bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cochylimorpha Razowski (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Cochylini) in China: one new species, three newly recorded species and description of the female of three species
Authors: Sun Yinghui , Li Houhun
Published: August 2019

Cochylimorpha subnomadana sp. n., from Mt. Liupan, Ningxia, China is described as new. Cochylimorpha declivana (Kennel, 1901), C. halophilana clavana (Constant, 1888), and C. meridiolana (Ragonot, 1894) are newly recorded for China. The previously unknown females of C. conankinensis (Ge, 1992), C. maleropa (Meyrick, 1937), and C. razowskiana Kuznetzov, 2005 are described for the first time. Photographs of the adults and genitalia are provided, along with a key to all the described Chinese Cochylimorpha species.
OSMANLI TARİHİNDE LEVENDLER
Authors: PUSTU Yunus
Published: August 2019

Osmanlı Tarihinde Levendler kitabı şimdiye kadar levendler hakkında
kaleme alınmış en kapsamlı çalışma olup askeri bir terim olarak levend
tabirinin zihinlerde yeniden şekillenmesine imkân vermektedir. Zira askeri bir
terim olarak “levend” tabirinin zihinlerde bıraktığı ilk intiba Osmanlı donanmasında
hizmet gören nizami bir askeri sınıf olduğu yönündedir.  Fakat gerçekte durum tam olarak böyle
değildir. “Levend” denildiğinde sadece “deniz askeri” akla gelmemeli; aynı
zamanda kara birliklerinde görev yapan levendlerin de olduğu bilinmelidir. Eserin
üzerinde durup dikkat çektiği bir diğer önemli husus ise levendlerin nizami
teşkilata sahip askeri birlikler olup olmadığı meselesidir. Bu yönüyle Osmanlı
Devleti’nin her anlamda nizamlı ve düzenli bir askeri sistemi olduğu görüşüne
bir anti tez niteliğindedir. Eser, bu problem alanlarını tartışmaya açması ve
yanlış oturmuş bilgilerin düzeltilmesi açısında oldukça önemlidir.
ORTA ASYA’DA GÜNÜMÜZE KADAR ULAŞMAYAN CAMİLERİN AHŞAP DİREK VE TAŞ SÜTUNLARI (IX – XII. yy)
Authors: RUSTAMOVA Muhlisa
Published: August 2019

Bu çalışmada, Orta Asya’da IX – XII. yüzyıllarda
inşa edilen Camilerin taşıyıcı unsuru olarak kullanılan ahşap ve ender olarak kullanılan
taş direkleri araştırılmıştır. Bununla birlikte İslam öncesi ahşap malzemenin
Türk boylarının sivil yapılarında kullanım alanları ve ahşap sanatında kat
ettikleri mesafe de incelenmiştir. İslam dininin bölgeye yayılması ile ahşap
sanatı dini mimaride kullanılmaya başlamıştır. Bu amaçla günümüzde Özbekistan,
Tacikistan ve Kazakistan sınırlarında bulunan erken dönem yapılarında sıklıkla
karşılaştığımız, doğal afetlerden, bazen de insan eli ile değişim ve dönüşüme
maruz kalan camilerden geriye kalan direkler ve sütunlar yeniden, etraflıca ele
alınmıştır. Buradan hareketle Orta Asya’dan Anadolu’ya erken dönem camilerinin
taşıyıcı unsurlarının karşılaştırılması yapılmıştır.
BOSTÂN, GÜLİSTÂN VE MESNEVÎ HİKÂYELERİ ÜZERİNE GENEL BİR KARŞILAŞTIRMA
Authors: HASANOĞLU Murat
Published: August 2019

Bu makalede Mevlânâ Celâleddin-i Rûmî’nin Mesnevî’sinde ve Şeyh Sa‘dî-i Şîrâzî’nin
Bostân ve Gülistân adlı eserlerinde yer alan hikâyeler çeşitli yönlerden karşılaştırılmaktadır.
Şeyh Sa‘dî-i Şîrâzî ve Mevlânâ Celaleddin-i Rumî gerek Fars edebiyatında
gerekse bizim edebiyat tarihimizde çok önemli yere sahip iki isimdir. İkisi de
aynı  zaman diliminde yaşamış, benzer
sosyal ve edebî çevrelerde bulunmuşlar ve benzer kaynaklardan beslenmişlerdir.
Eserlerinde yetiştikleri çağın ve edebî kültürün izleri net şekilde
görülmektedir. İki sanatçının da anlattıkları hikâyelerde kıssadan hisse
çıkarılmasını amaçladıkları, didaktik yaklaşımlar gösterdikleri görülmektedir. Hikâyelerde
coğrafya, verilmek istenen genel mesaj, hikâye kaynakları ve kişi kadrosu
bakımından örtüşmeler ve farklılaşmalar incelenmiştir.
Exogenous Let-7a-5p Induces A549 Lung Cancer Cell Death Through BCL2L1-Mediated PI3Kγ Signaling Pathway
Authors: Duan Shuyin , Yu Songcheng , Yuan Teng , Yao Sanqiao , Zhang Lin
Published: August 2019

