bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Mass Selection on Husk and Cob Color in Five Purple Field Corn Populations Segregating for Purple Husks
Authors: Khamphasan Ponsawan , Lomthaisong Khomsorn , Harakotr Bhornchai , Scott Marvin Paul , Lertrat Kamol , Suriharn Bhalang
Published: July 2020

Improvement of anthocyanin levels in husks and cobs of field corn may add economic value to corn coproducts in commercial production. This study aimed to evaluate the response to four cycles of modified mass selection (MMS) for yield, agronomic traits, total anthocyanin yield (TAY), total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity assay (DPPH) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay (TEAC) in corn husk and cob of five purple field corn populations. The improved populations and check varieties were evaluated at two locations for two seasons in 2017/2018. Selection cycle contributed to a large portion of the total variations for TAC, TPC, DPPH and TEAC in corn husk and cob. All tested populations showed progress for days to anthesis, TAY, TAC, TPC, DPPH and TEAC across four cycles of selection. Lack of significant correlation between agronomic traits and anthocyanin concentrations suggested the independent segregation of these traits. MMS was successfully used to develop field corn populations with improved anthocyanin, antioxidant activities and early flowering without significant yield loss. The populations with the highest selection gains for anthocyanin in husk and cob were identified. Visual selection for dark purple husks and cobs boosted anthocyanin levels and antioxidant activity in selected populations.
Adoption of Water-Conserving Irrigation Practices among Row-Crop Growers in Mississippi, USA
Authors: Quintana-Ashwell Nicolas , Gholson Drew M. , Krutz L. Jason , Henry Christopher G. , Cooke Trey
Published: July 2020

This article identifies irrigated row-crop farmer factors associated with the adoption of water-conserving practices. The analysis is performed on data from a survey of irrigators in Mississippi. Regression results show that the amount of irrigated area, years of education, perception of a groundwater problem, and participation in conservation programs are positively associated with practice adoption; while number of years farming, growing rice, and pumping cost are negatively associated with adoption. However, not all factors are statistically significant for all practices. Survey results indicate that only a third of growers are aware of groundwater problems at the farm or state level; and this lack of awareness is related to whether farmers noticed a change in the depth to water distance in their irrigation wells. This evidence is consistent with a report to Congress from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that recommends policies promoting the use of: (1) more efficient irrigation technology and practices and (2) precision agriculture technologies, such as soil moisture sensors and irrigation automation.
Molecular, Physico-Chemical, and Sensory Characterization of the Traditional Spanish Apple Variety “Pero de Cehegín”
Authors: Martínez Ramón , Legua Pilar , Hernández Francisca , Carbonell-Barrachina Ángel , Gogorcena Yolanda , Martínez-Nicolás Juan J. , Melgarejo Pablo
Published: July 2020

The “Pero de Cehegín” is an ancient local variety of apple grown in Murcia (Spain). In this study, microsatellites markers showed evidence of a unique profile that has never been reported before in other Spanish apple germplasm collections. Five “Pero de Cehegín” clones were evaluated and compared with two commercial apple varieties, “Fuji” and “Golden Delicious”, to assess its marketing potential. For this, the physical (weight, height, and width of the fruit, moisture content, firmness, and color of the fruit, among others), and chemical (total soluble solids, total acidity, and maturity index) properties of the fruits were evaluated. In addition, the content of bioactive compounds such as total polyphenol content, total antioxidant activity using the ABTS+, DPPH•, and FRAP methods, and the sugar profile were analyzed, and their sensory profile was also evaluated. Physico-chemical differences were found within the “Pero de Cehegín” clones and between the commercial varieties. “Pero de Cehegín” had a high firmness, high total soluble solids, very low total acidity, high FRAP antioxidant capacity, and more sucrose content in comparison with “Fuji” and “Golden Delicious”. These distinctive characteristics and the good appearance of the fruit make this variety a marketable product that will increase the offering of traditional, local, but underutilized fruit varieties.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Veterinarians Towards Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship in Nigeria
Authors: Adekanye Usman O. , Ekiri Abel B. , Galipó Erika , Muhammad Abubakar Bala , Mateus Ana , La Ragione Roberto M. , Wakawa Aliyu , Armson Bryony , Mijten Erik , Alafiatayo Ruth , Varga Gabriel , Cook Alasdair J. C.
Published: July 2020

