bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In-vitro Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Mannose/Glucose-binding Pterocarpus osun Craib. Seeds Lectin
Authors: Odekanyin Oludele O. , Akande Oluwatosin O.
Published: September 2019

Objective: This study was carried out to purify and characterize a carbohydrate-binding and cell-agglutinating protein, lectin, from Pterocarpus osun seeds and also to evaluate its antioxidant and antibacterial potential.

Methods: Isolation and purification of the lectin were done by ammonium sulphate precipitation and size exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-100. Physicochemical properties of the lectin were determined and antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation inhibition and ferric reducing antioxidant potential assay. A disc diffusion method was used for antibacterial effect.

Results: Lectin was detected in the seeds and was able to agglutinate native and enzyme-treated rabbit erythrocytes but only enzyme-treated erythrocytes of human blood were agglutinated. Mannose, Maltose and α-methylmannoside inhibited the divalent cation-independent hemagglutinating activity, which was stable up to 60°C and at pH range of 3-13. It showed antioxidant activity with IC50 of 1.17 ± 0.08, 0.58 ± 0.03, and 2.51 ± 0.03 mg/ml for those methods respectively. No antibacterial activity was observed.

Conclusion: Pterocarpus osun seeds lectin possess properties similar to other lectins from Dalbergieae tribe and its ability to scavenge free radical and inhibit lipid peroxidation show the presence of a valuable health promoting agent in the seeds.
Evaluation of the use of script concordance test in a multicampus psychiatric pharmacy elective course
Authors: Phan Stephanie V.
Published: September 2019

Introduction

Evaluating a student's ability to accept complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity as part of clinical practice is difficult in a classroom setting using written tests. This study was conducted to explore the feasibility and validation of using a script concordance test (SCT) to evaluate pharmacy student knowledge and clinical competence in a psychiatry elective course.

Methods

This study involved prospective validation of psychiatry-focused SCT questions using a panel of practicing psychiatric pharmacists and retrospective review of student performance on the same SCT questions. The reliability of the SCT was also evaluated using Cronbach alpha coefficient.

Results

A total of 13 practicing psychiatric pharmacists participated in the validation phase of the study of 75 questions. Pharmacy student scores (n = 17) averaged 39.79 (±5.02) points, and psychiatric pharmacist scores averaged 50.11 (±4.51) points, representing mean percentages of 61.2% and 77.1%, respectively, on the adjusted exam. The Cronbach alpha was 0.94.

Discussion

The development of a valid and reliable SCT to test student psychiatric pharmacy knowledge and clinical competence after taking a psychiatry elective course was feasible.
MoS2/Graphene Composites as Promising Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion Applications
Authors: Wang Hongxia , Tran Diana , Qian Jun , Ding Fuyuan , Losic Dusan
Published: September 2019

Energy storage devices with high performance have been extensively studied for decades due to the increasing fuel demands. The physicochemical properties of 2D materials such as MoS2 and graphene, due to their high surface area, versatile electronic structure, high mechanical robustness, high electrical conductivity, and desirable electrochemical characteristics, make them superior candidates for energy storage applications. MoS2/graphene composites specially emerge as exceptional candidates that could offer new solution for energy storage applications. Many fabrication strategies to develop and synthesize MoS2/graphene composites are explored and introduced, such as hydrothermal and solvothermal treatment, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sonication, microwave, and self‐assembly. For these composites to be suitable for energy storage devices applications, they are often integrated with other materials such as additional agents to improve their electrochemical and stability properties. In this review, recent progresses on the development of graphene/MoS2 composites for energy storage and conversion applications (supercapacitors, batteries, solar cells, and hydrogen evolution) are presented and discussed. Critical review and perspectives on the future directions for MoS2/graphene composite–based energy storage devices are also presented as concluding remarks.
in situ Formation of RSCl/ArSeCl and Their Oxidative Coupling with Enaminone Derivatives Under Transition‐metal Free Conditions
Authors: Shang Zhenhua , Chen Qingyu , Xing Linlin , Zhang Yilin , Wait Laura , Du Yunfei
Published: September 2019

The reaction of diorganyl disulfides or diselenides with PhICl2 in DMF at room temperature led to the in situ formation of the reactive organosulfenyl chloride (RSCl) or selenenyl chloride (ArSeCl), which reacted with enaminone compounds to afford a series of α‐thioenaminones or α‐selenylenaminones, respectively, including the bioactive inhibitor for Cdc25B and its analogue, via the intermolecular oxidative C(sp2)‐S/Se cross coupling reactions under metal‐free conditions.

