bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of Arabic Part of Speech Taggers Using Literary Text Samples from Saudi Novels
Authors: Alluhaibi Reyadh , Alfraidi Tareq , Abdeen Mohammad A. R. , Yatimi Ahmed
Published: December 2021

Part of Speech (POS) tagging is one of the most common techniques used in natural language processing (NLP) applications and corpus linguistics. Various POS tagging tools have been developed for Arabic. These taggers differ in several aspects, such as in their modeling techniques, tag sets and training and testing data. In this paper we conduct a comparative study of five Arabic POS taggers, namely: Stanford Arabic, CAMeL Tools, Farasa, MADAMIRA and Arabic Linguistic Pipeline (ALP) which examine their performance using text samples from Saudi novels. The testing data has been extracted from different novels that represent different types of narrations. The main result we have obtained indicates that the ALP tagger performs better than others in this particular case, and that Adjective is the most frequent mistagged POS type as compared to Noun and Verb.
Sol-Gel Combustion Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Luminescence of Cr3+ and Mn4+ Ions in Nanocrystalline SrAl4O7
Authors: Stadnik Vitalii , Hreb Vasyl , Luchechko Andriy , Zhydachevskyy Yaroslav , Suchocki Andrzej , Vasylechko Leonid
Published: December 2021

A series of strontium dialuminate SrAl4O7 nanopowders with the grossite-type structure doped with chromium and manganese ions were synthesized by the combined sol–gel solution combustion method with use of two different strontium salts. The Cr3+ and Mn4+ ions concentrations were varied from 0.05 to 5 at.%. Evolution of phase composition, crystal structure, and microstructural parameters of the nanocrystalline materials depending on the synthesis conditions, temperature of thermal treatment, and dopant content were investigated by the X-ray powder diffraction and the scanning electron microscopy techniques. Photoluminescent properties of SrAl4O7 nanophosphors activated with Cr3+ and Mn4+ ions were studied at room temperature. The samples exhibit typical photoluminescence in the deep-red spectral region, corresponding to d-d transitions in Cr3+ or Mn4+ ions. The intensity of this deep-red emission is dependent on the dopant concentration and annealing temperature. Features of the formation of octahedral surroundings around Cr3+ or Mn4+ ions are discussed.
Reclassification of Gall Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiini) from Amaranthaceae, with Description of Ten New Species Based on an Integrative Taxonomic Study
Authors: Dorchin Netta , Shachar Einat , Friedman Ariel Leib Leonid , Bronstein Omri
Published: December 2021

The genus Halodiplosis includes 99 species restricted to host-plants of the Amaranthaceae, virtually all of which are from Central Asia. The discovery of numerous undescribed species putatively belonging to this genus in Israel instigated an exhaustive review of the original descriptions of all known species in this genus. This study revealed that the generic concept of Halodiplosis and some of the genera synonymized under it should be redefined based on morphological and life-history attributes, such that Halodiplosis is limited to only 13 species developing in plant tissues without obvious gall formation or as inquilines in galls of other cecidomyiids. Revised status were proposed for Asiodiplosis, Onodiplosis, and Desertomyia, all species of which are gall inducers. A detailed morphological study of the Israeli species combined with data on their life history and an analysis of mitochondrial COI and 16S gene sequences revealed nine gall-inducing species belonging to Asiodiplosis and one inquilinous species belonging to Halodiplosis. All ten species (Asiodiplosis admirabilis n.sp., A. bimoda n.sp., A. delicatula n.sp., A. largifica n.sp., A. mohicana n.sp., A. mucronata n.sp., A. paradoxa n.sp., A. pillosaeconspicua n.sp., A. stellata n.sp., and Halodiplosis fugax n.sp.) are described here as new to science, including the first descriptions of larvae and pupae for these genera.
Scheduling of AGVs in Automated Container Terminal Based on the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) Using the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
Authors: Chen Chun , Hu Zhi-Hua , Wang Lei
Published: December 2021

In order to improve the horizontal transportation efficiency of the terminal Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), it is necessary to focus on coordinating the time and space synchronization operation of the loading and unloading of equipment, the transportation of equipment during the operation, and the reduction in the completion time of the task. Traditional scheduling methods limited dynamic response capabilities and were not suitable for handling dynamic terminal operating environments. Therefore, this paper discusses how to use delivery task information and AGVs spatiotemporal information to dynamically schedule AGVs, minimizes the delay time of tasks and AGVs travel time, and proposes a deep reinforcement learning algorithm framework. The framework combines the benefits of real-time response and flexibility of the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm, and can dynamically adjust AGVs scheduling strategies according to the input spatiotemporal state information. In the framework, firstly, the AGVs scheduling process is defined as a Markov decision process, which analyzes the system’s spatiotemporal state information in detail, introduces assignment heuristic rules, and rewards the reshaping mechanism in order to realize the decoupling of the model and the AGVs dynamic scheduling problem. Then, a multi-channel matrix is built to characterize space–time state information, the CNN is used to generalize and approximate the action value functions of different state information, and the DDPG algorithm is used to achieve the best AGV and container matching in the decision stage. The proposed model and algorithm frame are applied to experiments with different cases. The scheduling performance of the adaptive genetic algorithm and rolling horizon approach is compared. The results show that, compared with a single scheduling rule, the proposed algorithm improves the average performance of task completion time, task delay time, AGVs travel time and task delay rate by 15.63%, 56.16%, 16.36% and 30.22%, respectively; compared with AGA and RHPA, it reduces the tasks completion time by approximately 3.10% and 2.40%.
Modeling the Habitat Distribution of Acanthopagrus schlegelii in the Coastal Waters of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Using MAXENT with Fishery and Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Teng Sheng-Yuan , Su Nan-Jay , Lee Ming-An , Lan Kuo-Wei , Chang Yi , Weng Jinn-Shing , Wang Yi-Chen , Sihombing Riah Irawati , Vayghan Ali Haghi
Published: December 2021

