bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What’s New in Gastric Cancer: The Therapeutic Implications of Molecular Classifications and Future Perspectives
Authors: Tirino Giuseppe , Pompella Luca , Petrillo Angelica , Laterza Maria Maddalena , Pappalardo Annalisa , Caterino Marianna , Orditura Michele , Ciardiello Fortunato , Galizia Gennaro , De Vita Ferdinando
Published: September 2018

Despite some remarkable innovations and the advent of novel molecular classifications the prognosis of patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) remains overall poor and current clinical application of new advances is disappointing. During the last years only Trastuzumab and Ramucirumab have been approved and currently used as standard of care targeted therapies, but the systemic management of advanced disease did not radically change in contrast with the high number of molecular drivers identified. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) classifications paved the way, also for GC, to that more contemporary therapeutic approach called “precision medicine” even if tumor heterogeneity and a complex genetic landscape still represent a strong barrier. The identification of specific cancer subgroups is also making possible a better selection of patients that are most likely to respond to immunotherapy. This review aims to critically overview the available molecular classifications summarizing the main druggable molecular drivers and their possible therapeutic implications also taking advantage of new technologies and acquisitions.
A Synthetic Peptide AWRK6 Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Liver Injury
Authors: Jin Lili , Wang Qiuyu , Zhang Hanyu , Tai Sijia , Liu Hongsheng , Zhang Dianbao
Published: September 2018

During lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis, the liver plays central roles in toxins phagocytosis and clearance to protect the whole body. The liver cells were constantly irritated by LPS which leads to liver injury. While most anti-LPS agents showed little clinical activity against LPS-induced liver injury. Here, the protective effects of the synthetic peptide AWRK6 against LPS-induced liver injury have been investigated in vivo and in vitro. In mice liver homogenate, LPS administration elevated ALT (alanine aminotransferase), iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) and repressed SOD (superoxide dismutase) activities and these changes were remarkably reversed by AWRK6. Histologically, AWRK6 effectively alleviated the histological changes and repressed LPS-induced neutrophils infiltration. By TUNEL assay on liver sections, AWRK6 was proven to inhibit apoptosis induced by LPS in mice livers, which was also verified by the protein levels of cleaved-caspase 9, Bax and Bcl-2. In addition, by in vitro study using HepG2 cells, AWRK6 was found to recover the LPS-reduced cell viability and reduce LPS-induced apoptosis. For mechanisms, AWRK6 was demonstrated to alleviate the LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK, JNK and p38 MAPK, indicating the involvement of MAPKs in the protection of AWRK6 against liver injury. In summary, we have found the synthetic peptide AWRK6 as a promising novel agent for LPS-induced liver injury, by inhibiting cell apoptosis through MAPK signaling pathways, which might bring new strategies for the treatment of acute and chronic liver injuries.
In Vitro Studies on Zinc Binding and Buffering by Intestinal Mucins
Authors: Maares Maria , Keil Claudia , Koza Jenny , Straubing Sophia , Schwerdtle Tanja , Haase Hajo
Published: September 2018

The investigation of luminal factors influencing zinc availability and accessibility in the intestine is of great interest when analyzing parameters regulating intestinal zinc resorption. Of note, intestinal mucins were suggested to play a beneficial role in the luminal availability of zinc. Their exact zinc binding properties, however, remain unknown and the impact of these glycoproteins on human intestinal zinc resorption has not been investigated in detail. Thus, the aim of this study is to elucidate the impact of intestinal mucins on luminal uptake of zinc into enterocytes and its transfer into the blood. In the present study, in vitro zinc binding properties of mucins were analyzed using commercially available porcine mucins and secreted mucins of the goblet cell line HT-29-MTX. The molecular zinc binding capacity and average zinc binding affinity of these glycoproteins demonstrates that mucins contain multiple zinc-binding sites with biologically relevant affinity within one mucin molecule. Zinc uptake into the enterocyte cell line Caco-2 was impaired by zinc-depleted mucins. Yet this does not represent their form in the intestinal lumen in vivo under zinc adequate conditions. In fact, zinc-uptake studies into enterocytes in the presence of mucins with differing degree of zinc saturation revealed zinc buffering by these glycoproteins, indicating that mucin-bound zinc is still available for the cells. Finally, the impact of mucins on zinc resorption using three-dimensional cultures was studied comparing the zinc transfer of a Caco-2/HT-29-MTX co-culture and conventional Caco-2 monoculture. Here, the mucin secreting co-cultures yielded higher fractional zinc resorption and elevated zinc transport rates, suggesting that intestinal mucins facilitate the zinc uptake into enterocytes and act as a zinc delivery system for the intestinal epithelium.
Processing Parameter DOE for 316L Using Directed Energy Deposition
Authors: Sciammarella Federico M. , Salehi Najafabadi Benyamin
Published: September 2018