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Advanced Artificial Muscle for Flexible Material‐Based Reconfigurable Soft Robots
Authors: Jiao Zhongdong , Zhang Chao , Wang Wei , Pan Min , Yang Huayong , Zou Jun
Published: September 2019

Flexible material‐based soft robots are widely used in various areas. In many situations, the suitable soft robots should be rapidly fabricated to complete the urgent tasks (such as rescue), so the facile fabricating methods of the multifunctional soft robots are still in urgent needs. In this work, the origami structure is employed to design vacuum‐powered silicone rubber artificial muscles, which can perform multiple motions, including contraction, bending, twisting, and radial motions. Artificial muscles can be used for rapid reconfiguration of different soft robots, just like the “building bricks”. Based on these artificial muscles, four soft robots with different functions, including an omnidirectional quadruped robot, a flexible gripper, a flexible wrist, and a pipe‐climbing robot, are reconfigured to complete different tasks. The proposed origami artificial muscles offer a facile and rapid fabricating method of flexible material‐based soft robots, and also greatly improve the utilization rate of flexible materials.
Donor Derivative Incorporation: An Effective Strategy toward High Performance All‐Small‐Molecule Ternary Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Tang Hua , Xu Tongle , Yan Cenqi , Gao Jie , Yin Hang , Lv Jie , Singh Ranbir , Kumar Manish , Duan Tainan , Kan Zhipeng , Lu Shirong , Li Gang
Published: September 2019

Thick‐film all‐small‐molecule (ASM) organic solar cells (OSCs) are preferred for large‐scale fabrication with printing techniques due to the distinct advantages of monodispersion, easy purification, and negligible batch‐to‐batch variation. However, ASM OSCs are typically constrained by the morphology aspect to achieve high efficiency and maintain thick film simultaneously. Specifically, synchronously manipulating crystallinity, domain size, and phase segregation to a suitable level are extremely challenging. Herein, a derivative of benzodithiophene terthiophene rhodanine (BTR) (a successful small molecule donor for thick‐film OSCs), namely, BTR‐OH, is synthesized with similar chemical structure and absorption but less crystallinity relative to BTR, and is employed as a third component to construct BTR:BTR‐OH:PC71BM ternary devices. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.14% and fill factor (FF) of 74.2% are successfully obtained in ≈300 nm OSC, which outperforms BTR:PC71BM (9.05% and 69.6%) and BTR‐OH:PC71BM (8.00% and 65.3%) counterparts, and stands among the top values for thick‐film ASM OSCs. The performance enhancement results from the enhanced absorption, suppressed bimolecular/trap–assisted recombination, improved charge extraction, optimized domain size, and suitable crystallinity. These findings demonstrate that the donor derivative featuring similar chemical structure but different crystallinity provides a promising third component guideline for high‐performance ternary ASM OSCs.
Energy Storage Data Reporting in Perspective—Guidelines for Interpreting the Performance of Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems
Authors: Mathis Tyler S. , Kurra Narendra , Wang Xuehang , Pinto David , Simon Patrice , Gogotsi Yury
Published: September 2019

Due to the tremendous importance of electrochemical energy storage, numerous new materials and electrode architectures for batteries and supercapacitors have emerged in recent years. Correctly characterizing these systems requires considerable time, effort, and experience to ensure proper metrics are reported. Many new nanomaterials show electrochemical behavior somewhere in between conventional double‐layer capacitor and battery electrode materials, making their characterization a non‐straightforward task. It is understandable that some researchers may be misinformed about how to rigorously characterize their materials and devices, which can result in inflation of their reported data. This is not uncommon considering the current state of the field nearly requires record breaking performance for publication in high‐impact journals. Incorrect characterization and data reporting misleads both the materials and device development communities, and it is the shared responsibility of the community to follow rigorous reporting methodologies to ensure published results are reliable to ensure constructive progress. This tutorial aims to clarify the main causes of inaccurate data reporting and to give examples of how researchers should proceed. The best practices for measuring and reporting metrics such as capacitance, capacity, coulombic and energy efficiencies, electrochemical impedance, and the energy and power densities of capacitive and pseudocapacitive materials are discussed.
Velocity measurements in convective boiling flow using radioactive particle tracking technique
Authors: Yadav Ashutosh , Pant Harish Jagat , Roy Shantanu
Published: September 2019

The design, performance, and safety analysis of nuclear reactors, in particular boiling water reactors, requires information about the vapor–liquid flow dynamics. Such data are necessary for stand‐alone analysis of the thermal hydraulics, as well as to serve as a database for validation of computational fluid dynamics models. Challenges in collecting such data are magnified in the context of flow boiling, which is known to be a complex, multi‐scale problem. The present work focuses on investigating the two‐phase flow dynamics of convective boiling flows on a test section equipped with different heater rods arrangements. Noninvasive radioactive particle tracking (RPT) has been used for measuring liquid velocity field, mean flow patterns, and turbulent kinetic energy of the liquid phase. A novel tracer particle reconstruction algorithm based on support vector regression has been applied in this study. This is the first application of RPT for measuring liquid velocity fields in convective boiling flows.
Investigation of the dynamic capillary pressure during displacement process in fractured tight rocks
Authors: Li Ying , Li Haitao , Chen Shengnan , Luo Hongwen , Liu Chang
Published: September 2019