Elevated expression of let-7a-5p contributes to suppression of lung cancer, in which let-7a-5p, as exosome cargo, can be transported from macrophages to lung cancer cells, yet the role of let-7a-5p remains unclear. Utilizing bioinformatics methods and cellular experiments, this study was designed and conducted to identify let-7a-5p regulatory network in lung cancer. Bioinformatics analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that let-7a-5p could directly target BCL2L1, and aberrant expression of let-7a-5p affects the survival of lung cancer patients, which was confirmed in A549 lung cancer cells using luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, let-7a-5p inhibited BCL2L1 expression and suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Functionally, overexpression of let-7a-5p promoted both autophagy and cell death in A549 lung cancer cells through PI3Kγ signaling pathway, whereas the apoptosis and pyroptosis of A549 lung cancer cells were unaffected. Furthermore, aberrant expression of BCL2L1 significantly altered the expression of lung cancer biomarkers such as MYC, EGFR, and Vimentin. To sum up, these data demonstrate that exogenous let-7a-5p induces A549 lung cancer cell death through BCL2L1-mediated PI3Kγ signaling pathway, which may be a useful target for lung cancer treatment.
Mercury Detection in Benthic and Pelagic Fish Collected from Western Sicily (Southern Italy)
Authors: Cammilleri Gaetano , Galluzzo Francesco Giuseppe , Fazio Francesco , Pulvirenti Andrea , Vella Antonio , Lo Dico Gianluigi Maria , Macaluso Andrea , Ciaccio Gabriele , Ferrantelli Vincenzo
Published: August 2019

In highly polluted water, fish can accumulate mercury up to a concentration of 10 mgKg−1. This has occurred on the eastern coasts of Sicily (Southern Italy), probably due to the intense industrial activity of this area. However, little is known about Hg accumulation in fish of the western Sicilian coasts. In this work, we examined the Hg accumulation of 108 fish samples belonging to 14 species collected from western Sicilian coasts using a direct mercury analyzer. The samples showed a mean mercury concentration of 0.165 ± 0.22 mg kg−1 with a maximum in Lepidopus caudatus (1.72 mgKg−1), exceeding the limits provided by EC Reg. 1881/2006. The lowest Hg levels were found in Sparus aurata samples (0.001 mgKg−1). A significant difference was found between the fish species examined (p < 0.05). The comparison between benthic and pelagic species did not show statistical differences (p < 0.05). Fish food constitutes the main route of Hg uptake for humans. Only four of the 130 samples examined reached a mercury concentration over the European limits. The comparative analysis of Hg pollution for benthic and pelagic species did not confirm a different trend in metal contamination.
Genome-Wide SNPs and InDels Characteristics of Three Chinese Cattle Breeds
Authors: Zhang Fengwei , Qu Kaixing , Chen Ningbo , Hanif Quratulain , Jia Yutang , Huang Yongzhen , Dang Ruihua , Zhang Jicai , Lan Xianyong , Chen Hong , Huang Bizhi , Lei Chuzhao
Published: August 2019

We report genome characterization of three native Chinese cattle breeds discovering ~34.3 M SNPs and ~3.8 M InDels using whole genome resequencing. On average, 10.4 M SNPs were shared amongst the three cattle breeds, whereas, 3.0 M, 4.9 M and 5.8 M were specific to LQ, WN and WS breeds, respectively. Gene ontology (GO)analysis revealed four immune response-related GO terms were over represented in all samples, while two immune signaling pathways were significantly over-represented in WS cattle. Altogether, we found immune related genes (PGLYRP2, ROMO1, FYB2, CD46, TSC1) in the three cattle breeds. Our study provides insights into the genetic basis of Chinese indicine adaptation to the tropic and subtropical environment, and provides a valuable resource for further investigations of genetic characteristics of the three breeds.
MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) Mediates Retinal Endothelial Cell Premature Senescence through Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Loss of Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Thounaojam Menaka C. , Jadeja Ravirajsinh N. , Warren Marie , Powell Folami L. , Raju Raghavan , Gutsaeva Diana , Khurana Sandeep , Martin Pamela M. , Bartoli Manuela
Published: August 2019

Stress-associated premature senescence (SAPS) is involved in retinal microvascular injury and diabetic retinopathy. We have investigated the role and mode of action of miR-34a in retinal endothelial cells senescence in response to glucidic stress. Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HuREC) were exposed to glucidic stress (high glucose (HG) = 25 mM d-glucose) and compared to cells exposed to normal glucose (NG = 5 mM) or the osmotic control l-glucose (LG = 25 mM). HG stimulation of HuREC increased the expression of miR-34a and induced cellular senescence. HG also increased the expression of p16ink4a and p21waf1, while decreasing the histone deacetylase SIRT1. These effects were associated with diminished mitochondrial function and loss of mitochondrial biogenesis factors (i.e., PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM). Transfection of the cells with miR-34a inhibitor (IB) halted HG-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and up-regulation of senescence-associated markers, whereas miR-34a mimic promoted cellular senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, HG lowered levels of the mitochondrial antioxidants TrxR2 and SOD2, an effect blunted by miR-34a IB, and promoted by miR-34a mimic. 3’-UTR (3’-untranslated region) reporter assay of both genes validated TrxR2 as a direct target of miR-34a, but not SOD2. Our results show that miR-34a is a key player of HG-induced SAPS in retinal endothelial cells via multiple pathways involved in mitochondrial function and biogenesis.
Nitrogen Headspace Improves the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Shelf-Life, Preserving Its Functional Properties
Authors: Smeriglio Antonella , Toscano Giovanni , Denaro Marcella , De Francesco Clara , Agozzino Simona , Trombetta Domenico
Published: August 2019

