemtsov Denis Andreyevich , Zhukova Ol'ga Petrovna , Voynov Nikolay Aleksandrovich
Published: March 2020

The results of experimental studies of hydrodynamics and mass exchange at vortex stages in bubbling mode are presented, as well as data of numerical simulation by finite element method using models of k-ε This made it possible to establish the presence of circulation movement of liquid at the stage, to determine profiles of phase speeds, to obtain the value of initial speed of gas phase movement, at which coordination of experimental and design values of liquid speed is observed. The design method shows the effect of the cylindrical partition installed between the swirler and the stage wall on the fluid velocity profile and its distribution in the working volume. It is proposed to use the obtained results of numerical modeling when designing multi-element stages to provide the required hydrodynamics on it.

New vortex contact devices with annular channels, having lower hydraulic resistance compared to tangential devices and providing a developed interfacial surface, stable without fluctuations, operation of the stage at high gas and liquid flow rates, have been investigated.

Data are presented for determination of hydraulic resistance of vortex stage, value of interfacial surface, coefficients of mass output and efficiency in investigated range of loads of liquid and gas L/G = 10-150.

Designs of vortex contact stages for industrial brew column have been developed. Contact devices with ring channels allow to bring dissipation of energy in a gas phase in the bubbling and ring mode to 5 W/kg, to increase an interphase surface to 2000 m-1 and to reach the size of superficial coefficient of a massotdacha about (0.5-0.8)·10-3 of m/s.
INVESTIGATION OF THE PROCESS OF GELATION OF GALACTOMANNAN ISOLATED FROM THE SEEDS OF STYPHNOLOBIUM JAPONICUM (FABACEAE)
Authors: Filatova Al'bina Vasil'yevna , Azimova Luiza Bakhtiyarovna , Turaev Abbaskhan Sabirkhanovich
Published: March 2020

This article is devoted to the study of the structuring of galactomannan isolated from Sophora japonica with borate ions. Based on the galactomannan isolated from the seeds of Sophora japonica (lat. Styphnolobium japonicum), a basis for a soft dosage form has been developed. It has been suggested that the network structures of gel systems are formed due to the formation of bridge bonds between the functional groups of the galactomannan and boron ions. Studied the rheological properties of the resulting jelly. The study of the process of gelation of galactomannan showed that the dynamic viscosity depends on the pH, the concentration of the crosslinking agent and the concentration of the solution of galactomannan. The gel was plasticized and it was assumed that the presence of glycerol destroys chemical crosslinking, due to the formation of a complex compound with sodium tetraborate. A soft dosage form has been developed with the addition of 10% propylene glycol as a plasticizer and a preservative solution – 0.1%. As a result of further research developed soft dosage forms revealed that after 6–12 months of storage in vivo at a temperature of +20±5 °C, the studied gel remained stable. These studies made it possible to apply the studied gel in medicine as the basis for a soft dosage form.
STREPTOMYCES AVERMITILIS: COMPONENT COMPOSITION, PROPERTIES
Authors: Brovko Ol'ga Stepanovna , Zhil'tsov Dmitriy Vladimirovich , Ivakhnov Artem Dmitriyevich , Bogdanov Mikhail Vladislavovich
Published: March 2020