This work investigates the dynamic capillary pressure during the displacement process in fractured tight rocks, through specially designed experiments on fractured and intact core samples. The dynamic capillarity coefficient of matrix and the multiphase flow behaviors are also obtained. Results have shown that the dynamic capillary pressure of the matrix becomes around 5–20% higher after the fracturing treatment. The lower and less variable values of dynamic capillarity coefficient of matrix illustrate a weakened dynamic effect and a more uniform displacement front. Moreover, time derivative of water saturation is increased significantly with fractures. Finally, oil relative permeability after fracturing is lower than its value of the intact core at high water saturations. A dynamic capillarity coefficient model for matrix, which includes the influence of fractures, is derived and verified with the averageR2more than 0.95. This wok helps to understand and predict multiphase flow in fractured tight porous media.
Anxiety and contradictory class position in the hierarchy of Brazilian firefighters
Authors: Azevedo Danielle S. S. , Lima Eduardo P. , Gunn Virginia , Muntaner Carles , Ng Edwin , Assunção Ada A.
Published: September 2019

Background

Workers holding intermediate hierarchical positions in an institution may have a higher risk of occupational stress‐related, ill health. This study examined the prevalence rates and odds ratios (ORs) of anxiety disorders among a hierarchical group of firefighters.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study samples firefighters from Minas Gerais, Brazil, who answered a structured questionnaire in 2011 (survey completion rate = 89.5%). The outcome of interest was a medical diagnosis of anxiety disorder. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted among five hierarchical occupational positions: privates (lowest position), corporals, sergeants (intermediate position), sub lieutenants, and officers (highest position).

Results

Overall, 8.4% of the sample reported an anxiety disorder, with the highest rate observed among intermediate workers (sergeants = 14.2%), followed by corporals (10%), privates (5.6%), sub lieutenants (5%), and officers (2.1%). Compared with privates, the unadjusted OR for sergeants was 2.49 (95% confidence interval, 1.35, 4.58). This finding remained statistically significant after adjustment for several control variables but was eliminated by age.

Conclusion

The mental health of firefighters is affected by social class position. Mental health promotion efforts should focus on longitudinal research and work toward interventions aimed at modifying the hierarchical structure of workplaces.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Dearomative syn‐1,4‐Oxyamination
Authors: Tang Conghui , Okumura Mikiko , Deng Hejun , Sarlah David
Published: September 2019

A palladium‐catalyzed dearomative syn‐1,4‐oxyamination protocol using non‐activated arenes has been developed. This one‐pot procedure utilizes arenophile chemistry, and the corresponding para‐cycloadducts are treated with oxygen nucleophiles via formal allylic substitution, providing direct access to syn‐1,4‐oxyaminated products. The reaction conditions permit a range of arenes, as well as different O‐nucleophiles, such as oximes and benzyl alcohols. Moreover, this process was established in an asymmetric fashion, delivering products with high enantioselectivity. The dearomatized products are amenable to a multitude of further derivatizations ranging from olefin chemistry to C−H activation, giving rise to a diverse set of new functionalities. Overall, this dearomative functionalization offers rapid and controlled formation of molecular complexity, enabling straightforward access to functionalized small molecules from simple and readily available arenes.
Steigerung der Wasseroxidation durch In‐situ‐Elektrokonversion eines Mangangallids: Ein intermetallischer Vorläuferansatz
Authors: Menezes Prashanth W. , Walter Carsten , Hausmann Jan Niklas , Beltrán‐Suito Rodrigo , Schlesiger Christopher , Praetz Sebastian , Yu. Verchenko Valeriy , Shevelkov Andrei V. , Driess Matthias
Published: September 2019

Erstmals wurden, in einen intermetallischen Vorläuferansatz, durch In‐situ‐Elektrokonversion von Mangangallid (MnGa4) hochleistungsfähige und langzeitstabile MnOx‐basierte Elektrokatalysatoren für die Wasseroxidation in alkalischem Medium hergestellt. Überraschend führt seine Elektrokorrosion, unter gleichzeitigem Verlust von Ga, gleichzeitig zu drei kristallinen Typen von MnOx‐Mineralien mit verschiedenen Strukturen und induzierten Defekten: Birnessit δ‐MnO2, Feitknechtit β‐MnOOH und Hausmannit α‐Mn3O4. Das Vorkommen und die intrinsische Stabilität von aktiven MnIII/MnIV‐Zentren in den drei gebildeten MnOx‐Phasen erklärt die hervorragende Effizienz und Stabilität des Systems für die elektrokatalytische Wasseroxidation. Nach der elektrophoretischen Abscheidung des MnGa4‐Vorläufers auf elektrisch leitfähigem Nickelschaum wurde ein niedriges Überpotential von 291 mV bei der Stromdichte von 10 mA cm−2 erreicht, das praktisch den Überpotentialen von edelmetallbasierten Katalysatoren entspricht und für mehr als fünf Tage beständig ist.
Electrochemical Production of Si without Generation of CO2 Based on the Use of a Dimensionally Stable Anode in Molten CaCl2
Authors: Ge Jianbang , Zou Xingli , Almassi Soroush , Ji Li , Chaplin Brian P. , Bard Allen J.
Published: September 2019