The functional foods field has recently evolved due to new research being carried out in the food area and greater regulations; these factors have contributed to the creation of health claims, and to the increasing attention that consumers give to health-promoting food products. The aim of this research was to improve the shelf-life of a typical functional food of the Mediterranean diet, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). We focused our attention on the standardization and validation of a production process, starting from the cultivation and harvesting of the olives, which would guarantee a product of quality in terms of bioactive compound content. Furthermore, a methodology/procedure to preserve them in the best way over a long period of time, in order to guarantee the consumer receives a product that retains its functional and organoleptic native properties, was evaluated. The monitoring of biological cultivations, harvesting, milling process, and storage, as well as careful quality control of the analytical parameters (e.g., contents of polyphenols, α-tocopherol, fatty acids, acidity, peroxides, dienes, trienes, ΔK, and antioxidant power) showed that, under the same conditions, a nitrogen headspace is a discriminating factor for the maintenance of the functional properties of EVOO.
Anthocyanins and Their Metabolites as Therapeutic Agents for Neurodegenerative Disease
Authors: Winter Aimee N. , Bickford Paula C.
Published: August 2019

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are characterized by the death of neurons within specific regions of the brain or spinal cord. While the etiology of many neurodegenerative diseases remains elusive, several factors are thought to contribute to the neurodegenerative process, such as oxidative and nitrosative stress, excitotoxicity, endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein aggregation, and neuroinflammation. These processes culminate in the death of vulnerable neuronal populations, which manifests symptomatically as cognitive and/or motor impairments. Until recently, most treatments for these disorders have targeted single aspects of disease pathology; however, this strategy has proved largely ineffective, and focus has now turned towards therapeutics which target multiple aspects underlying neurodegeneration. Anthocyanins are unique flavonoid compounds that have been shown to modulate several of the factors contributing to neuronal death, and interest in their use as therapeutics for neurodegeneration has grown in recent years. Additionally, due to observations that the bioavailability of anthocyanins is low relative to that of their metabolites, it has been proposed that anthocyanin metabolites may play a significant part in mediating the beneficial effects of an anthocyanin-rich diet. Thus, in this review, we will explore the evidence evaluating the neuroprotective and therapeutic potential of anthocyanins and their common metabolites for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Characteristics of Selected Antioxidative and Bioactive Compounds in Meat and Animal Origin Products
Authors: Kulczyński Bartosz , Sidor Andrzej , Gramza-Michałowska Anna
Published: August 2019

Meat and meat products have a high nutritional value. Besides major components, meat is rich in bioactive components, primarily taurine, l-carnitine, choline, alpha-lipoic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, glutathione, creatine, coenzyme Q10 and bioactive peptides. Many studies have reported their antioxidant and health-promoting properties connected with their lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory activity and protecting the organism against oxidative stress. The antioxidant activity of meat components results, among others, from the capability of scavenging reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, forming complexes with metal ions and protecting cells against damage. This review is focused to gather accurate information about meat components with antioxidant and biological activity.
Growth Performance and Characterization of Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens Supplemented with Betaine and Antioxidants under Cyclic Heat Stress
Authors: Shakeri Majid , Cottrell Jeremy J. , Wilkinson Stuart , Le Hieu H. , Suleria Hafiz A. R. , Warner Robyn D. , Dunshea Frank R.
Published: August 2019

Heat stress (HS) causes oxidative stress, which compromises broiler performance and meat quality. The aim of this study was to determine whether dietary antioxidants could be used as an amelioration strategy. Seventy-two day-old-male Ross-308 chicks were exposed to either thermoneutral or cyclical heat stress conditions. Diets were either control commercial diet (CON), CON plus betaine (BET), or with a combination of betaine, selenized yeast, and vitamin E (BET + AOX). Heat stress increased the rectal temperature (p < 0.001), respiration rate (p < 0.001), decreased blood pCO2 (p = 0.002), and increased blood pH (p = 0.02), which indicated the HS broilers had respiratory alkalosis. Final body weight was decreased by HS (p < 0.001), whereas it was improved with BET (p = 0.05). Heat stress reduced cooking loss (p = 0.007) and no effect on drip loss, while BET decreased the drip loss (p = 0.01). Heat stress reduced the myofibril fragmentation index (p < 0.001) and increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (p < 0.001), while these were improved with the combination of BET + AOX (p = 0.003). In conclusion, BET overall improved growth rates and product quality in this small university study, whereas some additional benefits were provided by AOX on product quality in both TN and HS broilers.
Corrosion-Fatigue Evaluation of Uncoated Weathering Steel Bridges
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zheng Kaifeng , Heng Junlin , Zhu Jin
Published: August 2019