Black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, is among the most commercially valuable species in the coastal fishery industry and marine ecosystems. Catch data comprising capture locations for the gillnet fisheries, remotely sensed environmental data (i.e., sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, and current velocity), and topography (bathymetry) from 2015 to 2018 were used to construct a spatial habitat distribution of black sea bream. This species is concentrated in coastal waters (<3 nm) from December to April (spawning season). The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) method and corresponding habitat suitability index among seasons were used to clarify the species’ spatial distribution and identify the seasonal variations in habitat selection. The patterns corresponded closely to the changes in oceanographic conditions, and the species exhibited synchronous trends with the marine environment’s seasonal dynamics. Chlorophyll-a concentration and bathymetry substantially influenced (80.1–92.9%) black sea bream’s habitat selection. By applying the MaxEnt model, the optimal habitats were identified with four variables including depth and satellite-derived temperature, current velocity and chlorophyll-a concentration, which provides a foundation for the scientific assessment and management of black sea bream in coastal waters of the Eastern Taiwan Strait.
A Semi-Analytical Model for Studying Hydroelastic Behaviour of a Cylindrical Net Cage under Wave Action
Authors: Ma Mingyuan , Zhang Hong , Jeng Dong-Sheng , Wang Chien Ming
Published: December 2021

In the present study, a semi-analytical model based on the small-amplitude wave theory is developed to describe the wave fields around a single gravity-type cylindrical open fish net cage. The cage may be submerged to different depths below the free-water surface. The fish cage net is modelled as a flexible porous membrane, and the deflection of the net chamber is expressed by the transverse vibration equation of strings. The velocity potential is expanded in the form of the Fourier–Bessel series and the unknown coefficients in these series are determined from matching the boundary conditions and the least squares method. The number of terms for the series solution to be used is determined from convergence studies. The model results exhibit significant hydroelastic characteristics of the net cages, including the distribution properties of wave surface, pressure drop at the net interface, structural deflection, and wave loading along the cage height. In addition, the relationships between wave forces on the net cage with hydrodynamic and structural parameters are also revealed. The findings presented herein should be useful to engineers who are designing fish cage systems.
People Financing Entrepreneurs within and outside the Family: Pandemic Decline and Resilience in Cultures around the World
Authors: Tolba Ahmed , Ismail Ayman , Schøtt Thomas
Published: December 2021

People may finance entrepreneurs, often family members. Here, the question is: how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s funding of family-related entrepreneurs and non-family-related entrepreneurs? The pandemic predictably reduced the funding of family-related entrepreneurs and especially the financing of non-family-related entrepreneurs. However, a culture supportive of family businesses may alleviate the declining funding of family-related entrepreneurs, predictably, while a secular–rational culture supportive of non-family businesses may alleviate the declining financing of non-family-related entrepreneurs. Similar to a field experiment, a globally representative survey was conducted before and after the disruption in 42 countries, interviewing 266,983 adults either before or after the disruption. The individual-level data are combined with national-level data on culture, amenable to hierarchical linear modeling. People’s financing of family-related entrepreneurs and especially of non-family-related entrepreneurs are found to have declined with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, culture provides resilience, in that the declining funding of family-related entrepreneurs was alleviated where the culture supports family businesses, and the declining funding of non-family-related entrepreneurs was alleviated in societies with a secular–rational culture. The findings contribute to contextualizing business angel financing temporally, as embedded in time before and after the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, and societally, as embedded in culture providing resilience.
Biochar Enriched with Buffalo Slurry Improved Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamics, Nutrient Uptake and Growth Attributes of Wheat by Reducing Leaching Losses of Nutrients
Authors: Javeed Hafiz Muhammad Rashad , Ali Mazhar , Ahmed Imtiaz , Wang Xiukang , Al-Ashkar Ibrahim , Qamar Rafi , Ibrahim Abdullah , Habib-Ur-Rahman Muhammad , Ditta Allah , EL Sabagh Ayman
Published: December 2021