The component composition of S. avermitilis biomass was studied, including avermectin, lipids, proteins, and a polysaccharide complex (murein). It was established that the composition of lipids of S. avermitilis contains predominantly saturated fatty acids – 86%, the content of monounsaturated (palmitic and vaccine) and polyunsaturated (linoleic and α-linolenic) fatty acids is the same and is about 7%. It should be noted the presence of a significant amount of branched chain fatty acids (isoforms) – more than 70% of the total amount of fatty acids. A technique has been developed for isolating the polysaccharide complex from S. avermitilis biomass. Using IR spectroscopy, it was found that the S. avermitilis polysaccharide complex, as well as the chitin-glucan complex isolated from the thallus of the epigeneic lichen of the species Cladonia rangiferina, is built from chitin units – β-N-acetylglucosamine. It was shown that the polysaccharide complex (murein) has a polyampholytic nature and has high sorption properties with respect to the main (methylene blue) and acid (Congo red) dyes. It was also established that the sorption capacity with respect to the dyes under study for the polysaccharide complex S. avermitilis is 2.8–7.6 times higher than for the chitin – glucan complex Cladonia rangiferina. This indicates a significantly higher content of active functional groups (sorption centers) in the murein structure, which allows us to recommend it for use as an effective sorbent (enterosorbent).
THE CONTENT OF CAROTINOIDS IN FRUITS OF SOME REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SORBUS L. GENUS AT THE INTRODUCTION
Authors: Abdullina Rimma Galimzyanovna , Denisova Svetlana Galimullovna , Pupykina Kira Aleksandrovna , Shigapov Zinnur Khaidarovich
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study was to determine the content of carotenoids in the fruits of some representatives of Sorbus genus from the collection of the South Ural Botanical Garden-Institute. For the quantitative analysis, the fruits of the rowan trees were collected in the phase of full ripening and dried to an air-dry state. Sorbus aucuparia L. was used as an object of comparison as the official pharmacopoeias species. Qualitative detection of carotenoids was performed by thin layer chromatography, quantitative determination - spectrophotometrically.It was found that the highest content of carotenoids is characterized by a sort of hybrid origin × Crataegosorbus miczurinii “Garnet” – 46.41 mg/% and a natural hybrid Sorbocotoneaster pozdnijkovii – 42.64 mg /%. The minimum content of this group of substances is noted in the raw material of Sorbus frutescens (0.86 mg/%) with white fruits. This fact is confirmed by the presence of plant pigments – carotenoids, in fruits that have a yellow-orange-red color. The local Sorbus aucuparia had a low carotenoid content (11.24 mg/%).The study, with a certain degree of reliability, suggests the presence of carotenoids in the fruits of the rowan trees studied and allows us to recommend them as a promising source of raw materials for the production of vitamin-active drugs and food additives. The studied taxons × Crataegosorbus miczurinii and × Sorbocotoneaster pozdnijkovii are characterized by high introduction resistance under the conditions of the Bashkir Cis-Urals. In the future, it is intended to continue the study of other members of the Sorbus genus for the presence of pharmacopoeias properties.
The possible protective role of green tea extract on the intestinal mucosal changes induced by fluoride on adult albino rats
Authors: M. Abo El Wafa Ssahar , Abdel-Mohsen Abdel-Aziz Eman , M. Shawky Lamiaa , S. Zaki Mariam
Published: March 2020

Background: Fluoride is an inorganic element present everywhere in the environment and has cumulative toxic effects from prolonged ingestion. Green tea used since ancient times as a medical drink due to its multiple health benefits owing to its anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic activities. Aim: To the best of our knowledge there were no studies until now concerning the possible protective role of green tea extract on the intestinal mucosal changes induced by fluoride on adult albino rats, so this work tried to investigate this role. Materials and Methods: Forty male adult albino rats randomly and equally divided into four groups, Group I: received distilled water only orally via a gastric tube. Group II: received green tea extract (GTE) 150 mg/kg dissolved in distilled water and freshly prepared for 35 days. Group III: received sodium fluoride (NaF) once daily oral dose of 10 mg/kg dissolved in distilled water for 35 days. Group IV: received NaF in the same dose as group III concomitant with GTE as the previously adjusted dose for 35 days. Body weight of all the studied groups was recorded at the start and after 35 days from the beginning of this study. After that the study tested the antioxidant and oxidant parameters in intestinal tissue as MDA, reduced GSH, and CAT, histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of intestinal tissue using PCNA marker were also included. Results: the rate of weight gain was little in NaF group compared to other groups. Concomitant administration of GTE with NaF resulted in highly significant decrease in MDA level, highly significant increase in reduced GSH level and highly significant elevation in CAT level when compared with NaF group. Many of abnormalities as moderate increase in goblet cell mass and highly expression of PCNA stain in a form of brown nuclear coloration were detected in intestinal tissues in NaF group by histopathological and immunohistochemical study that improved with administration of GTE. Conclusion: concomitant administration of GTE was improved the biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical alterations in intestinal mucosa that treated with NaF.Â Â Â
The potential beneficial effect of exenatide on cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in non-diabetic rats
Authors: Abdel-Mohsen Abdel-Aziz Eman , M. Abo El Wafa Sahar
Published: March 2020