Uncoated weathering steel (UWS) bridges have been extensively used to reduce the lifecycle cost since they are maintenance-free and eco-friendly. However, the fatigue issue becomes significant in UWS bridges due to the intended corrosion process utilized to form the corrodent-proof rust layer instead of the coating process. In this paper, an innovative model is proposed to simulate the corrosion-fatigue (C-F) process in UWS bridges. Generally, the C-F process could be considered as two relatively independent stages in a time series, including the pitting process of flaw-initiation and the fatigue crack propagation of the critical pitting flaw. In the proposed C-F model, Faraday’s law has been employed at the critical flaw-initiation stage to describe the pitting process, in which the pitting current is applied to reflect the pitting rate in different corrosive environments. At the crack propagation stage, the influence of pitting corrosion is so small that it can be safely ignored. In simulating the crack propagation stage, the advanced NASGRO equation proposed by the NASA is employed instead of the classic Paris’ law, in which a modified fatigue limit is adopted. The fatigue limit is then used to determine the critical size of pitting flaws, above which the fatigue effect joins as a parallel driving force in crack propagation. The model is then validated through the experimental data from published articles at the initiation stage as well as the whole C-F process. Two types of structural steel, i.e., HPS 70W and 14MnNbq steel, have been selected to carry out a case study. The result shows that the C-F life can be notably prolonged in the HPS 70W due to the enhancement in fatigue strength and corrosion resistance. Besides, a sensitivity analysis has been made on the crucial parameters, including the stress range, stress ratio, corrosive environment and average daily truck traffic (ADTT). The result has revealed the different influence of the above parameters on the initiation life and propagation life.
Virtual Scene Construction for Seismic Damage of Building Ceilings and Furniture
Authors: Xu Zhen , Zhang Huazhen , Wei Wei , Yang Zhebiao
Published: August 2019

A valid seismic damage scene for indoor nonstructural components is critical for virtual earthquake safety drills which can teach occupants how to survive in earthquakes. A virtual scene construction method for the seismic damage of suspended ceilings and moveable furniture is proposed based on FEMA P-58 and a physics engine. First, a modeling framework is designed based on building information modeling (BIM) to create consistent structural and scene models for the subsequent structural time-history analysis (THA) and scene construction. Subsequently, FEMA P-58 is employed to determine the damage states of nonstructural components based on the results of the THA. Finally, the physical models on the movements of the damaged components are designed using a physics engine and are also validated through the experiments such as an existing shaking table test. Considering a six-story building as a case study, a virtual earthquake scene of the indoor nonstructural components is constructed and applied in an earthquake safety drill. The outcome of this study provides well-founded scenes of the seismic damage to indoor nonstructural components for performing virtual earthquake safety drills.
Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus in the Iberian Peninsula: An Annotated Segmented Dataset and a Proof of Concept of a Classifier in a Real Environment
Authors: Bertran Marta , Alsina-Pagès Rosa Ma , Tena Elena
Published: August 2019

Bats have an important role in the ecosystem, and therefore an effective detection of their prevalence can contribute to their conservation. At present, the most commonly methodology used in the study of bats is the analysis of echolocation calls. However, many other ultrasound signals can be simultaneously recorded, and this makes species location and identification a long and difficult task. This field of research could be greatly improved through the use of bioacoustics which provide a more accurate automated detection, identification and count of the wildlife of a particular area. We have analyzed the calls of two bat species—Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus—both of which are common types of bats frequently found in the Iberian Peninsula. These two cryptic species are difficult to identify by their morphological features, but are more easily identified by their echolocation calls. The real-life audio files have been obtained by an Echo Meter Touch Pro 1 bat detector. Time-expanded recordings of calls were first classified manually by means of their frequency, duration and interpulse interval. In this paper, we first detail the creation of a dataset with three classes, which are the two bat species but also the silent intervals. This dataset can be useful to work in mixed species environment. Afterwards, two automatic bat detection and identification machine learning approaches are described, in a laboratory environment, which represent the previous step to real-life in an urban scenario. The priority in that approaches design is the identification using short window analysis in order to detect each bat pulse. However, given that we are concerned with the risks of automatic identification, the main aim of the project is to accelerate the manual ID process for the specialists in the field. The dataset provided will help researchers develop automatic recognition systems for a more accurate identification of the bat species in a laboratory environment, and in a near future, in an urban environment, where those two bat species are common.
Identification of Knee Cartilage Changing Pattern
Authors: Almajalid Rania , Shan Juan , Du Yaodong , Zhang Ming
Published: August 2019

This paper studied the changing pattern of knee cartilage using 3D knee magnetic resonance (MR) images over a 12-month period. As a pilot study, we focused on the medial tibia compartment of the knee joint. To quantify the thickness of cartilage in this compartment, we utilized two methods: one was measurement through manual segmentation of cartilage on each slice of the 3D MR sequence; the other was measurement through cartilage damage index (CDI), which quantified the thickness on a few informative locations on cartilage. We employed the artificial neural networks (ANNs) to model the changing pattern of cartilage thickness. The input feature space was composed of the thickness information at a cartilage location as well as its neighborhood from baseline year data. The output categories were ‘changed’ and ‘no-change’, based on the thickness difference at the same location between the baseline year and the 12-month follow-up data. Different ANN models were trained by using CDI features and manual segmentation features. Further, for each type of feature, individual models were trained at different subregions of the medial tibia compartment, i.e., the bottom part, the middle part, the upper part, and the whole. Based on the experiment results, we found that CDI features generated better prediction performance than manual segmentation, on both whole medial tibia compartment and any subregion. For CDI, the best performance in term of AUC was obtained using the central CDI locations (AUC = 0.766), while the best performance for manual segmentation was obtained using all slices of the 3D MR sequence (AUC = 0.656). As experiment results showed, the CDI method demonstrated a stronger pattern of cartilage change than the manual segmentation method, which required up to 6-hour manual delineation of all MRI slices. The result should be further validated by extending the experiment to other compartments.
Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Neural Networks for Linear Sum Assignment Problems
Authors: Minh-Tuan Nguyen , Kim Yong-Hwa
Published: August 2019