The present investigation was conducted to understand the role of enriched biochar on soil nitrogen and carbon dynamics, leaching losses of nutrients, and growth attributes of wheat. Buffalo slurry (BS) was used to enrich the biochar for 24 h and 2% biochar (SB) or enriched biochar (SEB) was used. Enrichment of biochar with BS as SEB improved the C and N contents of biochar by 33–310% and 41–286% respectively. The application of biochar (SB) and enriched biochar (SEB) reduced the net nitrification by 81% and 94%, ammonification by 48% and 74%, and carbon dioxide by 50% and 92% respectively as compared to control. The leaching losses minerals i.e., C (by 30%), N (by 125%), P (by 50%), K (by 82%), Na (by 9%), Ca (by 24%), and Mg (by 12%) was decreased in SEB treatments compared to control. The soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass (MBC and MBN), wheat agronomy, soil bulk density and soil pore density, mineral uptake from the soil, and mineral contents in the plant body were improved in the SEB as compared to SB and control treatments. Our results revealed that the biochar enrichment process could improve the C and N storage in the soil reservoir and lower the environmental risks to soil and water.
The Alien Plants That Threaten South Africa’s Mountain Ecosystems
Authors: Canavan Kim , Canavan Susan , Clark Vincent Ralph , Gwate Onalenna , Richardson David Mark , Sutton Guy Frederick , Martin Grant Douglas
Published: December 2021

The six major mountain ranges in South Africa support critically important ecosystem services—notably water production—and are rich in biodiversity and endemism. These mountains are threatened by detrimental land uses, unsustainable use of natural resources, climate change, and invasive alien plants. Invasive alien plants pose substantial and rapidly increasing problems in mountainous areas worldwide. However, little is known about the extent of plant invasions in the mountains of South Africa. This study assessed the status of alien plants in South African mountains by determining sampling efforts, species compositions and abundances across the six ranges in lower-and higher-elevation areas. Species occurrence records were obtained from three databases that used various approaches (roadside surveys, citizen science observations, focused botanical surveys). Most mountain ranges were found to be undersampled, and species composition assessments were only possible for two ranges. The majority of abundant alien plants in both the lower- and higher-elevation areas were species with broad ecological tolerances and characterised by long distance seed dispersal. These prevalent species were mostly woody plants—particularly tree species in the genera Acacia, Pinus, and Prosopis—that are contributing to the trend of woody plant encroachment across South African mountains. We suggest improved mountain-specific surveys to create a database which could be used to develop management strategies appropriate for each mountain range.
Diverse Effect of Two Cytokinins, Kinetin and Benzyladenine, on Plant Development, Biotic Stress Tolerance, and Gene Expression
Authors: Bozsó Zoltán , Barna Balázs
Published: December 2021

The plant hormones cytokinins affect a various array of plant growth and development processes as well as responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the opposite effect of two different cytokinins kinetin (N6-furfuryladenine) and benzyladenine (BA) on development and on the tolerance of Arabidopsis and tobacco plants to virus, bacteria, and fungi infection was reported. Treatments of Arabidopsis and tobacco seedlings with saturated solutions of BA inhibited plant progress, while treatments with saturated water solution of kinetin promoted plant development. Furthermore, BA pre-treatments strongly reduced the number of TMV (Tobacco mosaic virus) lesions on tobacco and the tissue damage caused by the incompatible Pseudomonas bacteria on Arabidopsis and tobacco leaves. Similarly, BA pre-treatment significantly reduced the necrotic disease symptoms of Botrytis cinerea infection. Kinetin pre-treatments had a much weaker or no protective effect on the damage caused by the above pathogens. Accordingly, Arabidopsis gene expression profiles after treatments also showed that the two cytokinins have different effects on several plant processes. The gene expression results supported the more robust effect of BA, which up and downregulated more than 2000 genes, while only 436 genes were influenced by kinetin treatment. It is noteworthy that BA and kinetin treatment changed gene expressions in the same direction only in a relatively few cases (73 upregulated and 70 downregulated genes), and even 28 genes were regulated into the opposite directions by BA and kinetin. Both treatments had a strong effect on auxin and gibberellin-related genes, but only BA had a significant effect on cytokinin-induced processes. While kinetin exclusively activated the flavonoid synthesis genes, BA affected more significantly protein synthesis, photosynthesis, and plant defence-related genes. In conclusion, BA solution had sometimes the opposite and generally a much stronger effect than kinetin solution not only on the development and on biotic stress tolerance of tobacco and Arabidopsis plants but also on the gene expressions. The stronger protective effect of BA to necrotic stresses is probably due to its stronger senescence inhibitory effect on plant tissues, as supported by the stronger chlorophyll retardation of the BA-treated leaves.
Laser Melting Deposition Additive Manufacturing of Ti6Al4V Biomedical Alloy: Mesoscopic In-Situ Flow Field Mapping via Computational Fluid Dynamics and Analytical Modelling with Empirical Testing
Authors: Mahmood Muhammad Arif , Ur Rehman Asif , Pitir Fatih , Salamci Metin Uymaz , Mihailescu Ion N.
Published: December 2021

