bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internal Jugular Vein Volume During Head-Down Tilt and Carbon Dioxide Exposure in the SPACECOT Study
Authors: Marshall-Goebel Karina , Stevens Brian , Rao Chethan Venkatasubba , Suarez Jose I. , Calvillo Eusebia , Arbeille Philippe , Sangi-Haghpeykar Haleh , Donoviel Dorit B. , Mulder Edwin , Bershad Eric M.
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND: Cerebral hemodynamics and venous outflow from the brain may be altered during exposure to microgravity or head-down tilt (HDT), an analog of microgravity, as well as by increased ambient CO2 exposure as experienced on the International Space Station.METHODS:
Six healthy subjects underwent baseline tilt table testing at 0°, 6°, 12°, 18°, 24°, and 30° HDT. The right internal jugular (IJ) vein cross-sectional area (CSA) was measured at four intervals from the submandibular to the clavicular level and IJ volume was calculated.
Further measurements of the IJ vein were made after ∼26 h of 12° HDT bed rest with either ambient air or 0.5% CO2 exposure, and plasma and blood volume were assessed after 4 h, 24 h, and 28.5 h HDT.RESULTS: IJ vein CSA and volume increased with progressively steeper
HDT angles during baseline tilt table testing, with more prominent filling of the IJ vein at levels closer to the clavicle. Exposure to 26 h of 12° HDT bed rest with or without increased CO2, however, had little additional effect on the IJ vein. Further, bed rest resulted in
a decrease in plasma volume and blood volume, although changes did not depend on atmospheric conditioning or correlate directly with changes in IJ vein CSA or volume.DISCUSSION: The hydrostatic effects of HDT can be clearly determined through measurement of the IJ vein CSA and volume;
however, IJ vein dimensions may not be a reliable indicator of systemic fluid status during bed rest.Marshall-Goebel K, Stevens B, Rao CV, Suarez JI, Calvillo E, Arbeille P, Sangi-Haghpeykar H, Donoviel DB, Mulder E, Bershad EM, the SPACECOT Investigators Group. Internal jugular
vein volume during head-down tilt and carbon dioxide exposure in the SPACECOT Study. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(4):351–356.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Considering Consensus and Preferences Interdependence
Authors: Zhu Jianghong , Wang Rui , Li Yanlai
Published: March 2018

Failure mode and effects analysis is an effective and powerful risk evaluation technique in the field of risk management, and it has been extensively used in various industries for identifying and decreasing known and potential failure modes in systems, processes, products, and services. Traditionally, a risk priority number is applied to capture the ranking order of failure modes in failure mode and effects analysis. However, this method has several drawbacks and deficiencies, which need to be improved for enhancing its application capability. For instance, this method ignores the consensus-reaching process and the correlations among the experts’ preferences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to present a new risk priority method to determine the risk priority of failure modes under an interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy environment, which combines the extended Geometric Bonferroni mean operator, a consensus-reaching process, and an improved Multi-Attributive Border Approximation area Comparison approach. Finally, a case study concerning product development is described to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the risk priority of failure modes obtained by the proposed method is more reasonable in practical application compared with other failure mode and effects analysis methods.
Relationship of Melatonin and Salicylic Acid in Biotic/Abiotic Plant Stress Responses
Authors: Hernández-Ruiz Josefa , Arnao Marino
Published: March 2018

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) was discovered in plants in 1995, while salicylic acid was the name given to the active ingredient of willow in 1838. From a physiological point of view, these two molecules present in plants have never been compared, even though they have a great number of similarities, as we shall see in this work. Both molecules have biosynthesis pathways that share a common precursor and both play a relevant role in the physiology of plants, especially in aspects related to biotic and abiotic stress. They have also been described as biostimulants of photosynthetic processes and productivity enhancers in agricultural crops. We review the coincident aspects of both molecules, and propose an action model, by which the relationship between these molecules and other agents and plant hormones can be studied.
Isolation, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Hard-to-Culture Actinobacteria from Cave Moonmilk Deposits
Authors: Adam Delphine , Maciejewska Marta , Naômé Aymeric , Martinet Loïc , Coppieters Wouter , Karim Latifa , Baurain Denis , Rigali Sébastien
Published: March 2018