The current Si production process is based on the high‐temperature (1700 °C) reduction of SiO2 with carbon that produces large amounts of CO2. We report an alternative low‐temperature (850 °C) process based on the reduction of SiO2 in molten CaCl2 that does not produce CO2. It utilizes an anode material (Ti4O7) capable of sustained oxygen evolution. Two types of this anode material, dense Ti4O7 and porous Ti4O7, were tested. The dense anode showed a better performance. The anode stability is attributed to the formation of a protective TiO2 layer on its surface. In situ periodic current reversal and ex situ H2 reduction could be used for extending the lifetime of the anodes. The findings show that this material can be applied as a recyclable anode in molten CaCl2. Si wires, films, and particles were deposited with this anode under different cathodic current densities. The prepared Si film exhibited ≈30–40 % of the photocurrent response of a commercial p‐type Si wafer, indicating potential use in photovoltaic cells.
A General Acid‐Mediated Hydroaminomethylation of Unactivated Alkenes and Alkynes
Authors: Kaiser Daniel , Tona Veronica , Gonçalves Carlos R. , Shaaban Saad , Oppedisano Alberto , Maulide Nuno
Published: September 2019

In comparison to the extensively studied metal‐catalyzed hydroamination reaction, hydroaminomethylation has received significantly less attention despite its considerable potential to streamline amine synthesis. State‐of‐the‐art protocols for hydroaminomethylation of alkenes rely largely on transition‐metal catalysis, enabling this transformation only under highly designed and controlled conditions. Here we report a broadly applicable, acid‐mediated approach to the hydroaminomethylation of unactivated alkenes and alkynes. This methodology employs cheap, readily available, and bench‐stable reactants and affords the desired amines with excellent functional group tolerance and impeccable regioselectivity. The broad scope of this transformation, as well as mechanistic investigations and in situ domino functionalization reactions are reported.
Synthesis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Phenyl Addition–Dehydrocyclization: The Third Way
Authors: Zhao Long , Prendergast Matthew B. , Kaiser Ralf I. , Xu Bo , Ablikim Utuq , Ahmed Musahid , Sun Bing‐Jian , Chen Yue‐Lin , Chang Agnes H. H. , Mohamed Rana K. , Fischer Felix R.
Published: September 2019

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent the link between resonance‐stabilized free radicals and carbonaceous nanoparticles generated in incomplete combustion processes and in circumstellar envelopes of carbon rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Although these PAHs resemble building blocks of complex carbonaceous nanostructures, their fundamental formation mechanisms have remained elusive. By exploring these reaction mechanisms of the phenyl radical with biphenyl/naphthalene theoretically and experimentally, we provide compelling evidence on a novel phenyl‐addition/dehydrocyclization (PAC) pathway leading to prototype PAHs: triphenylene and fluoranthene. PAC operates efficiently at high temperatures leading through rapid molecular mass growth processes to complex aromatic structures, which are difficult to synthesize by traditional pathways such as hydrogen‐abstraction/acetylene‐addition. The elucidation of the fundamental reactions leading to PAHs is necessary to facilitate an understanding of the origin and evolution of the molecular universe and of carbon in our galaxy.
Boosting Water Oxidation through In Situ Electroconversion of Manganese Gallide: An Intermetallic Precursor Approach
Authors: Menezes Prashanth W. , Walter Carsten , Hausmann Jan Niklas , Beltrán‐Suito Rodrigo , Schlesiger Christopher , Praetz Sebastian , Yu. Verchenko Valeriy , Shevelkov Andrei V. , Driess Matthias
Published: September 2019

For the first time, the manganese gallide (MnGa4) served as an intermetallic precursor, which upon in situ electroconversion in alkaline media produced high‐performance and long‐term‐stable MnOx‐based electrocatalysts for water oxidation. Unexpectedly, its electrocorrosion (with the concomitant loss of Ga) leads simultaneously to three crystalline types of MnOx minerals with distinct structures and induced defects: birnessite δ‐MnO2, feitknechtite β‐MnOOH, and hausmannite α‐Mn3O4. The abundance and intrinsic stabilization of MnIII/MnIV active sites in the three MnOx phases explains the superior efficiency and durability of the system for electrocatalytic water oxidation. After electrophoretic deposition of the MnGa4 precursor on conductive nickel foam (NF), a low overpotential of 291 mV, comparable to that of precious‐metal‐based catalysts, could be achieved at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with a durability of more than five days.
A numerical study of single air bubble formation comparison between in viscous liquid and in water
Authors: Islam Md. Tariqul , Ganesan Poo Balan , Billah Md. Masum , Uddin Md. Nasir
Published: September 2019