Laser melting deposition (LMD) has recently gained attention from the industrial sectors due to producing near-net-shape parts and repairing worn-out components. However, LMD remained unexplored concerning the melt pool dynamics and fluid flow analysis. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and analytical models have been developed. The concepts of the volume of fluid and discrete element modeling were used for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Furthermore, a simplified mathematical model was devised for single-layer deposition with a laser beam attenuation ratio inherent to the LMD process. Both models were validated with the experimental results of Ti6Al4V alloy single track depositions on Ti6Al4V substrate. A close correlation has been found between experiments and modelling with a few deviations. In addition, a mechanism for tracking the melt flow and involved forces was devised. It was simulated that the LMD involves conduction-mode melt flow only due to the coaxial addition of powder particles. In front of the laser beam, the melt pool showed a clockwise vortex, while at the back of the laser spot location, it adopted an anti-clockwise vortex. During printing, a few partially melted particles tried to enter into the molten pool, causing splashing within the melt material. The melting regime, mushy area (solid + liquid mixture) and solidified region were determined after layer deposition. This research gives an in-depth insight into the melt flow dynamics in the context of LMD printing.
X-ray CT Analysis of the Cross-Section of a 3D-Printed Deformed Layer
Authors: Lee Ho-Jae , Seo Eun-A , Kim Won-Woo , Yang Jun-Mo , Moon Jae-Heum
Published: December 2021

In this study, we experimentally analyzed the deformation shape of stacked layers developed using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The nozzle traveling speed was changed to 80, 90, 100, and 110 mm/s when printing the layers to analyze its effect on layer deformation. Furthermore, the cross-sectional area and the number of layers were analyzed by printing five layers with overall dimensions of 1000 (w) × 2200 (l) × 50 (h) mm (each layer was 10 mm high) using Vernier calipers. Moreover, we analyzed the interface and cross-sectional area of layers that are difficult to confirm visually using X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) analysis. As a result of measuring the deformation at the center of the layer, it was confirmed that the deformation was greater for lower nozzle traveling speeds. Consequently, the X-ray CT analysis verified that the layer had the same cross-sectional area irrespective of the layer printing order at the same nozzle travel speed, even if the layer was deformed.
Optimization of Pre-Heat Treatment for Nitriding
Authors: Steinbacher Matthias , Hoja Stefanie
Published: December 2021

To achieve a core strength that meets the requirements during service life, components to be nitrided are subjected to a pre-heat treatment. Since a higher strength prior to nitriding also has a positive effect on the achievable strength in the nitrided layer, an optimization of the pre-heat treatment may lead to better service characteristics of nitrided components. For this purpose, different optimizations of pre-heat treatment were investigated on the nitriding and quenching and tempering steels EN31CrMoV9 and EN42CrMo4 (AISI4140). One strategy was a change of the austenitization temperature for EN31CrMoV9 from 870 °C to 950 °C in order to solve the coarse carbides of the as-delivered state and realize a finer distribution of the carbides in the quenched and tempered structure. This special treatment lead to a higher hardness compared to the conventional treatment. The second investigated pre-heat treatment variant was a bainitic treatment instead of quenching and tempering. The bainitic initial microstructure increased the diffusion depth compared to conventionally quenched and tempered specimens. In addition the maximum hardness of the nitrided layer, the core hardness was significantly higher on the specimens with the bainitic microstructure. During subsequent nitriding, however, the bainite is tempered and loses some of its hardness.
Hypergraph-Supervised Deep Subspace Clustering
Authors: Hu Yu , Cai Hongmin
Published: December 2021

Auto-encoder (AE)-based deep subspace clustering (DSC) methods aim to partition high-dimensional data into underlying clusters, where each cluster corresponds to a subspace. As a standard module in current AE-based DSC, the self-reconstruction cost plays an essential role in regularizing the feature learning. However, the self-reconstruction adversely affects the discriminative feature learning of AE, thereby hampering the downstream subspace clustering. To address this issue, we propose a hypergraph-supervised reconstruction to replace the self-reconstruction. Specifically, instead of enforcing the decoder in the AE to merely reconstruct samples themselves, the hypergraph-supervised reconstruction encourages reconstructing samples according to their high-order neighborhood relations. By the back-propagation training, the hypergraph-supervised reconstruction cost enables the deep AE to capture the high-order structure information among samples, facilitating the discriminative feature learning and, thus, alleviating the adverse effect of the self-reconstruction cost. Compared to current DSC methods, relying on the self-reconstruction, our method has achieved consistent performance improvement on benchmark high-dimensional datasets.
Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression of Spatial Dynamic Durbin Panel Data Model with Fixed Effects
Authors: Chen Danqing , Chen Jianbao , Li Shuangshuang
Published: December 2021