Many resource allocation problems can be modeled as a linear sum assignment problem (LSAP) in wireless communications. Deep learning techniques such as the fully-connected neural network and convolutional neural network have been used to solve the LSAP. We herein propose a new deep learning model based on the bidirectional long short-term memory (BDLSTM) structure for the LSAP. In the proposed method, the LSAP is divided into sequential sub-assignment problems, and BDLSTM extracts the features from sequential data. Simulation results indicate that the proposed BDLSTM is more memory efficient and achieves a higher accuracy than conventional techniques.
Information Fusion for Multi-Source Material Data: Progress and Challenges
Authors: Zhou Jingren , Hong Xin , Jin Peiquan
Published: August 2019

The development of material science in the manufacturing industry has resulted in a huge amount of material data, which are often from different sources and vary in data format and semantics. The integration and fusion of material data can offer a unified framework for material data representation, processing, storage and mining, which can further help to accomplish many tasks, including material data disambiguation, material feature extraction, material-manufacturing parameters setting, and material knowledge extraction. On the other side, the rapid advance of information technologies like artificial intelligence and big data, brings new opportunities for material data fusion. To the best of our knowledge, the community is currently lacking a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art techniques on material data fusion. This review first analyzes the special properties of material data and discusses the motivations of multi-source material data fusion. Then, we particularly focus on the recent achievements of multi-source material data fusion. This review has a few unique features compared to previous studies. First, we present a systematic categorization and comparison framework for material data fusion according to the processing flow of material data. Second, we discuss the applications and impact of recent hot technologies in material data fusion, including artificial intelligence algorithms and big data technologies. Finally, we present some open problems and future research directions for multi-source material data fusion.
Jumping on the Edge—First Evidence for a 2 × 6-meric Hemocyanin in Springtails
Authors: Schmidt Juliane , Decker Heinz , Marx Michael T.
Published: August 2019

Hemocyanins are respiratory dioxygen carrier proteins found in many arthropods including ancient terrestrial species such as spiders and scorpions as well as marine horseshoe crabs. As hemocyanins are highly conserved in this lineage, it is possible to observe an evolutionary descent through its subunits and their overall structure. Unfortunately, little is known about the structure and function of hexapod hemocyanins. Using recent springtail taxa (Collembola) as models for basal hexapods, and the help of electron microscopy, light scattering, SDS PAGE, and Western blot, we could demonstrate for the first time the presence of 2 × 6-meric hemocyanins in the hemolymph of hexapods. The quaternary structure is composed of at least two different subunits and looks nearly identical to the hemocyanin found in decapod crustaceans. In addition, homology modeling and western blotting suggest a close structural relationship between collembolan and crustacean hemocyanin. Such a respiratory protein was possibly helpful in the early terrestrialization process of ancient Collembola. In addition, physiological adaptations to hypoxic or temporarily anoxic conditions could be a possible explanation for the presence of this respiratory protein. Nevertheless, it has to be concluded that the primary benefit of hemocyanin for springtails remains unclear.
Molecular Responses during Plant Grafting and Its Regulation by Auxins, Cytokinins, and Gibberellins
Authors: Sharma Anket , Zheng Bingsong
Published: August 2019

Plant grafting is an important horticulture technique used to produce a new plant after joining rootstock and scion. This is one of the most used techniques by horticulturists to enhance the quality and production of various crops. Grafting helps in improving the health of plants, their yield, and the quality of plant products, along with the enhancement of their postharvest life. The main process responsible for successful production of grafted plants is the connection of vascular tissues. This step determines the success rate of grafts and hence needs to be studied in detail. There are many factors that regulate the connection of scion and stock, and plant hormones are of special interest for researchers in the recent times. These phytohormones act as signaling molecules and have the capability of translocation across the graft union. Plant hormones, mainly auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, play a major role in the regulation of various key physiological processes occurring at the grafting site. In the current review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of graft development and the phytohormone-mediated regulation of the growth and development of graft union.
Phenolic Profiling and Biological Potential of Ficus curtipes Corner Leaves and Stem Bark: 5-Lipoxygenase Inhibition and Interference with NO Levels in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Macrophages
Authors: Andrade Catarina , Ferreres Federico , Gomes Nelson G. M. , Duangsrisai Sutsawat , Srisombat Nattawut , Vajrodaya Srunya , Pereira David M. , Gil-Izquierdo Angel , Andrade Paula B. , Valentão Patrícia
Published: August 2019