The ability to produce consistent material properties across a single or series of platforms, particularly over time, is the major objective in metal additive manufacturing (MAM) research. If this can be achieved, it will result in widespread adoption of the technology for industry and place it into mainstream manufacturing. However, before this can happen, it is critical to develop an understanding of how processing parameters influence the thermal conditions which dictate the mechanical properties of MAM builds. Research work reported in the literature of MAM is generally based on a set of parameters and/or the review of a few parameter changes, and observing the effects that these changes (i.e., microstructure, mechanical properties) have. While these articles provide results with some insight, there lacks a standard approach that can be used to allow meaningful comparisons and conclusions to be made concerning the optimization of the processing variables. This study provides a template which can be used for making comparisons across DED platforms. The tests are performed with a design of experiments (DOE) philosophy directed to evaluate the effect of selected parameters on the measured properties of the DED builds. Specifically, a laser engineering net shaping system (LENS) is used to build multilayered 316L coupons and analyze how build parameters such as laser power, travel speed, and powder feed rate influence the thermal conditions that will define both microstructure and microhardness. A fundamental conclusion of this research is that it is possible to repeatedly obtain a consistent microstructure that contains a fine cellular substructure with a low level of porosity (less than 1.1%) and with microhardness that is equal to or better than wrought 316L. This is mainly achieved by maintaining an associated powder flow to travel speed ratio at the power level, ensuring an appropriate net heat input for the build process.
Co-Production of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Fermentable Sugars Assisted by Endoglucanase Treatment of Wood Pulp
Authors: Dai Jing , Chae Michael , Beyene Dawit , Danumah Christophe , Tosto Frank , Bressler David C.
Published: September 2018

In this study, fermentable sugars and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were co-produced from endoglucanase treatment of wood pulp, followed by acid hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed using two endoglucanases differentiated by the presence or absence of a cellulose-binding domain (CBD). The enzyme with an intact CBD gave the higher glucan conversion (up to 14.1 ± 1.2 wt %) and improved the degree of crystallinity of the recovered wood pulp fiber (up to 83.0 ± 1.0%). Thus, this endoglucanase-assisted treatment successfully removed amorphous content from the original cellulosic feedstock. CNC recovery (16.9 ± 0.7 wt %) from the feedstock going into the acid hydrolysis was improved relative to untreated pulp (13.2 ± 0.6 wt %). The mass loss from enzymatic treatment did not cause a decrease in the CNC yield from the starting material. The characteristics of CNCs obtained through acid hydrolysis (with or without enzyme treatment of pulp) were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry as characterization techniques. The CNCs generated through acid hydrolysis of endoglucanase-treated wood pulp displayed comparable properties relative to those generated using untreated pulp. Thus, endoglucanase treatment can enable co-production of CNCs and sugars for biofuel fermentation.
Effect of Thermal Vacancy on Thermodynamic Behaviors in BCC W Close to Melting Point: A Thermodynamic Study
Authors: Tang Ying , Zhang Lijun
Published: September 2018

As temperature increases, the thermal vacancy concentration in pure metals dramatically increases and causes some strongly non-linear thermodynamic behaviors in pure metals when close to their melting points. In this paper, we chose body-centered cubic (bcc) W as the target and presented a thermodynamic model to account for its Gibbs energy of pure bcc W from 0 K to melting point by including the contribution of thermal vacancy. A new formula for interaction part was proposed for describing the quadratic temperature behavior of vacancy formation energy. Based on the experimental/first-principles computed thermodynamic properties, all the parameters in the Gibbs energy function were assessed by following the proposed two-step optimization strategy. The thermodynamic behaviors, i.e., the strong nonlinear increase for temperature dependence of heat capacities at high temperatures and a nonlinear Arrhenius plot of vacancy concentration, in bcc W can be well reproduced by the obtained Gibbs energy. The successful description of thermal vacancy on such strongly non-linear thermodynamic behaviors in bcc W indicates that the presently proposed thermodynamic model and optimization strategy should be universal ones and are applicable to all other metals.
Unusually Small Thermal Expansion of Ordered Perovskite Oxide CaCu3Ru4O12 with High Conductivity
Authors: Tsuruta Akihiro , Nomura Katsuhiro , Mikami Masashi , Kinemuchi Yoshiaki , Terasaki Ichiro , Murayama Norimitsu , Shin Woosuck
Published: September 2018

We measured the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of conducting composite ceramics 30 vol.% CuO-mixed CaCu3Ru4O12 together with CaCu3Ru4O12 and CuO. Although conducting ceramics tend to show higher CTE values than insulators, and its CTE value does not match with other ceramic materials, the CTE of CaCu3Ru4O12 (7–9 × 10−6/K) was as small as those of insulators such as CuO (9 × 10−6/K), alumina (8 × 10−6/K), and other insulating perovskite oxides. We propose that the thermal expansion of CaCu3Ru4O12 was suppressed by the Cu-O bond at the A-site due to the Jahn–Teller effect. This unusually small CTE of CaCu3Ru4O12 compared to other conducting oxides plays a vital role enabling successful coating of 30 vol.% CuO-mixed CaCu3Ru4O12 thick films on alumina substrates, as demonstrated in our previous study.
Colour Stabilization of Oak, Spruce, Larch and Douglas Fir Heartwood Treated with Mixtures of Nanoparticle Dispersions and UV-Stabilizers after Exposure to UV and VIS-Radiation
Authors: Pánek Miloš , Oberhofnerová Eliška , Hýsek Štěpán , Šedivka Přemysl , Zeidler Aleš
Published: September 2018