This paper studies a quantile regression spatial dynamic Durbin panel data (SDDPD) model with fixed effects. Conventional fixed effects estimators of quantile regression specification are usually biased in the presentation of lagged response variables in spatial and time as regressors. To reduce this bias, we propose the instrumental variable quantile regression (IVQR) estimator with lagged covariates in spatial and time as instruments. Under some regular conditions, the consistency and asymptotic normalityof the estimators are derived. Monte Carlo simulations show that our estimators not only perform well in finite sample cases at different quantiles but also have robustness for different spatial weights matrices and for different disturbance term distributions. The proposed method is used to analyze the influencing factors of international tourism foreign exchange earnings of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2017.
Cryptocurrency as Epidemiologically Safe Means of Transactions: Diminishing Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Spread
Authors: Boguslavsky Dmitry V. , Sharova Natalia P. , Sharov Konstantin S.
Published: December 2021

In comparison with other respiratory viruses, the current COVID-19 pandemic’s rapid seizing the world can be attributed to indirect (contact) way of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus in addition to the regular airborne way. A significant part of indirect transmission is made through cash bank notes. SARS-CoV-2 remains on cash paper money for period around four times larger than influenza A virus and is absorbed by cash notes two and a half times more effectively than influenza A (our model). During the pandemic, cryptocurrencies have gained attractiveness as an “epidemiologically safe” means of transactions. On the basis of the authors’ gallop polls performed online with social networks users in 44 countries in 2020–2021 (the total number of clear responses after the set repair 32,115), around 14.7% of surveyed participants engaged in cryptocurrency-based transactions during the pandemic. This may be one of the reasons of significant rise of cryptocurrencies rates since mid-March 2020 till the end of 2021. The paper discusses the reasons for cryptocurrency attractiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, there are fear of SARS-CoV-2 spread via cash contacts and the ability of the general population to mine cryptocurrencies. The article also provides a breakdown of the polled audience profile to determine the nationalities that have maximal level of trust to saving and transacting money as cryptocurrencies.
An Uninvited Seat at the Dinner Table: How Apicomplexan Parasites Scavenge Nutrients from the Host
Authors: Piro Federica , Focaia Riccardo , Dou Zhicheng , Masci Silvia , Smith David , Di Cristina Manlio
Published: December 2021

Obligate intracellular parasites have evolved a remarkable assortment of strategies to scavenge nutrients from the host cells they parasitize. Most apicomplexans form a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) within the invaded cell, a replicative niche within which they survive and multiply. As well as providing a physical barrier against host cell defense mechanisms, the PV membrane (PVM) is also an important site of nutrient uptake that is essential for the parasites to sustain their metabolism. This means nutrients in the extracellular milieu are separated from parasite metabolic machinery by three different membranes, the host plasma membrane, the PVM, and the parasite plasma membrane (PPM). In order to facilitate nutrient transport from the extracellular environment into the parasite itself, transporters on the host cell membrane of invaded cells can be modified by secreted and exported parasite proteins to maximize uptake of key substrates to meet their metabolic demand. To overcome the second barrier, the PVM, apicomplexan parasites secrete proteins contained in the dense granules that remodel the vacuole and make the membrane permissive to important nutrients. This bulk flow of host nutrients is followed by a more selective uptake of substrates at the PPM that is operated by specific transporters of this third barrier. In this review, we recapitulate and compare the strategies developed by Apicomplexa to scavenge nutrients from their hosts, with particular emphasis on transporters at the parasite plasma membrane and vacuolar solute transporters on the parasite intracellular digestive organelle.
The Isoenzymic Diketocamphane Monooxygenases of Pseudomonas putida ATCC 17453—An Episodic History and Still Mysterious after 60 Years
Authors: Willetts Andrew
Published: December 2021

Researching the involvement of molecular oxygen in the degradation of the naturally occurring bicyclic terpene camphor has generated a six-decade history of fascinating monooxygenase biochemistry. While an extensive bibliography exists reporting the many varied studies on camphor 5-monooxygenase, the initiating enzyme of the relevant catabolic pathway in Pseudomonas putida ATCC 17453, the equivalent recorded history of the isoenzymic diketocamphane monooxygenases, the enzymes that facilitate the initial ring cleavage of the bicyclic terpene, is both less extensive and more enigmatic. First referred to as ‘ketolactonase—an enzyme for cyclic lactonization’—the enzyme now classified as 2,5-diketocamphane 1,2-monooxygenase (EC 1.14.14.108) holds a special place in the history of oxygen-dependent biochemistry, being the first biocatalyst confirmed to undertake a biooxygenation reaction equivalent to the peracid-catalysed Baeyer–Villiger chemical oxidation first reported in the late 19th century. However, following that auspicious beginning, the biochemistry of EC 1.14.14.108, and its isoenzymic partner 3,6-diketocamphane 1,6-monooxygenase (EC 1.14.14.155) was dogged for many years by the mistaken belief that the enzymes were true flavoproteins that function with a tightly-bound flavin cofactor in the active site. This misconception led to a number of erroneous interpretations of relevant experimental data. It is only in the last decade, initially as the result of pure serendipity, that these enzymes have been confirmed to be members of a relatively recently discovered class of oxygen-dependent enzymes, the flavin-dependent two-component monooxygenases. This has promoted a renaissance of interest in the enzymes, resulting in programmes of research that have significantly expanded current knowledge of both their mode of action and regulation in camphor-grown P. putida ATCC 17453. However, some features of the biochemistry of the isoenzymic diketocamphane monooxygenases remain currently unexplained. It is the episodic history of these enzymes and some of what remains unresolved that are the principal subjects of this review.
Synthesis of Tyrosol and Hydroxytyrosol Glycofuranosides and Their Biochemical and Biological Activities in Cell-Free and Cellular Assays
Authors: Kis Peter , Horváthová Eva , Gálová Eliška , Ševčovičová Andrea , Antalová Veronika , Karnišová Potocká Elena , Mastihuba Vladimír , Mastihubová Mária
Published: December 2021