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern and the inappropriate use of antibiotics in animals and humans is considered a contributing factor. A cross-sectional survey to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of veterinarians regarding AMR and antimicrobial stewardship was conducted in Nigeria. A total of 241 respondents completed an online survey. Only 21% of respondents correctly defined the term antimicrobial stewardship and 59.8% were unaware of the guidelines provided by the Nigeria AMR National Action Plan. Over half (51%) of the respondents indicated that prophylactic antibiotic use was appropriate when farm biosecurity was poor. Only 20% of the respondents conducted antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) frequently, and the unavailability of veterinary laboratory services (82%) and the owner’s inability to pay (72%) were reported as key barriers to conducting AST. The study findings suggest strategies focusing on the following areas may be useful in improving appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship among veterinarians in Nigeria: increased awareness of responsible antimicrobial use among practicing and newly graduated veterinarians, increased dissemination of regularly updated antibiotic use guidelines, increased understanding of the role of good biosecurity and vaccination practices in disease prevention, and increased provision of laboratory services and AST at affordable costs.
Antifungal Effect of A Chimeric Peptide Hn-Mc against Pathogenic Fungal Strains
Authors: Kim Jin-Young , Park Seong-Cheol , Noh Gwangbok , Kim Heabin , Yoo Su-Hyang , Kim Il Ryong , Lee Jung Ro , Jang Mi-Kyeong
Published: July 2020

It is difficult to identify new antifungal agents because of their eukaryotic nature. However, antimicrobial peptides can well differentiate among cell types owing to their variable amino acid content. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal effect of Hn-Mc, a chimeric peptide comprised of the N-terminus of HPA3NT3 and the C-terminus of melittin. We evaluated its potent antifungal activity at low minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 1–16 μM against pathogenic yeast and molds. The cell-type specificity of Hn-Mc was mediated through the formation of a random α-helical structure to mimic the fungal membrane environment. Furthermore, Hn-Mc caused cell death in C. tropicalis and F. oxysporum by inducing apoptosis via the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to mitochondrial damage. The present results indicate that Hn-Mc has a high affinity for the fungal plasma membrane and induces apoptosis in fungal cells, and provide guidance for the development of new antifungal agents.
BVR-A Deficiency Leads to Autophagy Impairment through the Dysregulation of AMPK/mTOR Axis in the Brain—Implications for Neurodegeneration
Authors: Lanzillotta Chiara , Zuliani Ilaria , Vasavda Chirag , Snyder Solomon H. , Paul Bindu D. , Perluigi Marzia , Di Domenico Fabio , Barone Eugenio
Published: July 2020

Biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) impairment is associated with increased accumulation of oxidatively-damaged proteins along with the impairment of autophagy in the brain during neurodegenerative disorders. Reduced autophagy inhibits the clearance of misfolded proteins, which then form neurotoxic aggregates promoting neuronal death. The aim of our study was to clarify the role for BVR-A in the regulation of the mTOR/autophagy axis by evaluating age-associated changes (2, 6 and 11 months) in cerebral cortex samples collected from BVR-A knock-out (BVR-A−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice. Our results show that BVR-A deficiency leads to the accumulation of oxidatively-damaged proteins along with mTOR hyper-activation in the cortex. This process starts in juvenile mice and persists with aging. mTOR hyper-activation is associated with the impairment of autophagy as highlighted by reduced levels of Beclin-1, LC3β, LC3II/I ratio, Atg5–Atg12 complex and Atg7 in the cortex of BVR-A−/− mice. Furthermore, we have identified the dysregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a critical event driving mTOR hyper-activation in the absence of BVR-A. Overall, our results suggest that BVR-A is a new player in the regulation of autophagy, which may be targeted to arrive at novel therapeutics for diseases involving impaired autophagy.
Conformational Equilibrium of NADPH–Cytochrome P450 Oxidoreductase Is Essential for Heme Oxygenase Reaction
Authors: Sugishima Masakazu , Taira Junichi , Sagara Tatsuya , Nakao Ryota , Sato Hideaki , Noguchi Masato , Fukuyama Keiichi , Yamamoto Ken , Yasunaga Takuo , Sakamoto Hiroshi
Published: July 2020

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes heme degradation using electrons supplied by NADPH–cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR). Electrons from NADPH flow first to FAD, then to FMN, and finally to the heme in the redox partner. Previous biophysical analyses suggest the presence of a dynamic equilibrium between the open and the closed forms of CPR. We previously demonstrated that the open-form stabilized CPR (ΔTGEE) is tightly bound to heme–HO-1, whereas the reduction in heme–HO-1 coupled with ΔTGEE is considerably slow because the distance between FAD and FMN in ΔTGEE is inappropriate for electron transfer from FAD to FMN. Here, we characterized the enzymatic activity and the reduction kinetics of HO-1 using the closed-form stabilized CPR (147CC514). Additionally, we analyzed the interaction between 147CC514 and heme–HO-1 by analytical ultracentrifugation. The results indicate that the interaction between 147CC514 and heme–HO-1 is considerably weak, and the enzymatic activity of 147CC514 is markedly weaker than that of CPR. Further, using cryo-electron microscopy, we confirmed that the crystal structure of ΔTGEE in complex with heme–HO-1 is similar to the relatively low-resolution structure of CPR complexed with heme–HO-1 in solution. We conclude that the “open–close” transition of CPR is indispensable for electron transfer from CPR to heme–HO-1.
Theoretical Study of the Iron Complexes with Lipoic and Dihydrolipoic Acids: Exploring Secondary Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Monreal-Corona Roger , Biddlecombe Jesse , Ippolito Angela , Mora-Diez Nelaine
Published: July 2020