The economic value of fig trees has been globally acknowledged due to their utilization in the food industry, being also frequently used in traditional medicine. While ubiquitously distributed in Southeast Asia, Ficus curtipes Corner remains uninvestigated concerning its biological properties and chemical profile. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn characterization of methanol extracts obtained from the stem bark and leaves allowed the identification and quantitation of 21 phenolic compounds for the first time; the stem bark was predominantly rich in flavan-3-ols and apigenin derivatives, while solely apigenin-di-glycosides have been identified and quantitated on the leaf extract. Both extracts inhibited 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) activity in a concentration-dependent manner, the one obtained from the stem bark being significantly more active (IC50 = 10.75 μg/mL). The effect of both extracts on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages was evaluated, and while the stem bark extract did not lead to a noticeable interference on nitric oxide (NO) levels, the extract obtained from the leaves notably decreased NO and L-citrulline levels at concentrations ranging from 250 to 500 μg/mL. Herein, F. curtipes is valorized due to its modulatory effects on inflammatory mediators and also as a source of bioactive phenols, which may fuel further studies on the development of nutraceuticals.
Advances in Nanosensors for Biological and Environmental Analysis: Book Review. Akash Deep, Sandeep Kumar (Eds.); Elsevier 2019; ISBN: 978-0-12-817456-2
Authors: Kaushik Ajeet
Published: August 2019

A book entitled “Advances in Nanosensors for Biological and Environmental Analysis” published by Elsevier in 2019, is reviewed carefully and critically in this report. In this book, editors explored nanotechnology assisted approaches to develop smart and efficient nanosensors for biological and environmental analysis. Fundamental approaches to prototype development and a focus towards designing miniaturized sensing systems and for point-of-care application, along with considering commercial aspects are key features of this book. This book has potential to serve as a foundation platform for scholars of various disciplines to plan and manage multi-display research in the field of biomedical nanotechnology for diagnostics and environmental monitoring.
Atom Probe Tomography (APT) Characterization of Organics Occluded in Single Calcite Crystals: Implications for Biomineralization Studies
Authors: Pérez-Huerta Alberto , Suzuki Michio , Cappelli Chiara , Laiginhas Fernando , Kintsu Hiroyuki
Published: August 2019

Occlusion of organic components in synthetic calcite crystals has been recently used as a model to understand the role of intra-crystalline organics in biominerals. However, the characterization of the distribution of both types of organics inside these calcite crystals is very challenging. Here, we discuss the potential of using the technique of atom probe tomography (APT) for such characterization, focusing on the analysis of chitin incorporation in single crystals. Additionally, APT has at least the same spatial resolution as TEM tomography, yet with the advantage of obtaining quantitative chemical data. Results show that chitin, either after degradation with yatalase or in the form of nanofibers, forms discrete clusters (2 to 5 nm) in association to water and hydronium molecules, rather than forming a 3D network inside crystals. Overall findings indicate that APT can be an ideal technique to characterize intra-crystalline organic components in abiogenic and biogenic carbonates to further advance our understanding of biomineralization.
Magnetic Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Ozonation of Organic Pollutants
Authors: Orge Carla A. , Soares O. Salomé G. P. , Ramalho Patrícia S. F. , Pereira M. Fernando R. , Faria Joaquim L.
Published: August 2019

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) composed of iron oxide (or other metal–FeO cores) coated with carbon produced by chemical vapour decomposition (CVD) were used in the photocatalytic ozonation of oxamic acid (OMA) which we selected as a model pollutant. The incorporation of Ag and Cu on FeO enhanced the efficiency of the process. The carbon phase significantly increased the photocatalytic activity towards the conversion of OMA. As for the synthesis process, raising the temperature of CVD improved the performance of the produced photocatalysts. The obtained results suggested that the carbon phase is directly related to high catalytic activity. The most active photocatalyst (C@FeO_CVD850) was used in the removal of other compounds (dyes, industrial pollutants and herbicides) from water and high mineralization levels were attained. This material was also revealed to be stable during reutilisation.
Wet Peroxide Oxidation of Paracetamol Using Acid Activated and Fe/Co-Pillared Clay Catalysts Prepared from Natural Clays
Authors: Santos Silva Adriano , Seitovna Kalmakhanova Marzhan , Kabykenovna Massalimova Bakytgul , G. Sgorlon Juliana , Jose Luis Diaz de Tuesta , T. Gomes Helder
Published: August 2019

Many pharmaceuticals have been recently identified at trace levels worldwide in the aquatic environment. Among them, the highly consumed paracetamol (PCM), an analgesic and antipyretic drug, is largely being accumulated in the aquatic environment due to inefficient removal by conventional sewage treatment plants. This work deals with the treatment of PCM, used as a model pharmaceutical contaminant of emerging concern, by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation using clay-based materials as catalysts. The catalysts were prepared from natural clays, extracted from four different deposits using acid-activated treatment, calcination, and pillarization with Fe and Co. Pillared clays show the highest catalytic activity owing to the presence of metals, allowing to remove completely the PCM after 6 h under the following operating conditions: CPCM = 100 mg L−1, CH2O2 = 472 mg L−1, Ccat = 2.5 g L−1, initial pH = 3.5 and T = 80 °C. The prepared materials presented high stability since leached iron was measured at the end of reaction and found to be lower than 0.1 mg L−1.
DNA Methylation as a Future Therapeutic and Diagnostic Target in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Ciechomska Marzena , Roszkowski Leszek , Maslinski Wlodzimierz
Published: August 2019