Colour changes and associated wood degradation in exterior and interior applications influenced by ultraviolet (UV) and visible radiation (VIS) decreases the aesthetic value of the products and shortens the overall life of transparent coatings. The aim of the paper is to achieve colour stabilization of oak, larch, Douglas fir and spruce heartwood via surface treatment with UV stabilizers, hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS), nanoparticles TiO2, ZnO, and mixtures thereof, during exposure to UV and VIS radiation. Colour changes were evaluated during accelerated artificial ageing testing in Xenotest. The distinctly individual character of colour changes in surface treatments due to the underlying wood species was confirmed. A synergistic effect was found when using a combination of active substances compared to substances used individually. The mixture of benzotriazoles with HALS (Tinuvin 5151) in combination with TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles was confirmed as one of the most effective treatments for colour stabilization of wood due to UV and VIS spectrums.
Preparation of Highly Catalytic N-Doped Carbon Dots and Their Application in SERS Sulfate Sensing
Authors: Wang Libing , Li Chongning , Luo Yanghe , Jiang Zhiliang
Published: September 2018

Carbon dots (CD) have excellent stability and fluorescence activity, and have been widely used in fluorescence methods. However, there are no reports about using CD as catalysts to amplify SERS signals to detect trace sulfate. Thus, preparing CD catalysts and their application in SERS sulfate-sensing are significant. In this article, highly catalytic N-doped carbon dots (CDN) were prepared by a hydrothermal procedure. CDN exhibited strong catalysis of the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) reaction between HAuCl4 and H2O2. Vitoria blue 4R (VB4R) has a strong SERS peak at 1614 cm−1 in the formed AuNP sol substrate. When Ba2+ ions were added, they were adsorbed on a CDN surface to inhibit the CDN catalytic activity that caused the SERS peak decreasing. Upon addition of analyte SO42−, a reaction with Ba2+ produced stable BaSO4 precipitate and CDN, and its catalysis recovered to cause SERS intensity increasing linearly. Thus, an SERS method was developed for the detection of 0.02–1.7 μmol/L SO42−, with a detection limit of 0.007 μmol/L.
Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Woven Fabrics with High Electrical Conductivity: Complete Derivation and Verification of Analytical Model
Authors: Neruda Marek , Vojtech Lukas
Published: September 2018

In this paper, electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of woven fabrics with high electrical conductivity is investigated. Electromagnetic interference-shielding woven-textile composite materials were developed from a highly electrically conductive blend of polyester and the coated yarns of Au on a polyamide base. A complete analytical model of the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the materials with apertures is derived in detail, including foil, material with one aperture, and material with multiple apertures (fabrics). The derived analytical model is compared for fabrics with measurement of real samples. The key finding of the research is that the presented analytical model expands the shielding theory and is valid for woven fabrics manufactured from mixed and coated yarns with a value of electrical conductivity equal to and/or higher than σ = 244 S/m and an excellent electromagnetic shielding effectiveness value of 25–50 dB at 0.03–1.5 GHz, which makes it a promising candidate for application in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
The Bisindole Alkaloid Caulerpin, from Seaweeds of the Genus Caulerpa, Attenuated Colon Damage in Murine Colitis Model
Authors: Lucena Alessandra M. M. , Souza Cássio R. M. , Jales Jéssica T. , Guedes Paulo M. M. , De Miranda George E. C. , De Moura Adolpho M. A. , Araújo-Júnior João X. , Nascimento George J. , Scortecci Kátia C. , Santos Barbara V. O. , Souto Janeusa T.
Published: September 2018

Caulerpin (CLP), an alkaloid from algae of the genus Caulerpa, has shown anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effect of CLP in the murine model of peritonitis and ulcerative colitis. Firstly, the mice were submitted to peritonitis to evaluate which dose of CLP (40, 4, or 0.4 mg/kg) could decrease the inflammatory infiltration in the peritoneum. The most effective doses were 40 and 4 mg/kg. Then, C57BL/6 mice were submitted to colitis development with 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and treated with CLP at doses of 40 and 4 mg/kg. The disease development was analyzed through the disease activity index (DAI); furthermore, colonic tissue samples were submitted to histological analysis, NFκB determination, and in vitro culture for cytokines assay. Therefore, CLP at 4 mg/kg presented the best results, triggering improvement of DAI and attenuating the colon shortening and damage. This dose was able to reduce the TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-17, and NFκB p65 levels, and increased the levels of IL-10 in the colon tissue. Thus, CLP mice treatment at a dose of 4 mg/kg showed promising results in ameliorating the damage observed in the ulcerative colitis.
New Anti-Inflammatory Aporphine and Lignan Derivatives from the Root Wood of Hernandia nymphaeifolia
Authors: Wei Chuan-Yen , Wang Shih-Wei , Ye Jin-Wang , Hwang Tsong-Long , Cheng Ming-Jen , Sung Ping-Jyun , Chang Tsung-Hsien , Chen Jih-Jung
Published: September 2018