Background: Cisplatin is a major antitumor drug used for treatment of solid tumors. Nephrotoxicity is its main limiting side effect. Exenatide is described as an incretin mimetic polypeptide, it acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist and its insulinotropic activity is mediated through binding to and stimulation of GLP-1 receptors on human pancreatic Î²-cells. Aim: the present work was designed to study the effect of exenatide on experimentally cisplatin induced nephropathy in non- diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty two male adult Sprague Dawley rats randomly divided into four groups, each consisted of 8 animals, and distributed as follows: Group I: (control) normal group and received saline vehicle. Group II: (cisplatin) group includes rats injected intraperitoneally by a single dose of cisplatin (6 mg/kg) to induce nephrotoxicity, received no treatment and were sacrificed 7 days after cisplatin administration. Group III: (exenatide) group: rats treated by exenatide (10 mg/kg/day s.c.) for 4 weeks. Group IV: (exenatide+cisplatin) group: rats treated by exenatide (10 mg/kg/day s.c.) for 4 weeks before induction of nephrotoxicity by cisplatin. The following parameters were measured: fasting blood glucose, serum urea, serum creatinine, reduced glutathion (GSH) level in the renal tissue, tumor necrosis factor-Î± (TNF-Î±) level in the renal tissue, renal blood flow changes and histopathological changes of the kidney. Results: Pretreatment with exenatide resulted in significant reduction in serum urea, serum creatinine level and renal TNF- Î± level compared to cisplatin group but still significantly higher than control group with significant increase in renal GSH level and renal blood flow compared to cisplatin group but still also significantly lower than control group. Cisplatin group showing tubular degeneration with infiltration of inflammatory cells while pretreatment with exenatide showing certain improvement in general histological structure with mild tubular degeneration and less inflammatory cell infiltration. Conclusion: it can be concluded that the use of exenatide improved the biochemical and histopathological changes that occur in the renal tissue by cisplatin.Â Â
Data-driven domain discovery for structured datasets
Authors: Ota Masayo , Müller Heiko , Freire Juliana , Srivastava Divesh
Published: March 2020

The growing number of open datasets has created new opportunities to derive insights and address important societal problems. These data, however, often come with little or no metadata, in particular about the
types
of their attributes, thus greatly limiting their utility. In this paper, we address the problem of
domain discovery
: given a collection of tables, we aim to identify sets of terms that represent instances of a semantic concept or domain. Knowledge of attribute domains not only enables a richer set of queries over dataset collections, but it can also help in data integration. We propose a data-driven approach that leverages value co-occurrence information across a large number of dataset columns to derive robust context signatures and infer domains. We discuss the results of a detailed experimental evaluation, using real urban dataset collections, which show that our approach is robust and outperforms state-of-the-art methods in the presence of incomplete columns, heterogeneous or erroneous data, and scales to datasets with several million distinct terms.
Realtime index-free single source SimRank processing on web-scale graphs
Authors: Shi Jieming , Jin Tianyuan , Yang Renchi , Xiao Xiaokui , Yang Yin
Published: March 2020

Given a graph G and a node u ∈ G, a single source SimRank query evaluates the similarity between u and every node v ∈ G. Existing approaches to single source SimRank computation incur either long query response time, or expensive pre-computation, which needs to be performed again whenever the graph G changes. Consequently, to our knowledge none of them is ideal for scenarios in which (i) query processing must be done in realtime, and (ii) the underlying graph G is massive, with frequent updates.

Motivated by this, we propose SimPush, a novel algorithm that answers single source SimRank queries without any pre-computation, and achieves significantly higher query speed than even the fastest known index-based solutions. Further, SimPush provides rigorous result quality guarantees, and its high performance does not rely on any strong assumption of the graph. Specifically, compared to existing methods, SimPush employs a radically different algorithmic design that focuses on (i) identifying a small number of nodes relevant to the query, and subsequently (ii) computing statistics and performing residue push from these nodes only.

We prove the correctness of SimPush, analyze its time complexity, and compare its asymptotic performance with that of existing methods. Meanwhile, we evaluate the practical performance of SimPush through extensive experiments on 9 real datasets. The results demonstrate that SimPush consistently outperforms all existing solutions, often by over an order of magnitude. In particular, on a commodity machine, SimPush answers a single source SimRank query on a web graph containing over 133 million nodes and 5.4 billion edges in under 62 milliseconds, with 0.00035 empirical error, while the fastest index-based competitor needs 1.18 seconds.
Data migration using datalog program synthesis
Authors: Wang Yuepeng , Shah Rushi , Criswell Abby , Pan Rong , Dillig Isil
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a new technique for migrating data between different schemas. Our method expresses the schema mapping as a Datalog program and automatically synthesizes a Datalog program from simple input-output examples to perform data migration. This approach can transform data between different types of schemas (e.g., relational-tograph, document-to-relational) and performs synthesis efficiently by leveraging the semantics of Datalog. We implement the proposed technique as a tool called Dynamite and show its effectiveness by evaluating Dynamite on 28 realistic data migration scenarios.
Standards make the world go round
Authors: D'Elia Domenica , Evelo Chris , Regierer Babette , Hollmann Susanne
Published: March 2020