The performance of bubble column reactors is dependent on bubble size that is formed through a sparger. Here, a single air bubble formation (BF) using an orifice in the viscous liquid is modeled by using the volume of fluid method. The interface between the air and the liquid phase is calculated by using the continuum surface force equation. Detailed characteristics of BF such as the instantaneous contact angle, bubble departure volume, bond number due to orifice size and surface tension, and capillary number are examined for different orifice sizes at constant air flow rate boundary condition. The numerical results are validated with available correlation and experimental data for orifice bond number reported in the literature. A comparison of BF characteristics between in the viscous liquid and in the water is examined. The instantaneous contact angle decreases steeply for the orifice with small size than a large orifice. The bubble volume increases with increasing contact angle and decreasing the orifice bond number. In comparison with water, a decreasing detachment time and dome width of bubble and an increasing bubble neck elongation are found in viscous liquid and decrease with increasing bond number. Moreover, there is a minimum capillary number, where the bubble neck elongation height and breakup processes are relatively fast. This study can helpful in designing a coarse gas sparger to develop pseudo‐homogeneous bubbly flow regime at lower superficial gas velocity conditions.
Porous fibers surface decorated with nanofillers: From melt‐spun PP/PVA blend fibers with silica nanoparticles
Authors: Yan Xiang , Cayla Aurélie , Salaün Fabien , Devaux Eric , Liu Pengqing , Mao Jianzhao , Huang Tingjian
Published: September 2019

Biphasic polypropylene (PP)‐polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers containing silica nanoparticles with various surface hydrophobicity were melt‐spun. The localization of nanoparticles relates on the thermodynamic factors, and the design promotes a surface‐decorated fibrous scaffold with nanoparticles after selective extraction. The influence of silica nanoparticles on the melt flow index was observed, and the interface‐located Aerosil R972 silica nanoparticles lead to an increase in viscosity. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrates the preponderant interfacial localization of Aerosil R972 nanoparticles within the biphasic fibers. The porous morphology of the obtained fibers was investigated by SEM, selective extraction experiment, X‐ray diffraction analysis, and dynamical mechanical analysis. The specific interface area of PP70‐PVA30 fibers with a draw ratio (DR) of 2 is 3.2 m2 g−1 and is further enlarged with the increase of DR. The incorporation of nanoparticles contributes to the increase of interconnectivity of the PVA phase. The further increment of DR modifies the crystalline structure, and results in better mechanical properties. The Aerosil R972‐containing fibers with the DR of 3 provide almost completely accessible PVA phase, with enough mechanical strength to be transformed into textile products, and retains a good mechanical property after selective extraction. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48470.
Municipal Water Project Managers: A Hard Road Gets Harder
Authors: Kerr Donald
Published: September 2019

Key Takeaways

Hiring a consultant for a water project is a responsibility for which municipal officials are not always well trained and prepared.

The skills and authority exercised by consultants have been compromised by limited training, certain business models, legislation, and a city's bottom line.

Consulting engineers could benefit from adding political know‐how to their toolbox of expertise.
Receptor‐Free Signaling at Curved Cellular Membranes
Authors: Ebrahimkutty Mirsana P. , Galic Milos
Published: September 2019

Plasma membranes are subject to continuous deformations. Strikingly, some of these transient membrane undulations yield membrane‐associated signaling hubs that differ in composition and function, depending on membrane geometry and the availability of co‐factors. Here, recent advancements on this ubiquitous type of receptor‐independent signaling are reviewed, with a special focus on emerging concepts and technical challenges associated with studying these elusive signaling sites.
A two‐phase Bayesian methodology for the analysis of binary phenotypes in genome‐wide association studies
Authors: Joyner Chase , McMahan Christopher , Baurley James , Pardamean Bens
Published: September 2019

Recent advances in sequencing and genotyping technologies are contributing to a data revolution in genome‐wide association studies that is characterized by the challenging large p small n problem in statistics. That is, given these advances, many such studies now consider evaluating an extremely large number of genetic markers (p) genotyped on a small number of subjects (n). Given the dimension of the data, a joint analysis of the markers is often fraught with many challenges, while a marginal analysis is not sufficient. To overcome these obstacles, herein, we propose a Bayesian two‐phase methodology that can be used to jointly relate genetic markers to binary traits while controlling for confounding. The first phase of our approach makes use of a marginal scan to identify a reduced set of candidate markers that are then evaluated jointly via a hierarchical model in the second phase. Final marker selection is accomplished through identifying a sparse estimator via a novel and computationally efficient maximum a posteriori estimation technique. We evaluate the performance of the proposed approach through extensive numerical studies, and consider a genome‐wide application involving colorectal cancer.
Establishing praise as a conditioned reinforcer: Pairing with one versus multiple reinforcers
Authors: Dudley Laura L. , Axe Judah B. , Allen Ronald F. , Sweeney‐Kerwin Emily J.
Published: September 2019

Praise and other forms of attention may not function as reinforcers for the behavior of children with autism. Previous research demonstrated that contingently pairing praise with reinforcers (response stimulus) can establish praise as a conditioned reinforcer. We evaluated a procedure for establishing praise as a generalized conditioned reinforcer (pair praise with four reinforcers) and compared it with a procedure to establish praise as a conditioned reinforcer (pair praise with one reinforcer). We compared the two conditions in a reversal design with “praise” and “no programmed consequence” conditions rapidly alternated after pairing phases. With three out of five participants with autism, responding in the “pair‐with‐four” condition showed higher levels of responding or more increasing trends compared with that in “pair‐with‐one” condition. We also replicated previous contingent pairing research with two participants in a multiple baseline across participants design. A limitation was the absence of manipulating motivating operations in assessing the efficacy of praise as a generalized conditioned reinforcer. Nevertheless, these data contribute to the research on establishing praise as a reinforcer, and we recommend directions for future research.
Test–retest reproducibility of a multi‐atlas automated segmentation tool on multimodality brain MRI
Authors: Rezende Thiago J. R. , Campos Brunno M. , Hsu Johnny , Li Yue , Ceritoglu Can , Kutten Kwame , França Junior Marcondes C. , Mori Susumu , Miller Michael I. , Faria Andreia V.
Published: September 2019