The thermodynamic stability of twenty-nine Fe(III) complexes with various deprotonated forms of lipoic (LA) and dihydrolipoic (DHLA) acids, with coordination numbers 4, 5 and 6, is studied at the M06(SMD)/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory in water under physiological pH conditions at 298.15 K. Even though the complexes with LA- are more stable than those with DHLA−, the most thermodynamically stable Fe(III) complexes involve DHLA2−. The twenty-four exergonic complexes are used to evaluate the secondary antioxidant activity of DHLA and LA relative to the Fe(III)/Fe(II) reduction by O2•− and ascorbate. Rate constants for the single-electron transfer (SET) reactions are calculated. The thermodynamic stability of the Fe(III) complexes does not fully correlate with the rate constant of their SET reactions, but more exergonic complexes usually exhibit smaller SET rate constants. Some Cu(II) complexes and their reduction to Cu(I) are also studied at the same level of theory for comparison. The Fe(III) complexes appear to be more stable than their Cu(II) counterparts. Relative to the Fe(III)/Fe(II) reduction with ascorbate, DHLA can fully inhibit the formation of •OH radicals, but not by reaction with O2•−. Relative to the Cu(II)/Cu(I) reduction with ascorbate, the effects of DHLA are moderate/high, and with O2•− they are minor. LA has minor to negligible inhibition effects in all the cases considered.
Synchronization of Heterogeneous Multi-Robotic Cell with Emphasis on Low Computing Power
Authors: Juhás Martin , Juhásová Bohuslava
Published: July 2020

This paper presents a time-synchronization solution for operations performed by a heterogeneous set of robotic manipulators grouped into a production cell. The cell control is realized using master–slave architecture without an external control element. Information transmission in a cell is provided by a TCP/IP channel in which communication is ensured via sockets. The proposed problem solution includes an algorithm, which is verified and validated by simulation and tested in real environment. This algorithm requires minimal computational power thanks to an empirically oriented approach, which enables its processing directly by the control unit of each participating element of the robotic cell. The algorithm works on the basis of monitoring and evaluating time differences among sub-operations of master and slave devices. This ensures defined production cycle milestones of each robotic manipulator in the cell at the same time are attained. Dynamic speed adaptation of slave manipulators utilizing standard instructions of their native language is used. The proposed algorithm also includes a feedforward form of operations synchronization which responds to changes in the operating cycle of the master manipulator. The application of the solution proposal is supplemented with a visualization part. This part represents a complementary form of designed solution implementation.
Terahertz Inspection of Buildings and Architectural Art
Authors: Krügener Kirsti , Ornik Jan , Schneider Lorentz M. , Jäckel Alexander , Koch-Dandolo Corinna L. , Castro-Camus Enrique , Riedl-Siedow Nicole , Koch Martin , Viöl Wolfgang
Published: July 2020

We present a broad literature review on the uses of terahertz radiation for the inspection architectural art, as well as building structures. As an example of the uses of terahertz in this field, we also include original results on a non-destructive assessment of a conservation intervention on murals of the Konstantinbasilika in Trier, Germany while using terahertz time-of-flight spectroscopy.
Engineering Applications of Adaptive Kalman Filtering Based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)
Authors: Bermúdez Ordoñez Juan , Arnaldo Valdés Rosa , Gómez Comendador Victor
Published: July 2020

This paper presents the results of applying the new mechanization of the Kalman filter (KF) algorithm using singular value decomposition (SVD). The proposed algorithm is useful in applications where the influence of round-off errors reduces the accuracy of the numerical solution of the associated Riccati equation. When the Riccati equation does not remain symmetric and positive definite, the fidelity of the solution can degrade to the point where it corrupts the Kalman gain, and it can corrupt the estimate. In this research, we design an adaptive KF implementation based on SVD, provide its derivation, and discuss the stability issues numerically. The filter is derived by substituting the SVD of the covariance matrix into the conventional discrete KF equations after its initial propagation, and an adaptive estimation of the covariance measurement matrix Rk is introduced. The results show that the algorithm is equivalent to current methods in terms of robustness, and it outperforms the estimation accuracy of the conventional Kalman filter, square root, and unit triangular matrix diagonal (UD) factorization methods under ill-conditioned and dynamic applications, and is applicable to most nonlinear systems. Four sample problems from different areas are presented for comparative study from an ill-conditioned sensitivity matrix, navigation with a dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, host vehicle dynamic models, and distance measuring equipment (DME) using simultaneous slant range measurements, performed with a conventional KF and SVD-based (K-SVD) filter.
A Study on the Constructivism Learning Method for BIM/IPD Collaboration Education
Authors: Jin Juan , Hwang Kyung-Eun , Kim Inhan
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study is to verify the effectiveness of the constructivism education theory in building information modeling (BIM)/integrated project delivery (IPD) collaboration education by determining education methods that are most relevant to collaboration in the interaction process. We propose a BIM training model that enhances students’ satisfaction in class and collaboration. We aim to identify interrelationships between BIM collaboration education and constructivism theories, examining constructivism methods in BIM/IPD classes to discern which are the most suitable for improving and enhancing collaboration and the proposed education model. A model of the hypothesis “Constructivism Collaboration Process (CCP)” for BIM/IPD collaboration education was derived and a curriculum was created. The hypothesis model was tested by dividing into an experimental group and control group, and finally, prior and post-satisfaction and collaboration level assessments were performed in the BIM and IPD classes. After evaluating and analyzing the improvement in collaboration level and satisfaction, the results were derived for the hypothetical model of the “Constructivism Collaboration Process (CCP)” and the facts that can have a positive impact on BIM/IPD education.
Analysis of the Supercritical Water Gasification of Cellulose in a Continuous System Using Short Residence Times
Authors: García-Jarana M. Belen , Portela Juan R. , Sánchez-Oneto Jezabel , Martinez de la Ossa Enrique J. , Al-Duri Bushra
Published: July 2020

Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG) has the capacity to generate fuel gas effluent from wet biomass without previously having to dry the biomass. However, substantial efforts are still required to make it a feasible and competitive technology for hydrogen production. Biomass contains cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, so it is essential to understand their behavior in high-pressure systems in order to optimize hydrogen production. As the main component of biomass, cellulose has been extensively studied, and its decomposition has been carried out at both subcritical and supercritical conditions. Most previous works of this model compound were carried out in batch reactors, where reaction times normally take place in a few minutes. However, the present study demonstrates that gasification reactions can achieve efficiency levels of up to 100% in less than ten seconds. The effect of temperature (450–560 °C), the amount of oxidant (from no addition of oxidant to an excess over stoichiometric of 10%, n = 1.1), the initial concentration of organic matter (0.25–2 wt.%) and the addition of a catalyst on the SCWG of cellulose in a continuous tubular reactor at short residence times (from 6 to 10 s) have been studied in this work. Hydrogen yields close to 100% in the gas phase were obtained when operating under optimal conditions. Moreover, a validation of the experimental data has been conducted based on the theoretical data obtained from its kinetics.
Automatic Identification of Local Features Representing Image Content with the Use of Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Tarasiuk Paweł , Tomczyk Arkadiusz , Stasiak Bartłomiej
Published: July 2020

Image analysis has many practical applications and proper representation of image content is its crucial element. In this work, a novel type of representation is proposed where an image is reduced to a set of highly sparse matrices. Equivalently, it can be viewed as a set of local features of different types, as precise coordinates of detected keypoints are given. Additionally, every keypoint has a value expressing feature intensity at a given location. These features are extracted from a dedicated convolutional neural network autoencoder. This kind of representation has many advantages. First of all, local features are not manually designed but are automatically trained for a given class of images. Second, as they are trained in a network that restores its input on the output, they may be expected to minimize information loss. Consequently, they can be used to solve similar tasks replacing original images; such an ability was illustrated with image classification task. Third, the generated features, although automatically synthesized, are relatively easy to interpret. Taking a decoder part of our network, one can easily generate a visual building block connected with a specific feature. As the proposed method is entirely new, a detailed analysis of its properties for a relatively simple data set was conducted and is described in this work. Moreover, to present the quality of trained features, it is compared with results of convolutional neural networks having a similar working principle (sparse coding).
Estimation Method for TBM Cutterhead Drive Design Based on Full-Scale Tunneling Tests for Application in Utility Tunnels
Authors: Kim Kyoungyul , Kim Jungjoo , Ryu Heehwan , Rehman Hafeezur , Jafri Turab H. , Yoo Hankyu , Ha Sanggui
Published: July 2020

The utility tunnels used for electricity transmission are in high demand these days. The literature presents many limitations in the currently used cutterhead drive design procedure while using a shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the excavation of these relatively small diameter tunnels. In order to develop an appropriate design method specially for cutterhead drive, experimental data obtained through the operation of a 3560 mm diameter shield TBM were used in this research work. For experimental purpose, an earth pressure balance (EPB) shield TBM was manufactured and a facility was established for performing the full-scale tunneling tests. Numerous tests were performed through the variation of TBM operational parameters such as thrust force and the rotational speed of the cutterhead at four UCS (Uniaxial compressive strength) levels of artificial rock mass. The relationships between thrust force and torque were mainly established and the effects of UCS and rotational speed of cutterhead on these relationships are analyzed through a representative case of 100 MPa UCS. A novel torque estimation method is also presented in this study which can be conveniently used in the cutterhead drive design while using small diameter shield TBMs.
An Index for Depicting the Long-Term Variability of Mesoscale Eddy Activity over the Kuroshio Extension Region
Authors: Yu Peilong , Zhang Chao , Zhang Lifeng , Chen Xiong , Zhong Quanjia , Yang Minghao , Li Xin
Published: July 2020