On the 2 March 2020, the COST Action - Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase efficiency and competitiveness of European life-science research (CHARME) - held its final conference in BrusselsAfter four years of successful work, the members of the COST Action CHARME met in Brussels to summarise the achievements and to discuss future perspectives and challenges for standardisation in the life sciences.Following the motto "Standards make the world go round", the outcomes of the COST Action are manifold and introduced some basic concepts and definitions that support a better understanding of the challenges and requirements.The results of this COST Action's network will be subject of a White Paper addressing the needs of standardisation, including a catalogue of requirements and recommendations to be disseminated to decision-makers at all levels to enable the implementation of standards in the daily workflow of research in academia and industry.The Action, ending this month, has given the opportunity to its members to tentatively presenting a set of preliminary requirements to develop further the harmonisation of standards. We hope this will inspire other Actions for the future.
Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Roberts Brandon M. , Nuckols Greg , Krieger James W.
Published: March 2020

Roberts, BM, Nuckols, G, and Krieger, JW. Sex differences in resistance training: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 34(5): 1448–1460, 2020—The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are different responses to resistance training for strength or hypertrophy in young to middle-aged males and females using the same resistance training protocol. The protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018094276). Meta-analyses were performed using robust variance random effects modeling for multilevel data structures, with adjustments for small samples using package robumeta in R. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The analysis of hypertrophy comprised 12 outcomes from 10 studies with no significant difference between males and females (effect size [ES] = 0.07 ± 0.06; P = 0.31; I2 = 0). The analysis of upper-body strength comprised 19 outcomes from 17 studies with a significant effect favoring females (ES = -0.60 ± 0.16; P = 0.002; I2 = 72.1). The analysis of lower-body strength comprised 23 outcomes from 23 studies with no significant difference between sexes (ES = −0.21 ± 0.16; P = 0.20; I2 = 74.7). We found that males and females adapted to resistance training with similar effect sizes for hypertrophy and lower-body strength, but females had a larger effect for relative upper-body strength. Given the moderate effect size favoring females in the upper-body strength analysis, it is possible that untrained females display a higher capacity to increase upper-body strength than males. Further research is required to clarify why this difference occurs only in the upper body and whether the differences are due to neural, muscular, motor learning, or are an artifact of the short duration of studies included.
Corticotroph adenoma and pituitary fungal infection: a rare association
Authors: Catarino Diana , Ribeiro Cristina , Gomes Leonor , Paiva Isabel
Published: March 2020

Pituitary infections, particularly with fungus, are rare disorders that usually occur in immunocompromised patients. Cushing’s syndrome predisposes patients to infectious diseases due to their immunosuppression status. We report the case of a 55-year-old woman, working as a poultry farmer, who developed intense headache, palpebral ptosis, anisocoria, prostration and psychomotor agitation 9 months after initial diabetes mellitus diagnosis. Cranioencephalic CT scan showed a pituitary lesion with bleeding, suggesting pituitary apoplexy. Patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery and the neuropathologic study indicated a corticotroph adenoma with apoplexy and fungal infection. Patient had no preoperative Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis. She was evaluated by a multidisciplinary team who decided not to administer anti-fungal treatment. The reported case shows a rare association between a corticotroph adenoma and a pituitary fungal infection. The possible contributing factors were hypercortisolism, uncontrolled diabetes and professional activity. Transsphenoidal surgery is advocated in these infections; however, anti-fungal therapy is still controversial.

Learning points:

Pituitary infections are rare disorders caused by bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.

Pituitary fungal infections usually occur in immunocompromised patients.

Cushing’s syndrome, as immunosuppression factor, predisposes patients to infectious diseases, including fungal infections.

Diagnosis of pituitary fungal infection is often achieved during histopathological investigation.

Treatment with systemic anti-fungal drugs is controversial.