Introduction

The increasing use of large sample sizes for population and personalized medicine requires high‐throughput tools for imaging processing that can handle large amounts of data with diverse image modalities, perform a biologically meaningful information reduction, and result in comprehensive quantification. Exploring the reproducibility of these tools reveals the specific strengths and weaknesses that heavily influence the interpretation of results, contributing to transparence in science.

Methods

We tested–retested the reproducibility of MRICloud, a free automated method for whole‐brain, multimodal MRI segmentation and quantification, on two public, independent datasets of healthy adults.

Results

The reproducibility was extremely high for T1‐volumetric analysis, high for diffusion tensor images (DTI) (however, regionally variable), and low for resting‐state fMRI.

Conclusion

In general, the reproducibility of the different modalities was slightly superior to that of widely used software. This analysis serves as a normative reference for planning samples and for the interpretation of structure‐based MRI studies.
Crowdfunding as a tool to support sustainability‐oriented initiatives: Preliminary insights into the role of product/service attributes
Authors: Testa Stefania , Roma Paolo , Vasi Maria , Cincotti Silvano
Published: September 2019

A common goal of current research seems to uncover whether crowdfunding (CF) could be considered an effective way to support sustainability‐oriented initiatives in securing funding, due to diverging results emerging from literature. We claim that the objective of proving whether CF may benefit sustainability‐oriented initiatives could be misplaced; rather, we deem more fruitful to understand how critical are some attributes of products/services pursued within CF campaigns to benefiting sustainability‐oriented initiatives and increasing their odds of success in CF. We focus on food‐related projects as in this sector, sustainability issues apply more than to any other human activities and construct a unique sample of food CF campaigns launched and ended in the European Economic Area countries on the world's most popular reward‐based CF platform, that is, Kickstarter. We identify campaigns with a sustainability orientation and perform an in‐depth qualitative analysis, which allows us to classify them into meaningful clusters and subclusters. Our research suggests that the emphasis on egoistic/self‐centered product attributes, rather than on altruistic/society‐centered attributes, is generally more crucial to facilitate CF support to sustainability‐oriented projects. However, the emphasis on altruistic/society‐centered attributes emerges to be more beneficial for initiatives specifically supporting local products. Our results also suggest that reward‐based CF is not suitable for sustainability‐oriented projects targeting disadvantaged individuals/groups. These results offer both theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature as well as practical implications.
The Biosynthetic Gene Cluster of Pyrazomycin—A C‐Nucleoside Antibiotic with a Rare Pyrazole Moiety
Authors: Zhao Guiyun , Yao Shunyu , Rothchild Kristina W. , Liu Tengfei , Liu Yu , Lian Jiazhang , He Hai‐Yan , Ryan Katherine S. , Du Yi‐Ling
Published: September 2019

Pyrazomycin is a rare C‐nucleoside antibiotic containing a naturally occurring pyrazole ring, the biosynthetic origin of which has remained obscure for decades. In this study we report the identification of the gene cluster responsible for pyrazomycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces candidus NRRL 3601, revealing that the StrR‐family regulator PyrR is the cluster‐situated transcriptional activator governing pyrazomycin biosynthesis. Furthermore, our results from in vivo reconstitution and stable‐isotope feeding experiments provide support for the hypothesis that PyrN is a new nitrogen–nitrogen bond‐forming enzyme that catalyzes the linkage of the ϵ‐NH2 nitrogen atom of l‐N6‐OH‐lysine and the α‐NH2 nitrogen atom of l‐glutamic acid. This study lays the foundation for further genetic and biochemical characterization of pyrazomycin pathway enzymes involved in constructing the characteristic pyrazole ring.
Exogenous hydrogen sulfide protects fatty liver against ischemia–reperfusion injury by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress‐induced autophagy in macrophage through mediating the class A scavenger receptor pathway in rats
Authors: Ruan Zhiyan , Liang Minhua , Deng Xiangliang , Lai Manxiang , Shang Ling , Su Xinguo
Published: September 2019