Tyrosol (T) and hydroxytyrosol (HOT) and their glycosides are promising candidates for applications in functional food products or in complementary therapy. A series of phenylethanoid glycofuranosides (PEGFs) were synthesized to compare some of their biochemical and biological activities with T and HOT. The optimization of glycosylation promoted by environmentally benign basic zinc carbonate was performed to prepare HOT α-L-arabino-, β-D-apio-, and β-D-ribofuranosides. T and HOT β-D-fructofuranosides, prepared by enzymatic transfructosylation of T and HOT, were also included in the comparative study. The antioxidant capacity and DNA-protective potential of T, HOT, and PEGFs on plasmid DNA were determined using cell-free assays. The DNA-damaging potential of the studied compounds for human hepatoma HepG2 cells and their DNA-protective potential on HepG2 cells against hydrogen peroxide were evaluated using the comet assay. Experiments revealed a spectrum of different activities of the studied compounds. HOT and HOT β-D-fructofuranoside appear to be the best-performing scavengers and protectants of plasmid DNA and HepG2 cells. T and T β-D-fructofuranoside display almost zero or low scavenging/antioxidant activity and protective effects on plasmid DNA or HepG2 cells. The results imply that especially HOT β-D-fructofuranoside and β-D-apiofuranoside could be considered as prospective molecules for the subsequent design of supplements with potential in food and health protection.
Heterogeneous Photocatalysis of Metronidazole in Aquatic Samples
Authors: Stando Klaudia , Kasprzyk Patrycja , Felis Ewa , Bajkacz Sylwia
Published: December 2021

Metronidazole (MET) is a commonly detected contaminant in the environment. The compound is classified as poorly biodegradable and highly soluble in water. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is the most promoted water purification method due to the possibility of using sunlight and small amounts of a catalyst needed for the process. The aim of this study was to select conditions for photocatalytic removal of metronidazole from aquatic samples. The effect of catalyst type, mass, and irradiance intensity on the efficiency of metronidazole removal was determined. For this purpose, TiO2, ZnO, ZrO2, WO3, PbS, and their mixtures in a mass ratio of 1:1 were used. In this study, the transformation products formed were identified, and the mineralization degree of compound was determined. The efficiency of metronidazole removal depending on the type of catalyst was in the range of 50–95%. The highest MET conversion (95%) combined with a high degree of mineralization (70.3%) was obtained by using a mixture of 12.5 g TiO2–P25 + PbS (1:1; v/v) and running the process for 60 min at an irradiance of 1000 W m−2. Four MET degradation products were identified by untargeted analysis, formed by the rearrangement of the metronidazole and the C-C bond breaking.
Photoautotrophic and Mixotrophic Cultivation of Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Accumulating Microalgae Consortia Selected under Nitrogen and Phosphate Limitation
Authors: Phalanisong Parichat , Plangklang Pensri , Reungsang Alissara
Published: December 2021

Microalgae consortia were photoautotrophically cultivated in sequencing batch photobioreactors (SBPRs) with an alteration of the normal growth and starvation (nutrient limitation) phases to select consortia capable of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation. At the steady state of SBPR operation, the obtained microalgae consortia, selected under nitrogen and phosphate limitation, accumulated up to 11.38% and 10.24% of PHA in their biomass, which was identified as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB). Photoautotrophic and mixotrophic batch cultivation of the selected microalgae consortia was conducted to investigate the potential of biomass and PHA production. Sugar source supplementation enhanced the biomass and PHA production, with the highest PHA contents of 10.94 and 6.2%, and cumulative PHA productions of 100 and 130 mg/L, with this being achieved with sugarcane juice under nitrogen and phosphate limitation, respectively. The analysis of other macromolecules during batch cultivation indicated a high content of carbohydrates and lipids under nitrogen limitation, while higher protein contents were detected under phosphate limitation. These results recommended the selected microalgae consortia as potential tools for PHA and bioresource production. The mixed-culture non-sterile cultivation system developed in this study provides valuable information for large-scale microalgal PHA production process development following the biorefinery concept.
Recent Advances on the Development of Protein-Based Adhesives for Wood Composite Materials—A Review
Authors: Raydan Nidal Del Valle , Leroyer Leo , Charrier Bertrand , Robles Eduardo
Published: December 2021