A new aporphine, 3-hydroxyhernandonine (1) and a new lignin, 4′-O-demethyl-7-O-methyldehydropodophyllotoxin (2), have been isolated from the root wood of Hernanadia nymphaeifolia, together with thirteen known compounds (3–15). The structures of these compounds were determined through mass spectrometry (MS) and spectroscopic analyses. The known isolate, 2-O-methyl-7-oxolaetine (3), was first isolated from natural sources. Among the isolated compounds, 3-hydroxyhernandonine (1), 4′-O-demethyl-7-O-methyldehydropodophyllotoxin (2), hernandonine (4), oxohernangerine (5), and oxohernagine (6) displayed inhibition (IC50 values ≤5.72 μg/mL) of superoxide anion production by human neutrophils in response to formyl-l-methionyl-l-leucyl-l-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB). In addition, 3-hydroxyhernandonine (1), 4′-O-demethyl-7-O-methyldehydropodophyllotoxin (2), oxohernangerine (5), and oxohernagine (6) suppressed fMLP/CB-induced elastase release with IC50 values ≤5.40 μg/mL.
Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation Mediated by Rose Bengal and Erythrosine Is Effective in the Control of Food-Related Bacteria in Planktonic and Biofilm States
Authors: Silva Alex Fiori , Borges Anabela , Freitas Camila Fabiano , Hioka Noboru , Mikcha Jane Martha Graton , Simões Manuel
Published: September 2018

The thermal and chemical-based methods applied for microbial control in the food industry are not always environmentally friendly and may change the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of the final products. Moreover, the efficacy of sanitizing agents may be reduced when microbial cells are enclosed in biofilms. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of photodynamic inactivation, using two xanthene dyes (rose bengal and erythrosine) as photosensitizing agents and green LED as a light source, against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua, Enterococcus hirae and Escherichia coli in both planktonic and biofilm states. Both photosensitizing agents were able to control planktonic cells of all bacteria tested. The treatments altered the physicochemical properties of cells surface and also induced potassium leakage, indicating damage of cell membranes. Although higher concentrations of the photosensitizing agents (ranging from 0.01 to 50.0 μmol/L) were needed to be applied, the culturability of biofilm cells was reduced to undetectable levels. This finding was confirmed by the live/dead staining, where propidium iodide-labeled bacteria numbers reached up to 100%. The overall results demonstrated that photoinactivation by rose bengal and erythrosine may be a powerful candidate for the control of planktonic cells and biofilms in the food sector.
Plasma Retinol Levels and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Prepubertal Children
Authors: De Dios Olaya , Navarro Pilar , Ortega-Senovilla Henar , Herrero Leticia , Gavela-Pérez Teresa , Soriano-Guillen Leandro , Lasunción Miguel A. , Garcés Carmen
Published: September 2018

The relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and plasma antioxidants has been established in adults. However, the association has been rarely investigated in healthy children. Thus, we examined the cross-sectional association of high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels with fat-soluble plasma antioxidant concentrations in a cohort of healthy prepubertal children. We determined hs-CRP levels in 543 healthy six–eight-year-old children using a high-sensitivity CRP enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The plasma concentrations of lipids, apolipoproteins and lipid-soluble antioxidants (α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, lycopene, α-carotene, β-carotene and retinol) were determined using standardized methods. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant correlations between plasma hs-CRP and α-carotene and retinol concentrations. After adjusting by sex, body mass index (BMI) and lipid levels, only the association with retinol remains significant, with children in the highest hs-CRP tertile group (hs-CRP ≥ 0.60 mg/dL) showing significantly lower levels of retinol than those from the tertiles 1 and 2. A stepwise linear regression selected retinol, BMI, apo A-I and sex as predictors of hs-CRP levels, in a model explaining 19.2% of the variability of hs-CRP. In conclusion, in healthy prepubertal children, after adjusting by sex, BMI and lipid levels, hs-CRP concentrations were highly associated with plasma retinol, which is transported in blood bound to retinol-binding protein but were not associated with the lipoprotein-bound antioxidants.
Attitudes toward Nutrition and Dietary Habits and Effectiveness of Nutrition Education in Active Adolescents in a Private School Setting: A Pilot Study
Authors: Partida Samantha , Marshall Autumn , Henry Ruth , Townsend Jeremy , Toy Ann
Published: September 2018

This study was designed to pilot a survey to investigate nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward nutrition, exercise, and dietary habits of active adolescents. Participants included 117 middle school and 40 high school students. General and sport nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, and attitudes toward nutrition education were collected via three electronic surveys. Among middle schoolers, 79.5% of students stated feeling they could benefit from advice about nutrition compared to 92.5% of high school students. The topic scoring the highest in both populations was hydration; the lowest scoring topic category was protein and exercise. Knowledge about healthy eating reportedly comes from parents and coaches most frequently for both high school and middle school students. Less than 40% of students stated their diet meets their nutritional needs. Both middle school and high school students stated a desire to learn more about nutrition, but most nutrition information currently received comes from non-nutrition-related professionals. There is a need for validation of a nutrition knowledge and behavior instrument for United States adolescents, and room for improvement in general and sport nutrition knowledge in active adolescents in all topic areas.
LDL-Cholesterol Lowering of Plant Sterols and Stanols—Which Factors Influence Their Efficacy?
Authors: Trautwein Elke A. , Vermeer Mario A. , Hiemstra Harry , Ras Rouyanne T.
Published: September 2018

The LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering effect of plant sterols/stanols (PSS) is summarized in several meta-analyses showing a dose-response relationship with intakes of 1.5 to 3 g/day lowering LDL-C by 7.5% to 12%. This review summarizes evidence for the impact of various factors potentially influencing the LDL-C-lowering efficacy of PSS. PSS are efficacious in all food formats and in food supplements. Some factors related to food format, e.g., solid vs. liquid foods, seem to impact efficacy, while there is no difference between free PSS and esters. Compared to multiple daily intakes, once-a-day intake of PSS, especially in the morning with light breakfast, leads to a sub-optimal LDL-C lowering. However, intake frequency seems influenced by intake occasion, i.e., with or without a meal, and time of day. Meal intake is a critical factor for an optimal LDL-C lowering efficacy of PSS. While age has no impact, gender is suggested to influence the LDL-C lowering effect of PSS with greater reductions reported for men than women; but overall evidence is inconclusive and larger studies show no gender by treatment interaction. In conclusion, PSS are efficacious in all foods and food supplements; for optimal efficacy they should be consumed with a (main) meal and twice daily.
Associations between Flavonoid Intakes and Gut Microbiota in a Group of Adults with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Li Li , Somerset Shawn
Published: September 2018

Dietary flavonoid intakes can influence gut microbiota (GM), which in turn can affect immune function and host metabolism, both vital considerations in cystic fibrosis (CF) management. In CF, GM may be altered and link to CF respiratory events. This study explored the relationship between flavonoid intakes and GM in free-living adults with CF. Associations between the overall GM variations (unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances between pyrosequencing results of bacterial 16-ss rDNA from frozen faecal samples of sixteen CF adults) and standardised dietary flavonoid intakes (a validated flavonoid-specific food frequency questionnaire) were analysed using adonis tests. Flavonoid intakes that were significant at a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.3 were subjected to Spearman correlation tests with standardised bacterial relative abundances (FDR < 0.3). Gallocatechin intakes (p = 0.047, q = 0.285) were associated with unweighted UniFrac distances. Intakes of apigenin (p = 0.028, q = 0.227) and kaempferol (p = 0.029, q = 0.227), and % flavonoid intake as flavones (p = 0.013, q = 0.227) and flavonols (p = 0.016, q = 0.227) (both excluding contribution of tea) were associated with weighted UniFrac distances. Among these, gallocatechin correlated with the genus Actinomyces and family Actinomycetaceae (Actinobacteria). Gallocatechin correlated negatively with class Coriobacteriia (Actinobacteria). Intakes of some flavonoids may be associated with GM variations with potential consequences for metabolism, immune function, and inflammation, which are important in CF lung disease and co-morbidity management.
Proteomic Analysis of Rapeseed Root Response to Waterlogging Stress
Authors: Xu Jinsong , Qiao Xing , Tian Zhitao , Zhang Xuekun , Zou Xiling , Cheng Yong , Lu Guangyuan , Zeng Liu , Fu Guiping , Ding Xiaoyu , Lv Yan
Published: September 2018

The overall health of a plant is constantly affected by the changing and hostile environment. Due to climate change and the farming pattern of rice (Oryza sativa) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), stress from waterlogging poses a serious threat to productivity assurance and the yield of rapeseed in China’s Yangtze River basin. In order to improve our understanding of the complex mechanisms behind waterlogging stress and identify waterlogging-responsive proteins, we firstly conducted iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification)-based quantitative proteomic analysis of rapeseed roots under waterlogging treatments, for both a tolerant cultivar ZS9 and sensitive cultivar GH01. A total of 7736 proteins were identified by iTRAQ, of which several hundred showed different expression levels, including 233, 365, and 326 after waterlogging stress for 4H, 8H, and 12H in ZS9, respectively, and 143, 175, and 374 after waterlogging stress for 4H, 8H, and 12H in GH01, respectively. For proteins repeatedly identified at different time points, gene ontology (GO) cluster analysis suggested that the responsive proteins of the two cultivars were both enriched in the biological process of DNA-dependent transcription and the oxidation–reduction process, and response to various stress and hormone stimulus, while different distribution frequencies in the two cultivars was investigated. Moreover, overlap proteins with similar or opposite tendencies of fold change between ZS9 and GH01 were observed and clustered based on the different expression ratios, suggesting the two genotype cultivars exhibited diversiform molecular mechanisms or regulation pathways in their waterlogging stress response. The following qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) results verified the candidate proteins at transcription levels, which were prepared for further research. In conclusion, proteins detected in this study might perform different functions in waterlogging responses and would provide information conducive to better understanding adaptive mechanisms under environmental stresses.
Detecting Glucose Levels in Blood Plasma and Artificial Tear by Au(I) Complex on the Carbopol Polymer: A Microfluidic Paper-Based Method
Authors: Luo Jong-Jheng , Pan Sheng-Wei , Yang Jia-Hui , Chang Tian-Lin , Lin Peng-Yi , Wu Chen-Liang , Liu Wei-Fang , Huang Xin-Ru , Koshevoy Igor , Chou Pi-Tai , Ho Mei-Lin
Published: September 2018