Endocrine evaluation is recommended at the time of initial presentation of pituitary manifestations.
Carotid body chemosensitivity: early biomarker of dysmetabolism in humans
Authors: Cunha-Guimaraes João P , Guarino Maria P , Timóteo Ana T , Caires Iolanda , Sacramento Joana F , Ribeiro Maria J , Selas Mafalda , Santiago João C P , Mota-Carmo Miguel , Conde Silvia V
Published: March 2020

Objective

The carotid bodies (CBs) are peripheral chemoreceptor organs classically described as being O2 sensors, which are increasingly emerging as core players in metabolic control. Herein we evaluated CB activity in prediabetes patients and determined its correlation with dysmetabolism clinical features.

Design and methods

Prediabetes patients were recruited at the Cardiology Service, Hospital Santa Marta, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central, EPE (CHLC-EPE). The study was approved by CHLC-EPE and NOVA Medical School Ethics Committee. Thirty-three prediabetic and 14 age-matched, non-prediabetic, volunteers had their peripheral chemosensitivity evaluated by the Dejours test. Serum biomarkers of metabolic disease, insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR), blood pressure, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and glucose tolerance were assessed.

Results

CB chemosensitivity was significantly increased in prediabetic group (P < 0.01). Fasting blood, glucose intolerance, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in prediabetes patients. Insulin resistance correlated both with peripheral chemosensitivity, assessed by the Dejours test (P < 0.05) and with abdominal circumference (P < 0.01). HbA1c correlated with HOMA-IR (P < 0.05) and left cIMT (P < 0.05) in prediabetes patients.

Conclusions

We conclude that CB is overactive in prediabetes subjects and that peripheral chemosensitivity correlates with fasting insulin and insulin resistance representing a novel non-invasive functional biomarker to forecast early metabolic disease.
Testosterone replacement therapy of opioid-induced male hypogonadism improved body composition but not pain perception: a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Glintborg Dorte , Vaegter Henrik Bjarke , Christensen Louise Lehmann , Bendix Emma , Graven-Nielsen Thomas , Andersen Per Grünwald , Andersen Marianne
Published: March 2020

Background

Hypogonadism is prevalent during opioid treatment, but the effect of testosterone replacement treatment (TRT) on body composition, pain perception, and adrenal function is unclear.

Purpose

To measure changes in body composition, pain perception, quality of life, and adrenal function after TRT or placebo in opioid-treated men with chronic non-malignant pain.

Methods

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 41 men (>18 years) with total testosterone <12 nmol/L were randomized to 24 weeks TRT (Testosterone undecanoate injection three times/6 months, n = 20) or placebo (placebo-injections, n = 21).

Outcomes

Body composition (lean body mass and fat mass assessed by DXA), clinical pain intensity (numerical rating scale), and experimental pain perception (quantitative sensory assessment), quality of life (SF36), and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) test. Data were presented as median (quartiles). Mann–Whitney tests were performed on delta values (24–0 weeks) between TRT and placebo.

Results

The median age was 55 years (46; 59) and total testosterone before intervention was 6.8 (5.0; 9.3) nmol/L. TRT was associated with change of testosterone levels: 12.3 (7.0; 19.9) nmol/L (P < 0.001 vs placebo), increased lean body mass: 3.6 (2.3; 5.0) kg vs 0.1 kg (−2.1; 1.5) during TRT vs placebo and decreased total fat mass: −1.2 (−3.1; 0.7) kg vs 1.2 kg (−0.9; 2.5) kg, both P < 0.003. Changed pain perception, SF36, and ACTH-stimulated cortisol levels were non-significantly changed during TRT compared with placebo.

Conclusions

Six months of TRT improved body composition in men with opioid-induced hypogonadism without significant changes in outcomes of pain perception, quality of life, or adrenal function.
Scribble promotes alveologenesis in the pregnant mammary gland for milk production
Authors: Aikawa Shizu , Yuan Jia , Dewar Amanda , Sun Xiaofei , Dey Sudhansu K
Published: March 2020