Cave moonmilk deposits host an abundant and diverse actinobacterial population that has a great potential for producing novel natural bioactive compounds. In our previous attempt to isolate culturable moonmilk-dwelling Actinobacteria, only Streptomyces species were recovered, whereas a metagenetic study of the same deposits revealed a complex actinobacterial community including 46 actinobacterial genera in addition to streptomycetes. In this work, we applied the rehydration-centrifugation method to lessen the occurrence of filamentous species and tested a series of strategies to achieve the isolation of hard-to-culture and rare Actinobacteria from the moonmilk deposits of the cave “Grotte des Collemboles”. From the “tips and tricks” that were tested, separate autoclaving of the components of the International Streptomyces Project (ISP) medium number 5 (ISP5) medium, prolonged incubation time, and dilution of the moonmilk suspension were found to most effectively improve colony forming units. Taxonomic analyses of the 40 isolates revealed new representatives of the Agromyces, Amycolatopsis, Kocuria, Micrococcus, Micromonospora, Nocardia, and Rhodococcus species, as well as additional new streptomycetes. The applied methodologies allowed the isolation of strains associated with both the least and most abundant moonmilk-dwelling actinobacterial operational taxonomic units. Finally, bioactivity screenings revealed that some isolates displayed high antibacterial activities, and genome mining uncovered a strong potential for the production of natural compounds.
Deep Activation Pooling for Blind Image Quality Assessment
Authors: Zhang Zhong , Wang Hong , Liu Shuang , Durrani Tariq
Published: March 2018

Driven by the rapid development of digital imaging and network technologies, the opinion-unaware blind image quality assessment (BIQA) method has become an important yet very challenging task. In this paper, we design an effective novel scheme for opinion-unaware BIQA. We first utilize the convolutional maps to select high-contrast patches, and then we utilize these selected patches of pristine images to train a pristine multivariate Gaussian (PMVG) model. In the test stage, each high-contrast patch is fitted by a test MVG (TMVG) model, and the local quality score is obtained by comparing with the PMVG. Finally, we propose the deep activation pooling (DAP) to automatically emphasize the more important scores and suppress the less important ones so as to obtain the overall image quality score. We verify the proposed method on two widely used databases, that is, the computational and subjective image quality (CSIQ) and the laboratory for image and video engineering (LIVE) databases, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves better results than the state-of-the-art methods.
Liquid-Phase Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol over Mo2C Supported on Commercial CNF. Effects of Operating Conditions on Conversion and Product Selectivity
Authors: Moreira Rui , Ochoa Elba , Pinilla José , Portugal António , Suelves Isabel
Published: March 2018

In this work, a Mo2C catalyst that was supported on commercial carbon nanofibers (CNF) was synthetized and tested in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol. The effects of operating conditions (temperature and pressure) and reaction time (2 and 4 h) on the conversion of guaiacol and products selectivity were studied. The major reaction products were cresol and phenol, followed by xylenols and toluene. The use of more severe operating conditions during the HDO of guaiacol caused a diversification in the reaction pathways, and consequently in the selectivity to products. The formation of phenol may have occurred by demethylation of guaiacol, followed by dehydroxylation of catechol, together with other reaction pathways, including direct guaiacol demethoxylation, and demethylation of cresols. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of spent catalysts did not reveal any significant changes as compared to the fresh catalyst.
Investigation of Catalytic Ozonation of Recalcitrant Organic Chemicals in Aqueous Solution over Various ZSM-5 Zeolites
Authors: Wang Yandan , Ma Wenfeng , Yoza Brandon , Xu Yingying , Li Qing , Chen Chunmao , Wang Qinghong , Gao Yu , Guo Shaohui , Zhan Yali
Published: March 2018

Catalytic ozonation processes (COPs) are an emerging technology for wastewater treatments. NaZSM-5 zeolites in three different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios (31, 45, and 120) and their metallic oxides loaded samples were compared for COP of nitrobenzene solution. NaZSM-5(120) showed high total organic carbon (TOC) removals (70.2–74.0%) by adsorption relative to NaZSM-5(45) (0.4–0.6%) at various initial pH conditions. NaZSM-5(31) was obtained by NaOH treatment of NaZSM-5(45) and displayed 20.9–23.8% of TOC removals by adsorption. In COPs, the different ZSM-5 zeolites exhibited various TOC removals and different reaction pathways. COP-NaZSM-5(120) showed high TOC removals compared to COP-NaZSM-5(45) and COP-NaZSM-5(31). The repeated uses of zeolites in COPs were performed to understand the reaction pathways and contribution of adsorption versus ozonation (i.e., catalytic oxidation and/or direct ozonation). Both adsorption and direct ozonation in COP-NaZSM-5(120) contributed TOC removal for the first use, whereas direct ozonation and •OH mediated oxidation dominated the process for eight repeated uses. Direct ozonation and •OH-mediated oxidation controlled the COP-NaZSM-5(45) process for the first and eight repeated uses. Adsorption and direct ozonation governed the COP-NaZSM-5(31) process for the first use, whereas the direct ozonation dominated it for eight repeated uses. In COPs, NaZSM-5(120) and NaZSM-5(45) showed the catalytic activity, whereas NaZSM-5(31) displayed negligible catalytic activity. The high catalytic activity of NaZSM-5(120) may be due to more Si-O bonds on zeolite surfaces. The results revealed that loading of Mg oxide on ZSM-5 zeolites can increase catalytic activity in COPs. These results show the application potential of ZSM-5 zeolites in ozonation of recalcitrant chemical wastewaters.
Development and Stability Evaluation of Liquid Crystal-Based Formulations Containing Glycolic Plant Extracts and Nano-Actives
Authors: Rodrigues Ueoka Andreza , Pedriali Moraes Carla
Published: March 2018