We report on a selective paper-based method and a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) for the detection of human plasma glucose and tear glucose using carbopol polymer-encapsulated Au(I) complex (AuC2C6H4OMe)2(Ph2P(C6H4)3PPh2), (B5). To the best of our knowledge, this demonstrates for the first time the glucose sensing based on dual emission, i.e., fluorescence and phosphorescence, of a single type molecule on the carbopol polymer. Upon addition of human blood treated with anticoagulants to μPADs, plasma is separated from the blood and flows into the response region of the μPADs to react with carbopol polymer-encapsulated B5, in which the ratiometric luminescence is analyzed. The plasma glucose concentration can be quantitively detected at 1.0–50.0 mM on paper, and tear glucose can be detected at 0.1–4.0 mM on μPADs. Owing to the structural design, this device has superior ratiometric changes of dual emission over other Au(I) complexes for signal transduction. The encapsulation of carbopol polymer also offers long-term storage stability. In tear measurement, carbopol polymer is not only used to encapsulate enzyme to remain the enzyme’s activity, but also played as a glue (or media) to connect microfluidic channel and response region. This further improves the sensitivity and limit of detection for glucose. Moreover, this sensor provides a faster response time, a wider range for glucose sensing than reported previously, and no statistical difference of the data from a commercial glucometer, allowing for practical diagnosis of diabetes and healthy individuals.
Evaluation of the Stability of the Darbandikhan Dam after the 12 November 2017 Mw 7.3 Sarpol-e Zahab (Iran–Iraq Border) Earthquake
Authors: Al-Husseinawi Yasir , Li Zhenhong , Clarke Peter , Edwards Stuart
Published: September 2018

We used a global positioning system (GPS), levelling, and Sentinel-1 data to evaluate the stability of the Darbandikhan dam in northeast Iraq after the 2017 Mw 7.3 Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake. GPS and levelling datasets collected in March and November 2017 were used to compute the co-seismic surface displacements of the dam. Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images collected between October 2014 and March 2018 were employed to recover the displacement time series of the dam. The large-magnitude displacement gradient on the dam crest hindered the estimation of the co-seismic displacement using this medium-resolution SAR data. However, Sentinel-1 images are sufficient to examine the stability of the dam displacement before and after the earthquake. The results show that the dam was stable between October 2014 and November 2017, but after the earthquake, Sentinel-1 data shows a continuous subsidence of the dam crest between November 2017 and March 2018. To the best knowledge of the authors, this study is the first that utilises InSAR to investigate the behaviour of a dam after a large earthquake.
Remote Sensing Approach to Detect Burn Severity Risk Zones in Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
Authors: Rozario Papia F. , Madurapperuma Buddhika D. , Wang Yijun
Published: September 2018

This study develops a site specific burn severity modelling using remote sensing techniques to develop severity patterns on vegetation and soil in the fire prone region of the Palo Verde National Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Terrain physical features, soil cover, and scorched vegetation characteristics were examined to develop a fire risk model and to quantify probable burned areas. Spectral signatures of affected areas were captured through multi-spectral analysis; i.e., Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Landsat derived differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and relativized dNBR (RdNBR). A partial unmixing algorithm, Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering (MTMF) was used to isolate endmembers for scorched vegetation and soil. The performance of dNBR and RdNBR for predicting ground cover components was acceptable with an overall accuracy of 84.4% and Cohen’s Kappa 0.82 for dNBR and an overall accuracy of 89.4% and Cohen’s Kappa 0.82 for RdNBR. Landsat derived RdNBR showed a strong correlation with scorched vegetation (r2 = 0.76) and moderate correlation with soil cover (r2 = 0.53), which outperformed dNBR. The ecologically diverse and unique park area is threatened by wetland fires, which pose a potential threat to various species. Human induced fires by poachers are a common occurrence in such areas to gain access to these species. This paper aims to prioritize areas that are at a higher risk from fire and model spatial adaptations in relation to the direction of fire within the affected wetlands. This assessment will help wildlife personnel in managing disturbed wetland ecosystems.
Survivability Prediction of Colorectal Cancer Patients: A System with Evolving Features for Continuous Improvement
Authors: Oliveira Tiago , Silva Ana , Satoh Ken , Julian Vicente , Leão Pedro , Novais Paulo
Published: September 2018