Using high-resolution satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data from September 1981 to December 2015, the present study develops a new index to detect the long-term variation in mesoscale eddy activity over the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region. This eddy activity index (EAI) highlights the strength of eddy-induced poleward heat transport and has obvious advantages over the other existing KE indices in depicting the low-frequency changes in KE eddy activity. An analysis of the EAI shows that over the long term, the KE eddy activity variability presents a significant spectral peak of about 8 years and is not directly modulated by wind-driven oceanic Rossby waves generated in the central North Pacific. When the EAI is positive, the strengthened KE eddy activity significantly enhances the heat release from ocean to atmosphere over the Kuroshio–Oyashio confluence region (KOCR). This induces an anomalous dipole pattern of near-surface baroclinicity over this region that can persist for up to 6 months, favoring a weakened and northward-moving East Asian jet, and vice versa. It is believed that the new EAI will facilitate future studies focusing on the climatic effects of the KE eddy activity variation.
Emission of Methyl Ethyl Ketone and 2-Butanol Converted from Methyl Vinyl Ketone in Plant Leaves
Authors: Tani Akira , Muramatsu Kana , Mochizuki Tomoki
Published: July 2020

Methacrolein (MACR) and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) are key intermediate compounds in isoprene-initiated reactions, and they cause the formation of secondary organic aerosols and photochemical ozone. The importance of higher plants as a sink of these compounds and as a source of volatiles converted from these compounds was addressed in the present study. We exposed four non-isoprene-emitting plant species to MACR and MVK at concentrations of several to several hundred ppb, measured their uptake rates, and analyzed the volatiles converted from MACR and MVK by these plants. We used a flow-through chamber method to determine the exchange rates. Both MACR and MVK were absorbed by all plants via stomata. Two metabolites, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and 2-butanol, were detected when MVK was fumigated. The conversion ratio was 26–39% for MEK and 33–44% for all volatiles. Combined with the results of two previous relevant reports, our results suggest that MEK conversion from MVK normally occurs in a wide range of plant species, but the conversion ratio may depend on plant type, i.e., if plant species are isoprene-emitting or non-emitting, as well as on the fumigation concentrations. This finding also emphasizes the importance of bilateral exchange measurements of these compounds at lower concentrations close to ambient levels.
See with Your Eyes, Hear with Your Ears and Listen to Your Heart: Moving from Dyadic Teamwork Interaction towards a More Effective Team Cohesion and Collaboration in Long-Term Spaceflights under Stressful Conditions
Authors: Vlachostergiou Aggeliki , Harisson Andre , Khooshabeh Peter
Published: July 2020

The scientific study of teamwork in the context of long-term spaceflight has uncovered a considerable amount of knowledge over the past 20 years. Although much is known about the underlying factors and processes of teamwork, much is left to be discovered for teams who operate in extreme isolation conditions during spaceflights. Thus, special considerations must be made to enhance teamwork and team well-being for long-term missions during which the team will live and work together. Being affected by both mental and physical stress during interactional context conversations might have a direct or indirect impact on team members’ speech acoustics, facial expressions, lexical choices and their physiological responses. The purpose of this article is (a) to illustrate the relationship between the modalities of vocal-acoustic, language and physiological cues during stressful teammate conversations, (b) to delineate promising research paths to help further our insights into understanding the underlying mechanisms of high team cohesion during spaceflights, (c) to build upon our preliminary experimental results that were recently published, using a dyadic team corpus during the demanding operational task of “diffusing a bomb” and (d) to outline a list of parameters that should be considered and examined that would be useful in spaceflights for team-effectiveness research in similarly stressful conditions. Under this view, it is expected to take us one step towards building an extremely non-intrusive and relatively inexpensive set of measures deployed in ground analogs to assess complex and dynamic behavior of individuals.
Extracellular Vesicles in Acute Stroke Diagnostics
Authors: Stenz Katrine Tang , Just Jesper , Blauenfeldt Rolf Ankerlund , Drasbek Kim Ryun
Published: July 2020

There is a large unmet need for fast and reliable diagnostics in several diseases. One such disease is stroke, where the efficacy of modern reperfusion therapies is highly time-dependent. Diagnosis of stroke and treatment initiation should be performed as soon as possible, and preferably before arrival at the stroke center. In recent years, several potential blood biomarkers for stroke have been evaluated, but without success. In this review, we will go into detail on the possibility of utilizing extracellular vesicles (EVs) released into the blood as novel biomarkers for stroke diagnostics. EVs are known to reflect the immediate state of the secreting cells and to be able to cross the blood–brain barrier, thus making them attractive as diagnostic biomarkers of brain diseases. Indeed, several studies have reported EV markers that enable differentiation between stroke patients and controls and, to a lesser extent, the ability to correctly classify the different stroke types. Most of the studies rely on the use of sophisticated and time-consuming methods to quantify specific subpopulations of the nanosized EVs. As these methods cannot be easily implemented in a rapid point of care (POC) test, technical developments followed by prospective clinical studies are needed.
Novel Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides and Three-Finger Toxins from Viper Venom: Combined NGS Venom Gland Transcriptomics and Quantitative Venom Proteomics of the Azemiops feae Viper
Authors: Babenko Vladislav V. , Ziganshin Rustam H. , Weise Christoph , Dyachenko Igor , Shaykhutdinova Elvira , Murashev Arkady N. , Zhmak Maxim , Starkov Vladislav , Hoang Anh Ngoc , Tsetlin Victor , Utkin Yuri
Published: July 2020