Fatty liver disease is a disease manifested with excessive alcohol intake and obese. Importantly, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been revealed to participate in the progression of fatty liver; however, the underlying mechanism has not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous H2S on fatty liver ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) through mediating class A scavenger receptor (SRA) pathway in rats. By determining endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)‐related factors, autophagy markers and apoptosis‐related factors in liver tissue and liver function, levels of oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, and hepatocyte apoptosis, the effects of H2S on IRI‐induced autophagy, oxidative stress, and inflammation were all examined in rat model of fatty liver IRI. Results from obtained data showed that H2S decreased the expression of SRA, Grp78, PERK, CHOP, and Caspase‐3, and increased that of LC3‐II/LC3‐I, in addition to alleviating the pathological changes of liver and reducing the levels of ALT, AST, LDH TBARS, and MDA. Moreover, H2S decreased the levels of oxidative stress, the expression of pro‐inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1, and interleukin 6, and the apoptosis of hepatocytes. Our findings suggested exogenous H2S could reduce ERS by mediating the SRA pathway and protect liver function by inducing autophagy, and protect against IRI by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Initial report of safety and procedure duration of robotic‐assisted chronic total occlusion coronary intervention
Authors: Hirai Taishi , Kearney Kathleen , Kataruka Akash , Gosch Kensey L. , Brandt Hunter , Nicholson William J. , Lombardi William L. , Grantham J. Aaron , Salisbury Adam C.
Published: September 2019

Background

No previous reports have examined the impact of robotic‐assisted (RA) chronic total occlusion (CTO) PCI on procedural duration or safety compared to totally manual CTO PCI.

Methods

Among 95 patients who underwent successful PCI of a single CTO lesion at two centers, 49 (52%) were performed RA and were performed 46 (48%) totally manually. Cockpit time was the time the primary operator entered to robotic cockpit until the procedure was complete. “Theoretical” cockpit time in the control group was time the primary operator would have entered the cockpit after lesion crossing until the procedure was complete. Major adverse events (MAEs) were the composite of death, myocardial infarction, clinical perforation, significant vessel dissection, arrhythmia, acute thrombosis, and stroke.

Results

The lesion characteristics, procedural time, and contrast dose were similar. All procedures except for one (2%) selected for robotic completion after lesion crossing were completed successfully. The frequency of MAE was similar between groups and there were no in‐hospital deaths. The cockpit time was 8 min longer in RA CTO PCI than the theoretical cockpit time in totally manual CTO PCI (40.6 ± 12.7 vs. 32.1 ± 17.8, p < .01).

Conclusion

RA CTO PCI was not associated with excess adverse events compared with totally manual CTO PCI and resulted in an average 41 min cockpit time equaling to 48% of procedure time without radiation exposure or requirement for the primary operator to wear a lead apron. Understanding the relationship between cockpit time and reductions in radiation exposure and lead apron‐related orthopedic complications for operators requires future study.
Projections to the putamen from neurons located in the white matter and the claustrum in the macaque
Authors: Borra Elena , Luppino Giuseppe , Gerbella Marzio , Rozzi Stefano , Rockland Kathleen S.
Published: September 2019

Continuing investigations of corticostriatal connections in rodents emphasize an intricate architecture where striatal projections originate from different combinations of cortical layers, include an inhibitory component, and form terminal arborizations which are cell‐type dependent, extensive, or compact. Here, we report that in macaque monkeys, deep and superficial cortical white matter neurons (WMNs), peri‐claustral WMNs, and the claustrum proper project to the putamen. WMNs retrogradely labeled by injections in the putamen (four injections in three macaques) were widely distributed, up to 10 mm antero‐posterior from the injection site, mainly dorsal to the putamen in the external capsule, and below the premotor cortex. Striatally projecting labeled WMNs (WMNsST) were heterogeneous in size and shape, including a small GABAergic component. We compared the number of WMNsST with labeled claustral and cortical neurons and also estimated their proportion in relation to total WMNs. Since some WMNsST were located adjoining the claustrum, we wanted to compare results for density and distribution of striatally projecting claustral neurons (ClaST). ClaST neurons were morphologically heterogeneous and mainly located in the dorsal and anterior claustrum, in regions known to project to frontal, motor, and cingulate cortical areas. The ratio of ClaST to WMNsST was about 4:1 averaged across the four injections. These results provide new specifics on the connectional networks of WMNs in nonhuman primates, and delineate additional loops in the corticostriatal architecture, consisting of interconnections across cortex, claustralstriatal and striatally projecting WMNs.
Protocols for the Analysis of microRNA Expression, Biogenesis, and Function in Immune Cells
Authors: Zhang Nannan , Hu Guowu , Myers Timothy G. , Williamson Peter R.
Published: September 2019