Prediction in health care is closely related with the decision-making process. On the one hand, accurate survivability prediction can help physicians decide between palliative care or other practice for a patient. On the other hand, the notion of remaining lifetime can be an incentive for patients to live a fuller and more fulfilling life. This work presents a pipeline for the development of survivability prediction models and a system that provides survivability predictions for years one to five after the treatment of patients with colon or rectal cancer. The functionalities of the system are made available through a tool that balances the number of necessary inputs and prediction performance. It is mobile-friendly and facilitates the access of health care professionals to an instrument capable of enriching their practice and improving outcomes. The performance of survivability models was compared with other existing works in the literature and found to be an improvement over the current state of the art. The underlying system is capable of recalculating its prediction models upon the addition of new data, continuously evolving as time passes.
Future Spaces: Reinventing the Home Network for Better Security and Automation in the IoT Era
Authors: Boussard Mathieu , Thai Bui Dinh , Douville Richard , Justen Pascal , Le Sauze Nicolas , Peloso Pierre , Vandeputte Frederik , Verdot Vincent
Published: September 2018

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are complex systems comprising computation, physical, and networking assets. Used in various domains such as manufacturing, agriculture, vehicles, etc., they blend the control of the virtual and physical worlds. Smart homes are a peculiar type of CPS where the local networking fundamentals have seen little evolution in the past decades, while the context in which home networks operate has drastically evolved. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the number and diversity of devices connected to our home networks are exploding. Some of those devices are poorly secured and put users’ data privacy and security at risk. At the same time, administrating a home network has remained a tedious chore, requiring skills from un-savvy users. We present Future Spaces, an end-to-end hardware-software prototype providing fine-grained control over IoT connectivity to enable easy and secure management of smart homes. Relying on Software-Defined Networking-enabled home gateways and the virtualization of network functions in the cloud, we achieve advanced networking security and automation through the definition of isolated, usage-oriented slices. This disrupts how users discover, control and share their connected assets across multiple domains, smoothly adapting to various usage contexts.
A Novel Nested Configuration Based on the Difference and Sum Co-Array Concept
Authors: Chen Zhenhong , Ding Yingtao , Ren Shiwei , Chen Zhiming
Published: September 2018

Recently, the concept of the difference and sum co-array (DSCa) has attracted much attention in array signal processing due to its high degree of freedom (DOF). In this paper, the DSCa of the nested array (NA) is analyzed and then an improved nested configuration known as the diff-sum nested array (DsNA) is proposed. We find and prove that the sum set for the NA contains all the elements in the difference set. Thus, there exists the dual characteristic between the two sets, i.e., for the difference result between any two sensor locations of the NA, one equivalent non-negative/non-positive sum result of two other sensor locations can always be found. In order to reduce the redundancy for further DOF enhancement, we develop a new DsNA configuration by moving nearly half the dense sensors of the NA to the right side of the sparse uniform linear array (ULA) part. These moved sensors together with the original sparse ULA form an extended sparse ULA. For analysis, we provide the closed form expressions of the DsNA locations as well as the DOF. Compared with some novel sparse arrays with large aperture such as the NA, coprime array and augmented nested array, the DsNA can achieve a higher number of DOF. The effectiveness of the proposed array is proved by the simulations.
NLOS Identification and Positioning Algorithm Based on Localization Residual in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Hua Jingyu , Yin Yejia , Lu Weidang , Zhang Yu , Li Feng
Published: September 2018

The problem of target localization in WSN (wireless sensor network) has received much attention in recent years. However, the performance of traditional localization algorithms will drastically degrade in the non-line of sight (NLOS) environment. Moreover, variable methods have been presented to address this issue, such as the optimization-based method and the NLOS modeling method. The former produces a higher complexity and the latter is sensitive to the propagating environment. Therefore, this paper puts forward a simple NLOS identification and localization algorithm based on the residual analysis, where at least two line-of-sight (LOS) propagating anchor nodes (AN) are required. First, all ANs are grouped into several subgroups, and each subgroup can get intermediate position estimates of target node through traditional localization algorithms. Then, the AN with an NLOS propagation, namely NLOS-AN, can be identified by the threshold based hypothesis test, where the test variable, i.e., the localization residual, is computed according to the intermediate position estimations. Finally, the position of target node can be estimated by only using ANs under line of sight (LOS) propagations. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can successfully identify the NLOS-AN, by which the following localization produces high accuracy so long as there are no less than two LOS-ANs.
Development of Potentiometric Sensors for C2H4 Detection
Authors: Toldra-Reig Fidel , Serra Jose M.
Published: September 2018