The industrial market depends intensely on wood-based composites for buildings, furniture, and construction, involving significant developments in wood glues since 80% of wood-based products use adhesives. Although biobased glues have been used for many years, notably proteins, they were replaced by synthetic ones at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly due to their better moisture resistance. Currently, most wood adhesives are based on petroleum-derived products, especially formaldehyde resins commonly used in the particleboard industry due to their high adhesive performance. However, formaldehyde has been subjected to strong regulation, and projections aim for further restrictions within wood-based panels from the European market, due to its harmful emissions. From this perspective, concerns about environmental footprint and the toxicity of these formulations have prompted researchers to re-investigate the utilization of biobased materials to formulate safer alternatives. In this regard, proteins have sparked a new and growing interest in the potential development of industrial adhesives for wood due to their advantages, such as lower toxicity, renewable sourcing, and reduced environmental footprint. This work presents the recent developments in the use of proteins to formulate new wood adhesives. Herein, it includes the historical development of wood adhesives, adhesion mechanism, and the current hotspots and recent progress of potential proteinaceous feedstock resources for adhesive preparation.
Experimental and Computational Analysis of Para-Hydroxy Methylcinnamate following Photoexcitation
Authors: Dalton Jack , Richings Gareth W. , Woolley Jack M. , Abiola Temitope T. , Habershon Scott , Stavros Vasilios G.
Published: December 2021

Para-hydroxy methylcinnamate is part of the cinnamate family of molecules. Experimental and computational studies have suggested conflicting non-radiative decay routes after photoexcitation to its S1(ππ*) state. One non-radiative decay route involves intersystem crossing mediated by an optically dark singlet state, whilst the other involves direct intersystem crossing to a triplet state. Furthermore, irrespective of the decay mechanism, the lifetime of the initially populated S1(ππ*) state is yet to be accurately measured. In this study, we use time-resolved ion-yield and photoelectron spectroscopies to precisely determine the S1(ππ*) lifetime for the s-cis conformer of para-hydroxy methylcinnamate, combined with time-dependent density functional theory to determine the major non-radiative decay route. We find the S1(ππ*) state lifetime of s-cis para-hydroxy methylcinnamate to be ∼2.5 picoseconds, and the major non-radiative decay route to follow the [1ππ*→1nπ*→3ππ*→S0] pathway. These results also concur with previous photodynamical studies on structurally similar molecules, such as para-coumaric acid and methylcinnamate.
DNA-Based Electrodes and Computational Approaches on the Intercalation Study of Antitumoral Drugs
Authors: Rodrigues Edson Silvio Batista , Macêdo Isaac Yves Lopes de , Silva Giovanna Nascimento de Mello e , de Carvalho e Silva Arthur , Gil Henric Pietro Vicente , Neves Bruno Junior , Gil Eric de Souza
Published: December 2021

The binding between anticancer drugs and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is a key issue to understand their mechanism of action, and many chemical methods have been explored on this task. Molecular docking techniques successfully predict the affinity of small molecules into the DNA binding sites. In turn, various DNA-targeted drugs are electroactive; in this regard, their electrochemical behavior may change according to the nature and strength of interaction with DNA. A carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with calf thymus ds-DNA (CPDE) and computational methods were used to evaluate the drug–DNA intercalation of doxorubicin (DOX), daunorubicin (DAU), idarubicin (IDA), dacarbazine (DAR), mitoxantrone (MIT), and methotrexate (MTX), aiming to evaluate eventual correlations. CPE and CPDE were immersed in pH 7 0.1 mM solutions of each drug with different incubation times. As expected, the CPDE response for all DNA-targeted drugs was higher than that of CPE, evidencing the drug–DNA interaction. A peak current increase of up to 10-fold was observed; the lowest increase was seen for MTX, and the highest increase for MIT. Although this increase in the sensitivity is certainly tied to preconcentration effects of DNA, the data did not agree entirely with docking studies, evidencing the participation of other factors, such as viscosity, interfacial electrostatic interactions, and coefficient of diffusion.
Beyond Refeeding: The Effect of Including a Dietitian in Eating Disorder Treatment. A Systematic Review
Authors: Yang Yive , Conti Janet , McMaster Caitlin M. , Hay Phillipa
Published: December 2021

Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening mental health disorders that require management by a multidisciplinary team including medical, psychological and dietetic specialties. This review systematically evaluated the available literature to determine the effect of including a dietitian in outpatient eating disorder (ED) treatment, and to contribute to the understanding of a dietitian’s role in ED treatment. Six databases and Google Scholar were searched for articles that compared treatment outcomes for individuals receiving specialist dietetic treatment with outcomes for those receiving any comparative treatment. Studies needed to be controlled trials where outcomes were measured by a validated instrument (PROSPERO CRD42021224126). The searches returned 16,327 articles, of which 11 articles reporting on 10 studies were included. Two studies found that dietetic intervention significantly improved ED psychopathology, and three found that it did not. Three studies reported that dietetic input improved other psychopathological markers, and three reported that it did not. One consistent finding was that dietetic input improved body mass index/weight and nutritional intake, although only two and three studies reported on each outcome, respectively. A variety of instruments were used to measure each outcome type, making direct comparisons between studies difficult. Furthermore, there was no consistent definition of the dietetic components included, with many containing psychological components. Most studies included were also published over 20 years ago and are now out of date. Further research is needed to develop consistent dietetic guidelines and outcome measures; this would help to clearly define the role of each member of the multidisciplinary team, and particularly the role of dietitians, in ED treatment.
Probing In Silico the Benzimidazole Privileged Scaffold for the Development of Drug-like Anti-RSV Agents
Authors: Cichero Elena , Calautti Alessio , Francesconi Valeria , Tonelli Michele , Schenone Silvia , Fossa Paola
Published: December 2021