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disease of unknown etiology that leads to progressive joint destruction and ultimately to disability. RA affects as much as 1% of the population worldwide. To date, RA is not a curable disease, and the mechanisms responsible for RA development have not yet been well understood. The development of more effective treatments and improvements in the early diagnosis of RA is direly needed to increase patients’ functional capacity and their quality of life. As opposed to genetic mutation, epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, are reversible, making them good therapeutic candidates, modulating the immune response or aggressive synovial fibroblasts (FLS—fibroblast-like synoviocytes) activity when it is necessary. It has been suggested that DNA methylation might contribute to RA development, however, with insufficient and conflicting results. Besides, recent studies have shown that circulating cell-free methylated DNA (ccfDNA) in blood offers a very convenient, non-invasive, and repeatable “liquid biopsy”, thus providing a reliable template for assessing molecular markers of various diseases, including RA. Thus, epigenetic therapies controlling autoimmunity and systemic inflammation may find wider implications for the diagnosis and management of RA. In this review, we highlight current challenges associated with the treatment of RA and other autoimmune diseases and discuss how targeting DNA methylation may improve diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches.
Down-Regulation of Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate Synthetase 1 Inhibits Neuroblastoma Cell Proliferation
Authors: Li Jifu , Ye Junhong , Zhu Shunqin , Cui Hongjuan
Published: August 2019

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase 1 (PRPS1) is a key enzyme in de novo nucleotide synthesis and nucleotide salvage synthesis pathways that are critical for purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis. Abnormally high expression of PRPS1 can cause many diseases, including hearing loss, hypotonia, and ataxia, in addition to being associated with neuroblastoma. However, the role of PRPS1 in neuroblastoma is still unclear. In this study, we found that PRPS1 was commonly expressed in neuroblastoma cells and was closely related to poor prognosis for cancer. Furthermore, down-regulation of PRPS1 inhibited neuroblastoma cell proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo via disturbing DNA synthesis. This study provides new insights into the treatment of neuroblastoma patients and new targets for drug development.
Effects of siRNA-Mediated Knockdown of GSK3β on Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival and Neurite/Axon Growth
Authors: Ahmed Zubair , Morgan-Warren Peter J. , Berry Martin , Scott Robert A. H. , Logan Ann
Published: August 2019

There are contradictory reports on the role of the serine/threonine kinase isoform glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) after injury to the central nervous system (CNS). Some report that GSK3 activity promotes axonal growth or myelin disinhibition, whilst others report that GSK3 activity prevents axon regeneration. In this study, we sought to clarify if suppression of GSK3β alone and in combination with the cellular-stress-induced factor RTP801 (also known as REDD1: regulated in development and DNA damage response protein), using translationally relevant siRNAs, promotes retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and neurite outgrowth/axon regeneration. Adult mixed retinal cell cultures, prepared from rats at five days after optic nerve crush (ONC) to activate retinal glia, were treated with siRNA to GSK3β (siGSK3β) alone or in combination with siRTP801 and RGC survival and neurite outgrowth were quantified in the presence and absence of Rapamycin or inhibitory Nogo-A peptides. In in vivo experiments, either siGSK3β alone or in combination with siRTP801 were intravitreally injected every eight days after ONC and RGC survival and axon regeneration was assessed at 24 days. Optimal doses of siGSK3β alone promoted significant RGC survival, increasing the number of RGC with neurites without affecting neurite length, an effect that was sensitive to Rapamycin. In addition, knockdown of GSK3β overcame Nogo-A-mediated neurite growth inhibition. Knockdown of GSK3β after ONC in vivo enhanced RGC survival but not axon number or length, without potentiating glial activation. Knockdown of RTP801 increased both RGC survival and axon regeneration, whilst the combined knockdown of GSK3β and RTP801 significantly increased RGC survival, neurite outgrowth, and axon regeneration over and above that observed for siGSK3β or siRTP801 alone. These results suggest that GSK3β suppression promotes RGC survival and axon initiation whilst, when in combination with RTP801, it also enhanced disinhibited axon elongation.
Influenza A Hemagglutinin Passage Bias Sites and Host Specificity Mutations
Authors: Lee Raphael T. C. , Chang Hsiao-Han , Russell Colin A. , Lipsitch Marc , Maurer-Stroh Sebastian
Published: August 2019

Animal studies aimed at understanding influenza virus mutations that change host specificity to adapt to replication in mammalian hosts are necessarily limited in sample numbers due to high cost and safety requirements. As a safe, higher-throughput alternative, we explore the possibility of using readily available passage bias data obtained mostly from seasonal H1 and H3 influenza strains that were differentially grown in mammalian (MDCK) and avian cells (eggs). Using a statistical approach over 80,000 influenza hemagglutinin sequences with passage information, we found that passage bias sites are most commonly found in three regions: (i) the globular head domain around the receptor binding site, (ii) the region that undergoes pH-dependent structural changes and (iii) the unstructured N-terminal region harbouring the signal peptide. Passage bias sites were consistent among different passage cell types as well as between influenza A subtypes. We also find epistatic interactions of site pairs supporting the notion of host-specific dependency of mutations on virus genomic background. The sites identified from our large-scale sequence analysis substantially overlap with known host adaptation sites in the WHO H5N1 genetic changes inventory suggesting information from passage bias can provide candidate sites for host specificity changes to aid in risk assessment for emerging strains.
Compositional and Morphological Changes in Water-Induced Early-Stage Degradation in Lead Halide Perovskites
Authors: Chen Shi , Solanki Ankur , Pan Jisheng , Sum Tze Chein
Published: August 2019