Gas exhaust emissions in vehicles are increasingly restrictive in EU and USA. Diesel engines are particularly affected by limitation in hydrocarbons and NOx concentrations. This work presents a screening of working electrode materials to develop a potentiometric sensor, with the most promising material to detect being C2H4 at 550 °C. The device consists of a dense 8YSZ (8 mol% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2) disk as oxide-ion conducting electrolyte, whereas platinum is screen-printed in the back face as reference electrode. As working electrode, several materials such as Fe0.7Cr1.3O3, ZnCr2O4, Fe2NiO4, La0.8Sr0.2CrO3−δ (LSC), La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM), and NiO+5%wt Au were tested to detect C2H4. Sensor voltage was measured for several concentrations of C2H4 and CO as these are two of the major oxidizable compounds in a diesel exhaust gas. Fe0.7Cr1.3O3 was selected as the most promising material because of its response to C2H4 and CO. Not only is the response to the individual analytes important, but the C2H4 cross-sensitivity toward CO is also important. Fe0.7Cr1.3O3 showed a good performance to C2H4, with low cross-sensitivity to CO. In addition, when 0.16 ppm of phenanthrene is added, the sensor still has a slightly better response to C2H4 than to CO. Nevertheless, the sensor exposure to high concentrations (>85 ppm) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons led to signal saturation. On the other hand, the operation in wet conditions induces lower sensor sensitivity to C2H4 and higher cross-sensitivity toward CO increase, i.e., the sensor response becomes similar for C2H4 and CO.
A System for In-Line 3D Inspection without Hidden Surfaces
Authors: Perez-Cortes Juan-Carlos , Perez Alberto J. , Saez-Barona Sergio , Guardiola Jose-Luis , Salvador Ismael
Published: September 2018

This work presents a 3D scanner able to reconstruct a complete object without occlusions, including its surface appearance. The technique presents a number of differences in relation to current scanners: it does not require mechanical handling like robot arms or spinning plates, it is free of occlusions since the scanned part is not resting on any surface and, unlike stereo-based methods, the object does not need to have visual singularities on its surface. This system, among other applications, allows its integration in production lines that require the inspection of a large volume of parts or products, especially if there is an important variability of the objects to be inspected, since there is no mechanical manipulation. The scanner consists of a variable number of industrial quality cameras conveniently distributed so that they can capture all the surfaces of the object without any blind spot. The object is dropped through the common visual field of all the cameras, so no surface or tool occludes the views that are captured simultaneously when the part is in the center of the visible volume. A carving procedure that uses the silhouettes segmented from each image gives rise to a volumetric representation and, by means of isosurface generation techniques, to a 3D model. These techniques have certain limitations on the reconstruction of object regions with particular geometric configurations. Estimating the inherent maximum error in each area is important to bound the precision of the reconstruction. A number of experiments are presented reporting the differences between ideal and reconstructed objects in the system.
Urban Planning and Smart City Decision Management Empowered by Real-Time Data Processing Using Big Data Analytics
Authors: Silva Bhagya Nathali , Khan Murad , Jung Changsu , Seo Jihun , Muhammad Diyan , Han Jihun , Yoon Yongtak , Han Kijun
Published: September 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT), inspired by the tremendous growth of connected heterogeneous devices, has pioneered the notion of smart city. Various components, i.e., smart transportation, smart community, smart healthcare, smart grid, etc. which are integrated within smart city architecture aims to enrich the quality of life (QoL) of urban citizens. However, real-time processing requirements and exponential data growth withhold smart city realization. Therefore, herein we propose a Big Data analytics (BDA)-embedded experimental architecture for smart cities. Two major aspects are served by the BDA-embedded smart city. Firstly, it facilitates exploitation of urban Big Data (UBD) in planning, designing, and maintaining smart cities. Secondly, it occupies BDA to manage and process voluminous UBD to enhance the quality of urban services. Three tiers of the proposed architecture are liable for data aggregation, real-time data management, and service provisioning. Moreover, offline and online data processing tasks are further expedited by integrating data normalizing and data filtering techniques to the proposed work. By analyzing authenticated datasets, we obtained the threshold values required for urban planning and city operation management. Performance metrics in terms of online and offline data processing for the proposed dual-node Hadoop cluster is obtained using aforementioned authentic datasets. Throughput and processing time analysis performed with regard to existing works guarantee the performance superiority of the proposed work. Hence, we can claim the applicability and reliability of implementing proposed BDA-embedded smart city architecture in the real world.
Face Detection in Nighttime Images Using Visible-Light Camera Sensors with Two-Step Faster Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Cho Se Woon , Baek Na Rae , Kim Min Cheol , Koo Ja Hyung , Kim Jong Hyun , Park Kang Ryoung
Published: September 2018

Conventional nighttime face detection studies mostly use near-infrared (NIR) light cameras or thermal cameras, which are robust to environmental illumination variation and low illumination. However, for the NIR camera, it is difficult to adjust the intensity and angle of the additional NIR illuminator according to its distance from an object. As for the thermal camera, it is expensive to use as a surveillance camera. For these reasons, we propose a nighttime face detection method based on deep learning using a single visible-light camera. In a long-distance night image, it is difficult to detect faces directly from the entire image due to noise and image blur. Therefore, we propose Two-Step Faster region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) based on the image preprocessed by histogram equalization (HE). As a two-step scheme, our method sequentially performs the detectors of body and face areas, and locates the face inside a limited body area. By using our two-step method, the processing time by Faster R-CNN can be reduced while maintaining the accuracy of face detection by Faster R-CNN. Using a self-constructed database called Dongguk Nighttime Face Detection database (DNFD-DB1) and an open database of Fudan University, we proved that the proposed method performs better compared to other existing face detectors. In addition, the proposed Two-Step Faster R-CNN outperformed single Faster R-CNN and our method with HE showed higher accuracies than those without our preprocessing in nighttime face detection.