Targeting the fusion (F) protein has been recognized as a fruitful strategy for the development of anti-RSV agents. Despite the considerable efforts so far put into the development of RSV F protein inhibitors, the discovery of adequate therapeutics for the treatment of RSV infections is still awaiting a positive breakthrough. Several benzimidazole-containing derivatives have been discovered and evaluated in clinical trials, with only some of them being endowed with a promising pharmacokinetic profile. In this context, we applied a computational study based on a careful analysis of a number of X-ray crystallographic data of the RSV F protein, in the presence of different clinical candidates. A deepen comparison of the related electrostatic features and H-bonding motifs allowed us to pave the way for the following molecular dynamic simulation of JNJ-53718678 and then to perform docking studies of the in-house library of potent benzimidazole-containing anti-RSV agents. The results revealed not only the deep flexibility of the biological target but also the most relevant and recurring key contacts supporting the benzimidazole F protein inhibitor ability. Among them, several hydrophobic interactions and π-π stacking involving F140 and F488 proved to be mandatory, as well as H-bonding to D486. Specific requirements turning in RSV F protein binding ability were also explored thanks to structure-based pharmacophore analysis. Along with this, in silico prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) properties, and also of possible off-target events was performed. The results highlighted once more that the benzimidazole ring represents a privileged scaffold whose properties deserve to be further investigated for the rational design of novel and orally bioavailable anti-RSV agents.
Peptide-Functionalized Dendrimer Nanocarriers for Targeted Microdystrophin Gene Delivery
Authors: Hersh Jessica , Condor Capcha José Manuel , Iansen Irion Camila , Lambert Guerline , Noguera Mauricio , Singh Mohit , Kaur Avinash , Dikici Emre , Jiménez Joaquín J. , Shehadeh Lina A. , Daunert Sylvia , Deo Sapna K.
Published: December 2021

Gene therapy is a good alternative for determined congenital disorders; however, there are numerous limitations for gene delivery in vivo including targeted cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and transport through the nuclear membrane. Here, a modified G5 polyamidoamine (G5 PAMAM) dendrimer–DNA complex was developed, which will allow cell-specific targeting to skeletal muscle cells and transport the DNA through the intracellular machinery and the nuclear membrane. The G5 PAMAM nanocarrier was modified with a skeletal muscle-targeting peptide (SMTP), a DLC8-binding peptide (DBP) for intracellular transport, and a nuclear localization signaling peptide (NLS) for nuclear uptake, and polyplexed with plasmid DNA containing the GFP-tagged microdystrophin (µDys) gene. The delivery of µDys has been considered as a therapeutic modality for patients suffering from a debilitating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) disorder. The nanocarrier–peptide–DNA polyplexes were prepared with different charge ratios and characterized for stability, size, surface charge, and cytotoxicity. Using the optimized nanocarrier polyplexes, the transfection efficiency in vitro was determined by demonstrating the expression of the GFP and the µDys protein using fluorescence and Western blotting studies, respectively. Protein expression in vivo was determined by injecting an optimal nanocarrier polyplex formulation to Duchenne model mice, mdx4Cv. Ultimately, these nanocarrier polyplexes will allow targeted delivery of the microdystrophin gene to skeletal muscle cells and result in improved muscle function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
Biomaterial and Therapeutic Approaches for the Manipulation of Macrophage Phenotype in Peripheral and Central Nerve Repair
Authors: Dervan Adrian , Franchi Antonio , Almeida-Gonzalez Francisco R. , Dowling Jennifer K. , Kwakyi Ohemaa B. , McCoy Claire E. , O’Brien Fergal J. , Hibbitts Alan
Published: December 2021

Injury to the peripheral or central nervous systems often results in extensive loss of motor and sensory function that can greatly diminish quality of life. In both cases, macrophage infiltration into the injury site plays an integral role in the host tissue inflammatory response. In particular, the temporally related transition of macrophage phenotype between the M1/M2 inflammatory/repair states is critical for successful tissue repair. In recent years, biomaterial implants have emerged as a novel approach to bridge lesion sites and provide a growth-inductive environment for regenerating axons. This has more recently seen these two areas of research increasingly intersecting in the creation of ‘immune-modulatory’ biomaterials. These synthetic or naturally derived materials are fabricated to drive macrophages towards a pro-repair phenotype. This review considers the macrophage-mediated inflammatory events that occur following nervous tissue injury and outlines the latest developments in biomaterial-based strategies to influence macrophage phenotype and enhance repair.