Feae’s viper Azemipos feae belongs to the Azemiopinae subfamily of the Viperidae family. The effects of Viperidae venoms are mostly coagulopathic with limited neurotoxicity manifested by phospholipases A2. From A. feae venom, we have earlier isolated azemiopsin, a novel neurotoxin inhibiting the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. To characterize other A. feae toxins, we applied label-free quantitative proteomics, which revealed 120 unique proteins, the most abundant being serine proteinases and phospholipases A2. In total, toxins representing 14 families were identified, among which bradykinin-potentiating peptides with unique amino acid sequences possessed biological activity in vivo. The proteomic analysis revealed also basal (commonly known as non-conventional) three-finger toxins belonging to the group of those possessing neurotoxic activity. This is the first indication of the presence of three-finger neurotoxins in viper venom. In parallel, the transcriptomic analysis of venom gland performed by Illumina next-generation sequencing further revealed 206 putative venom transcripts. Together, the study unveiled the venom proteome and venom gland transciptome of A. feae, which in general resemble those of other snakes from the Viperidae family. However, new toxins not found earlier in viper venom and including three-finger toxins and unusual bradykinin-potentiating peptides were discovered.
Association of Autism Onset, Epilepsy, and Behavior in a Community of Adults with Autism and Severe Intellectual Disability
Authors: Damiani Stefano , Leali Pietro , Nosari Guido , Caviglia Monica , Puci Mariangela V. , Monti Maria Cristina , Brondino Natascia , Politi Pierluigi
Published: July 2020

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are hard to characterize due to their clinical heterogeneity. Whether epilepsy and other highly prevalent comorbidities may be related to specific subphenotypes such as regressive ASD (i.e., the onset of symptoms after a period of apparently typical development) is controversial and yet to be determined. Such discrepancies may be related to the fact that age, level of cognitive functioning, and environmental variables are often not taken into account. We considered a sample of 20 subjects (i) between 20 and 55 years of age, (ii) with severe/profound intellectual disability, (iii) living in the same rural context of a farm community. As a primary aim, we tested for the association between epilepsy and regressive ASD. Secondly, we explored differences in behavioral and pharmacological profiles related to the presence of each of these conditions, as worse behavioral profiles have been separately associated with both epilepsy and regressive ASD in previous studies. An initial trend was observed for associations between the presence of epilepsy and regressive ASD (odds ratio: 5.33; 95% CI: 0.62–45.41, p-value: 0.086). Secondly, subjects with either regressive ASD or epilepsy showed worse behavioral profiles (despite the higher pharmacotherapy they received). These preliminary results, which need to be further confirmed, suggest the presence of specific associations of different clinical conditions in subjects with rarely investigated phenotypes.
Body Concept and Quality of Life in Patients with Idiopathic Dystonia
Authors: Paracka Lejla , Wegner Florian , Escher Claus , Klietz Martin , de Zwaan Martina , Abdallat Mahmoud , Saryyeva Assel , Krauss Joachim
Published: July 2020

Patients with dystonia experience unusual postures and disfigurement. The aim of the study was to examine changes in the body concept in relation to quality of life and severity of dystonia. Our cohort consisted of 20 patients with idiopathic dystonia resistant to medical therapy who were planned for pallidal deep brain stimulation. The results were compared to 25 healthy controls. The patients were assessed with Frankfurt Body Concept Scale, Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey, Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Social Phobia Inventory and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. The disease severity was evaluated with Burke–Fahn–Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale and Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale. Patients with dystonia had a significantly impaired body concept in eight out of nine subscales in comparison to healthy controls. The differences were most pronounced for the subscales general health, body care, physical efficacy, sexuality and physical appearance (p < 0.001). Furthermore, all eight subscales of SF-36 exhibited significantly lower values in patients with dystonia compared to controls. We also found significant positive correlations between SF-36 and body concept subscales. Impairment of body concept was not associated with disease severity or levels of social anxiety symptoms. However, there was a significant association between self-rated depression and disease severity. Our patients suffered from increased depression and social anxiety symptoms except social interaction anxiety. We conclude that patients with dystonia have significant body concept impairment that interferes with quality of life in both physical and emotional domains. Future studies should focus on assessing these symptoms after adequate therapeutic management of motor symptoms.
Interaction of Strontium Zirconate Plasma Sprayed Coating with Natural Silicate (CMAS) Dust—Origin of Luminescent Phases
Authors: Ctibor Pavel
Published: July 2020