With tremendous improvements in lead halide perovskite-based optoelectronic devices ranging from photovoltaics to light-emitting diodes, the instability problem stands as the primary challenge in their development. Among all factors, water is considered as one of the major culprits to the degradation of halide perovskite materials. For example, CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) and CH(NH2)2PbI3 (FAPbI3) decompose into PbI2 in days under ambient conditions. However, the intermediate changes of this degradation process are still not fully understood, especially the changes in early stage. Here we perform an in-situ investigation of the early-stage MAPbI3 and FAPbI3 degradation under high water vapor pressure. By probing the surface and bulk of perovskite samples using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) and XRD, our findings clearly show that PbI2 formation surprisingly initiates below the top surface or at grain boundaries, thus offering no protection as a water-blocking layer on surface or grain boundaries to slow down the degradation process. Meanwhile, significant morphological changes are observed in both samples after water vapor exposure. In comparison, the integrity of MAPbI3 film degrades much faster than the FAPbI3 film against water vapor. Pinholes and large voids are found in MAPbI3 film while only small number of pinholes can be found in FAPbI3 film. However, the FAPbI3 film suffers from its phase instability, showing a fast α-to-δ phase transition. Our results highlight the importance of the compositional and morphological changes in the early stage degradation in perovskite materials.
Automatic Single Droplet Generator with Control over Droplet Size and Detachment Frequency
Authors: Gawel Dorota , Zawala Jan
Published: August 2019

This paper presents a quite simple, fully automatized single droplet generator, which can be an alternative for more expensive and complicated microfluidic devices. The simple generation nozzle connected to the pressure cells and cheap peristaltic pumps, synchronized via developed software with simple GUI (graphical user interface) implemented into the Raspberry Pi microcomputer allows precise control over the single droplet diameter and detachment frequency. The generator allows the formation of droplets of quite wide range of diameters without the need of orifice diameter replacements. Free control over time available for adsorption of surface active-substances over the surface of immobilized droplet, before its detachment from the orifice, is an advantage of the developed device.
Photomechanical Azobenzene Crystals
Authors: Taniguchi Takuya , Asahi Toru , Koshima Hideko
Published: August 2019

Photomechanically responsive materials are promising candidates for future smart actuator applications. The photo-responsive behaviors originate from the photoisomerization of photochromic molecules. A typical photochromic compound, azobenzene, has been studied extensively in the solution state and has played a crucial role in the photomechanical behaviors of materials such as polymers and gels, via chemical bridging with their matrix. In contrast to polymers and gels, the photomechanical attributes of molecular crystals have not progressed to the same degree, due to their rigidity and fragility. However, the past decade has witnessed an increasing number of reports of the photomechanical motion of molecular crystals, including azobenzene crystals. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art of mechanically responsive azobenzene crystals, including the history, crystal design strategy, and future promising applications.
Fault Tolerant Control of Electronic Throttles with Friction Changes
Authors: Qi Haiying , Mayhew Clifford , Zhai Yujia , Wang Shuangxin , Yu Dingli , Gomm J. Barry , Zhang Qian
Published: August 2019

To enhance the reliability of the electronic throttle and consequently the vehicles driven by the internal combustion engines, a fault tolerant control strategy is developed in this paper. The proposed method employs a full-order terminal sliding mode control in conjunction with an adaptive radial basis function network to estimate change rate of the fault. Fault tolerant control to abrupt and incipient changes in the throttle viscous friction torque coefficient and the throttle coulomb friction torque coefficient is achieved. Whilst the throttle position is driven to track the reference signal, the post-fault dynamics are guaranteed to converge to the equilibrium point in finite time, and the control is smooth without chattering. A nonlinear Simulink model of an electronic throttle is developed with real physical parameters and is used for evaluation of the developed method. A significant change of the throttle friction torque is simulated, and the fault tolerant control system keeps system stability and tracking the reference signal in the presence of the fault.
Method for Determining Starting Point of Rolling Bearing Life Prediction Based on Linear Regression
Authors: Gao Caixia , Lv Ke , Wu Tong , Si Jikai , Hu Yihua
Published: August 2019

Aimed at addressing the problem that the subjective selection of start prediction time (SPT) in rolling bearing remaining useful life (RUL) prediction will lead to excessive noise in the prediction signal, a linear-regression-based SPT point determination was proposed. The sliding window linear regression method was used to establish sliding windows in the root mean square (RMS) range to obtain the RMS gradient domain. The threshold for the RMS gradient was set, and the continuous trigger threshold mechanism to determine the SPT point was used. The experimental results show that the linear-regression-based method can adaptively determine the SPT point and improve the accuracy of life prediction.