Mammary glands are comprised of ducts and terminal lobules that form tree-like structures. Luminal epithelial cells in these lobules undergo differentiation into alveolar cells in pregnancy to support milk production. This study reveals that Scribble (SCRIB), a scaffold protein expressed in progesterone receptor (PGR)-positive cells, plays a critical role in mammary gland alveologenesis in mice. We conditionally deleted Scrib using a Pgr-Cre driver. PGR is heterogeneously expressed throughout the luminal epithelium. Scrib loss in mammary glands by Pgr-Cre (Scribf/fPgrCre/+) shows inefficient alveologenesis and terminal end bud (TEB)-like morphology during pregnancy, resulting in poor milk production and subsequent death of pups after delivery. The differentiation of PGR-positive epithelial cells into Elf5-expressing alveolar cells is defective in Scribf/fPgrCre/+ mice. These changes are reflected in reduced activation of JAK2 and PAK1, resulting in downregulation of pSTAT5, a critical transcriptional factor for alveologenesis. These results provide evidence that SCRIB impacts PGR-positive cell lineage during alveologenesis, which impacts milk production and the health of offspring.
Seismic Behavior of Historical Masonry Bridges: The Case Study of Irgandi Bridge
Authors: Gökhan Barış Sakcalı  , Alper Gönül  , İsa Yüksel
Published: March 2020

In Anatolia, numerous bridges have been constructed throughout history for essential reasons. It is important to preserve the bridges and hand them down to the future generations as they have hints regarding the materials and construction techniques used in the past. Irgandi Bridge located on Gökdere in Bursa city, which is the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, has a special importance among bridges around the world. It is one of the few bridges around the world, which have had commercial activities with shops on it along with the purpose of transportation. This symbolic structure in terms of cultural, historical and constructional aspects is located in Bursa which includes 1st degree seismic hazard zone. Therefore, preservation of the bridge requires investigation of its seismic performance and taking necessary precautions. Irgandi Bridge was modeled by ANSYS software using finite element method (FEM). Convergence study was performed to determine the accurate number of elements. Modal and linear dynamic analysis of the Irgandi Bridge was conducted after the number of elements were determined by the convergence study. Therefore, seven earthquake records were scaled and performed to the system according to EC-8 (Eurocode-8). Stress distributions and displacements were examined as a result of linear dynamic analysis. It was determined that the maximum displacement occurred at the top of the bridge and the principal stress occurred in the support regions. As a result of the analyses, it was proposed to strengthen the support parts of the bridge, which were determined to be damaged under earthquake impact.
Optimization of Control Strategies for the Radiant Floor Cooling System Combined with Displacement Ventilation: A Case study of an Office Building in Jinan, China
Authors: Jiying Liu  , Jing Ren  , Linfang Zhang  , Xiaona Xie  , Moon Keun Kim  , Linhua Zhang
Published: March 2020

The radiant floor cooling system, as a thermally activated building system, has attracted significant attention as it can save energy consumption and shift the building load. However, due to its characteristic that building thermal mass has a significant influence on the system performance and indoor environment, the control strategies should be seriously accounted for. Moreover, its performance is highly related to the shift condition of cooling load during the daytime and different weather conditions, therefore, realistic operation will cause the increments of peak load if the control strategy is neglected. This study presented two common strategies including intermittent operation and weatherforecast-based control strategies. The radiant floor cooling system combined with displacement ventilation system in a typical office building located in Jinan was established using the TRNSYS program. The results showed that the energy consumption decreased by 3.3% to 7.5% when the different intermittent operation strategies were applied. The weatherforecast- based control strategy can improve indoor thermal environment by increasing/deceasing the water supply flow rate by up to 25% in advance. This study concluded that the application of intermittent operation and weather-forecast based control strategies can regulate the operation of radiant floor system and reduce the building energy use.
A systematic review on the importance of genotyping and phenotyping in fluoropyrimidine treatment
Authors: Deac Andrada-Larisa , Burz Claudia Cristina , Bocșe Horea Florin , Bocșan Ioana Corina , Buzoianu Anca-Dana
Published: March 2020

Fluoropyrimidines, after more than 50 years of their discovery, are still the treatment of many types of cancer, and annually is estimated that two million patients use fluoropyrimidine treatment. The toxicity associated with fluoropyrimidines affects 30-40% of patients and some adverse effects can be lethal.

Dihydroypyrimidine dehydrogenase is the main enzyme in the catabolism of 5-FU and DPD activity deficiency can cause important toxicity. There is an important reason for determinate DPD activity in order to improve patient safety and to limit potential life-threating toxicity.

Now, are available multiple phenotypic and genotypic methods to determinate DPD activity, some of this methods have proven their usefulness in practice, but yet there are not routinely recommended in clinical practice.

This review is another statement of the importance of determination DPD status, the phenotypic and genotypic methods that are available and can be used.