Strontium zirconate (SrZrO3) commercial powder was plasma sprayed using a high-feedrate water-stabilized plasma system (WSP) torch. Coatings with a thickness of about 1 mm were produced. Now, we are concentrating on a topic never addressed for pure SrZrO3 coatings: how the coatings interact with natural dust, known as calcium-magnesium-aluminum-silicate (CMAS). We selected various regimes of thermal treatment where SrZrO3 coatings were exposed to CMAS, and studied chemical changes, phase changes and the microstructure evolution of the influenced coatings. Microhardness of the exposed coatings was monitored as well. The results would help to understand, how the excellent refractory material SrZrO3 interacts with natural silicates. We kept in mind that pure SrZrO3 is not optimal for a thermal barrier application because of high-temperature phase transformations, but to study the CMAS-induced phenomena in more complex compositions, for example La2Zr2O7-SrZrO3, is difficult and interpretations have not been completed currently. The value of the actual research is in the separation of the phenomena typical just for SrZrO3. A potential for newly developed phases to serve as a sacrificial components of various barrier-coating systems is discussed. Several physical aspects of the newly developed components are discussed as well, namely the luminescence. Here the dust-based phases shifted down the temperature at which luminescence can occur in pure SrZrO3 ceramics. The entire thickness of influenced layers was relatively high, around 300 µm. The amorphous component, predominant after short-term CMAS exposure, was subsequently crystallized to various phases, namely SrSiO3 and monoclinic as well as tetragonal zirconia.
A Robust Approximation of the Schur Complement Preconditioner for an Efficient Numerical Solution of the Elliptic Optimal Control Problems
Authors: Muzhinji Kizito , Shateyi Stanford
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we consider the numerical solution of the optimal control problems of the elliptic partial differential equation. Numerically tackling these problems using the finite element method produces a large block coupled algebraic system of equations of saddle point form. These systems are of large dimension, block, sparse, indefinite and ill conditioned. The solution of such systems is a major computational task and poses a greater challenge for iterative techniques. Thus they require specialised methods which involve some preconditioning strategies. The preconditioned solvers must have nice convergence properties independent of the changes in discretisation and problem parameters. Most well known preconditioned solvers converge independently of mesh size but not for the decreasing regularisation parameter. This work proposes and extends the work for the formulation of preconditioners which results in the optimal performances of the iterative solvers independent of both the decreasing mesh size and the regulation parameter. In this paper we solve the indefinite system using the preconditioned minimum residual method. The main task in this work was to analyse the 3 × 3 block diagonal preconditioner that is based on the approximation of the Schur complement form obtained from the matrix system. The eigenvalue distribution of both the proposed Schur complement approximate and the preconditioned system will be investigated since the clustering of eigenvalues points to the effectiveness of the preconditioner in accelerating an iterative solver. This is done in order to create fast, efficient solvers for such problems. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed approximation compared to the other approximations and demonstrate that it can be used in practice. The numerical experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed preconditioner. The solver used is robust and optimal with respect to the changes in both mesh size and the regularisation parameter.
A Trait-Based Clustering for Phytoplankton Biomass Modeling and Prediction
Authors: Mutshinda Crispin M. , Finkel Zoe V. , Widdicombe Claire E. , Irwin Andrew J.
Published: July 2020

When designing models for predicting phytoplankton biomass or characterizing traits, it is useful to aggregate the myriad of species into a few biologically meaningful groups and focus on group-level attributes, the common practice being to combine phytoplankton species by functional types. However, biogeochemists and plankton ecologists debate the most applicable grouping for describing phytoplankton biomass patterns and predicting future community structure. Although trait-based approaches are increasingly being advocated, methods are missing for the generation of trait-based taxa as alternatives to functional types. Here we introduce such a method and demonstrate the usefulness of the resulting clustering with field data. We parameterize a Bayesian model of biomass dynamics and analyze long-term phytoplankton data collected at Station L4 in the Western English Channel between April 2003 and December 2009. We examine the tradeoffs encountered regarding trait characterization and biomass prediction when aggregating biomass by (1) functional types, (2) the trait-based clusters generated by our method, and (3) total biomass. The model conveniently extracted trait values under the trait-based clustering, but required well-constrained priors under the functional type categorization. It also more accurately predicted total biomass under the trait-based clustering and the total biomass aggregation with comparable root mean squared prediction errors, which were roughly five-fold lower than under the functional type grouping. Although the total biomass grouping ignores taxonomic differences in phytoplankton traits, it predicts total biomass change as well as the trait-based clustering. Our results corroborate the value of trait-based approaches in investigating the mechanisms underlying phytoplankton biomass dynamics and predicting the community response to environmental changes.
The Challenges of Green Marketing Communication: Effective Communication to Environmentally Conscious but Skeptical Consumers
Authors: Grebmer Carmen , Diefenbach Sarah
Published: July 2020