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (19‐ to 25‐nucleotide) noncoding RNA molecules that target mRNAs to repress gene expression and that play important roles in regulating many fundamental biological functions including cell differentiation, development, growth, and metabolism. They are well conserved in eukaryotic cells and are considered essential ancient elements of gene regulation. miRNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II to generate primary miRNAs (pri‐miRNAs), which are cleaved by microprocessor complex in the nucleus to generate stem‐loop structures known as pre‐miRNAs. Pre‐miRNAs are translocated to the cytoplasm and cleaved by Dicer to form the mature miRNAs, which mediate mRNA degradation through their loading to the RNA‐induced silencing complex (RISC) and binding to complementary sequences within target mRNAs to repress their translation by mRNA degradation and/or translation inhibition. Because ∼1900 miRNA genes are reported in the human genome, many associated with disease, appropriate methods to study miRNA expression and regulation under physiological and pathological conditions have become increasingly important to the study of many aspects of human biology, including immune regulation. As with small interfering RNA (siRNA), the mechanism of miRNA‐mediated targeting has been used to develop miRNA‐based therapeutics. For a complete and systematic analysis, it is critical to utilize a variety of different tools to analyze the expression of pri‐mRNAs, pre‐miRNAs, and mature miRNAs and characterize their targets both in vitro and in vivo. Such studies will facilitate future novel drug design and development. This unit provides six basic protocols for miRNA analysis, covering next‐generation sequencing, quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR), and digoxigenin‐based expression analysis of pri‐mRNAs, pre‐miRNAs, and mature miRNAs; mapping of pri‐miRNA and their cleavage sites by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE); electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) or biotin‐based nonradioactive detection of miRNA‐protein complexes (miRNPs); and functional analysis of miRNAs using miRNA mimics and inhibitors. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Novel antimicrobial peptide discovery using machine learning and biophysical selection of minimal bacteriocin domains
Authors: Fields Francisco R. , Freed Stefan D. , Carothers Katelyn E. , Hamid Md Nafiz , Hammers Daniel E. , Ross Jessica N. , Kalwajtys Veronica R. , Gonzalez Alejandro J. , Hildreth Andrew D. , Friedberg Iddo , Lee Shaun W.
Published: September 2019

Bacteriocins, the ribosomally produced antimicrobial peptides of bacteria, represent an untapped source of promising antibiotic alternatives. However, bacteriocins display diverse mechanisms of action, a narrow spectrum of activity, and inherent challenges in natural product isolation making in vitro verification of putative bacteriocins difficult. A subset of bacteriocins exert their antimicrobial effects through favorable biophysical interactions with the bacterial membrane mediated by the charge, hydrophobicity, and conformation of the peptide. We have developed a pipeline for bacteriocin‐derived compound design and testing that combines sequence‐free prediction of bacteriocins using machine learning and a simple biophysical trait filter to generate 20 amino acid peptides that can be synthesized and evaluated for activity. We generated 28,895 total 20‐mer candidate peptides and scored them for charge, α‐helicity, and hydrophobic moment. Of those, we selected 16 sequences for synthesis and evaluated their antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, and hemolytic activities. Peptides with the overall highest scores for our biophysical parameters exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our combined method incorporates machine learning and biophysical‐based minimal region determination to create an original approach to swiftly discover bacteriocin candidates amenable to rapid synthesis and evaluation for therapeutic use.
Long‐term evolutionary conflict, Sisyphean arms races, and power in Fisher's geometric model
Authors: Scott Trey J. , Queller David C.
Published: September 2019

Evolutionary conflict and arms races are important drivers of evolution in nature. During arms races, new abilities in one party select for counterabilities in the second party. This process can repeat and lead to successive fixations of novel mutations, without a long‐term increase in fitness. Models of co‐evolution rarely address successive fixations, and one of the main models that use successive fixations—Fisher's geometric model—does not address co‐evolution. We address this gap by expanding Fisher's geometric model to the evolution of joint phenotypes that are affected by two parties, such as probability of infection of a host by a pathogen. The model confirms important intuitions and offers some new insights. Conflict can lead to long‐term Sisyphean arms races, where parties continue to climb toward their fitness peaks, but are dragged back down by their opponents. This results in far more adaptive evolution compared to the standard geometric model. It also results in fixation of mutations of larger effect, with the important implication that the common modeling assumption of small mutations will apply less often under conflict. Even in comparison with random abiotic change of the same magnitude, evolution under conflict results in greater distances from the optimum, lower fitness, and more fixations, but surprisingly, not larger fixed mutations. We also show how asymmetries in selection strength, mutation size, and mutation input allow one party to win over another. However, winning abilities come with diminishing returns, helping to keep weaker parties in the game.
Effects of soil microbes on plant competition: a perspective from modern coexistence theory
Authors: Ke Po‐Ju , Wan Joe
Published: September 2019

Growing evidence shows that soil microbes affect plant coexistence in a variety of systems. However, since these systems vary in the impacts microbes have on plants and in the ways plants compete with each other, it is challenging to integrate results into a general predictive theory. To this end, we suggest that the concepts of niche and fitness difference from modern coexistence theory should be used to contextualize how soil microbes contribute to plant coexistence. Synthesizing a range of mechanisms under a general plant–soil microbe interaction model, we show that, depending on host specificity, both pathogens and mutualists can affect the niche difference between competing plants. However, we emphasize the need to also consider the effect of soil microbes on plant fitness differences, a role often overlooked when examining their role in plant coexistence. Additionally, since our framework predicts that soil microbes modify the importance of plant–plant competition relative to other factors for determining the outcome of competition, we suggest that experimental work should simultaneously quantify microbial effects and plant competition. Thus, we propose experimental designs that efficiently measure both processes and show how our framework can be applied to identify the underlying drivers of coexistence. Using an empirical case study, we demonstrate that the processes driving coexistence can be counterintuitive, and that our general predictive framework provides a better way to identify the true processes through which soil microbes affect coexistence.