Effectively communicating properties of environmental products to consumers can be challenging. This especially pertains to highly environmentally conscious (HEC)—yet skeptical—consumers, since this target group must balance the need for reliable product knowledge with high sensitivity to often ambiguous nonverbal cues about a product’s environmental friendliness (e.g., environmental pictures). Using a group-specific (2 ×) 2 × 2 repeated-measures experimental study, we investigated the effect of communication-channel-specificity (verbal and nonverbal) to convey the environmental friendliness of products and evaluated consumers’ environmental skepticism and attention during product presentation. Environmental information delivered via a verbal/text-based communication channel translates into low skepticism for both HEC and low environmental consciousness (LEC) consumers. However, nonverbal/pictorial communication proved persuasive only for LEC consumers; HEC consumers exhibited high levels of skepticism, which, in turn, decreased the products’ perceived environmental friendliness. The analysis of combined verbal and nonverbal communication presented here provides a promising framework for effective green marketing communication.
Nonsurgical Treatment of Peri-Implantitis: Case Series
Authors: Diachkova Ekaterina , Corbella Stefano , Taschieri Silvio , Tarasenko Svetlana
Published: July 2020

Peri-implantitis is one of the most important biological complication of dental implants. It has inflammatory nature, proved association with plaque accumulation in peri-implant tissues, and can be progressive on background of several factors, like comorbidity factors and bad habits. The prophylaxis and different methods of treatment were discussed during last 30 years, and surgical and nonsurgical techniques have their foes, benefits, and disadvantages. In this article, we describe the case series of various nonsurgical treatments of peri-implantitis with the use of protocols based on the application of local antibiotics (doxycycline, lincomycin, and erythromycin), mechanical and chemical debridement of dental implant surface, and mini-invasive regenerative technique with injections of bovine collagen. All these three cases demonstrated good results with the maintenance of bone level and absence of clinical signs of inflammation for at least a year according to the X-ray imaging (bone defect volume) and clinic assessments (probing depth, bleeding or suppuration, mucosa color, and pain presence).
Thermodynamics in Ecology—An Introductory Review
Authors: Nielsen Søren , Müller Felix , Marques Joao , Bastianoni Simone , Jørgensen Sven
Published: July 2020

How to predict the evolution of ecosystems is one of the numerous questions asked of ecologists by managers and politicians. To answer this we will need to give a scientific definition to concepts like sustainability, integrity, resilience and ecosystem health. This is not an easy task, as modern ecosystem theory exemplifies. Ecosystems show a high degree of complexity, based upon a high number of compartments, interactions and regulations. The last two decades have offered proposals for interpretation of ecosystems within a framework of thermodynamics. The entrance point of such an understanding of ecosystems was delivered more than 50 years ago through Schrödinger’s and Prigogine’s interpretations of living systems as “negentropy feeders” and “dissipative structures”, respectively. Combining these views from the far from equilibrium thermodynamics to traditional classical thermodynamics, and ecology is obviously not going to happen without problems. There seems little reason to doubt that far from equilibrium systems, such as organisms or ecosystems, also have to obey fundamental physical principles such as mass conservation, first and second law of thermodynamics. Both have been applied in ecology since the 1950s and lately the concepts of exergy and entropy have been introduced. Exergy has recently been proposed, from several directions, as a useful indicator of the state, structure and function of the ecosystem. The proposals take two main directions, one concerned with the exergy stored in the ecosystem, the other with the exergy degraded and entropy formation. The implementation of exergy in ecology has often been explained as a translation of the Darwinian principle of “survival of the fittest” into thermodynamics. The fittest ecosystem, being the one able to use and store fluxes of energy and materials in the most efficient manner. The major problem in the transfer to ecology is that thermodynamic properties can only be calculated and not measured. Most of the supportive evidence comes from aquatic ecosystems. Results show that natural and culturally induced changes in the ecosystems, are accompanied by a variations in exergy. In brief, ecological succession is followed by an increase of exergy. This paper aims to describe the state-of-the-art in implementation of thermodynamics into ecology. This includes a brief outline of the history and the derivation of the thermodynamic functions used today. Examples of applications and results achieved up to now are given, and the importance to management laid out. Some suggestions for essential future research agendas of issues that needs resolution are given.
An Objective-Based Entropy Approach for Interpretable Decision Tree Models in Support of Human Resource Management: The Case of Absenteeism at Work
Authors: Singer Gonen , Cohen Izack
Published: July 2020

The negative impact of absenteeism on organizations’ productivity and profitability is well established. To decrease absenteeism, it is imperative to understand its underlying causes and to identify susceptible employee subgroups. Most research studies apply hypotheses testing and regression models to identify features that are correlated with absenteeism—typically, these models are limited to finding simple correlations. We illustrate the use of interpretable classification algorithms for uncovering subgroups of employees with common characteristics and a similar level of absenteeism. This process may assist human resource managers in understanding the underlying reasons for absenteeism, which, in turn, could stimulate measures to decrease it. Our proposed methodology makes use of an objective-based information gain measure in conjunction with an ordinal CART model. Our results indicate that the ordinal CART model outperforms conventional classifiers and, more importantly, identifies patterns in the data that have not been revealed by other models. We demonstrate the importance of interpretability for human resource management through three examples. The main contributions of this research are (1) the development of an information-based ordinal classifier for a published absenteeism dataset and (2) the illustration of an interpretable approach that could be of considerable value in supporting human resource management decision-making.