Emulsions are of great use in cosmetic formulations due to their stability. The aim of this work was to develop and assess organoleptic, physicochemical, and microscopic properties of four auto-emulsifiable oil-in-water formulations. Such formulations were developed containing 4.0% cetearyl alcohol, dicetyl phosphate, and ceteth-10 phosphate (Formulation A), nano-actives obtained from safflower, coconut, and clove oils (Formulation B); a mixture of glycolic extracts from Centella asiatica leaves, Aesculus hippocastanum seeds, and Hamamelis virginiana leaves (Formulation C); association between the nano-actives and glycolic extracts described above (Formulation D). The formulations were trialed for 90 days under the normal stability test. The developed formulations were considered all stable and homogeneous, with liquid crystals possibly being formed. Organoleptic parameters and pH of Formulations A and B remained unchanged, but the color of Formulations C and D changed due to the natural color of the glycolic extracts used. It can be concluded that the formation of liquid crystals increased the stability of the formulations, and future tests should be carried out in order to assess the rheological properties and hydration potential of the developed formulations.
Viewpoint-Driven Simplification of Plant and Tree Foliage
Authors: Gasch Cristina , Remolar Inmaculada , Chover Miguel , Rebollo Cristina
Published: March 2018

Plants and trees are an essential part of outdoor scenes. They are represented by such a vast number of polygons that performing real-time visualization is still a problem in spite of the advantages of the hardware. Some methods have appeared to solve this drawback based on point- or image-based rendering. However, geometry representation is required in some interactive applications. This work presents a simplification method that deals with the geometry of the foliage, reducing the number of primitives that represent these objects and making their interactive visualization possible. It is based on an image-based simplification that establishes an order of leaf pruning and reduces the complexity of the canopies of trees and plants. The proposed simplification method is viewpoint-driven and uses the mutual information in order to choose the leaf to prune. Moreover, this simplification method avoids the pruned appearance of the tree that is usually produced when a foliage representation is formed by a reduced number of leaves. The error introduced every time a leaf is pruned is compensated for if the size of the nearest leaf is altered to preserve the leafy appearance of the foliage. Results demonstrate the good quality and time performance of the presented work.
Analysis, Design, and Experimental Validation of a Primary Side Current-Sensing Flyback Converter for Use in a Battery Management System
Authors: Dimitrov Borislav , Krishna Muthu , Cruden Andrew , Sharkh Suleiman , Elkhateb Ahmad
Published: March 2018

The purpose of the presented flyback converter is to equalise the voltage between the cells in a series string within a battery pack providing an active cell-balancing system. This would be an important part of a battery management system (BMS) for charging li-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The converter is based on primary side current sensing, where the conventional feedback circuit is omitted. The purpose of this converter is to improve efficiency by decreasing losses and to increase battery power density by decreasing the number of elements which constitute the power electronics; these are important factors for the future development of electric vehicle battery packs. Analysis of the circuit and the design procedure of the DC-DC flyback converter with primary current sensing is presented in this paper. Finally, several experimental converters have been built and tested to validate the authors’ approach.
Comparison among Methods for Induction Motor Low-Intrusive Efficiency Evaluation Including a New AGT Approach with a Modified Stator Resistance
Authors: Salomon Camila , Sant’Ana Wilson , Lambert-Torres Germano , Borges da Silva Luiz , Bonaldi Erik , De Oliveira Levy
Published: March 2018

Induction motors consume a great portion of the generated electrical energy. Moreover, most of them work at underloaded conditions, so they have low efficiencies and waste a lot of energy. Because of this, the efficiency estimation of in-service induction motors is a matter of great importance. This efficiency estimation is usually performed through indirect methods, which do not require invasive measurements of torque or speed. One of these methods is the modified Air-Gap Torque (AGT) method, which only requires voltage and current data, the stator resistance value, and the mechanical losses. This paper approaches the computation of a modified stator resistance including the mechanical losses effect to be applied in the AGT method for torque and efficiency estimation of induction motors. Some improvements are proposed in the computation of this resistance by using a direct method, as well as the possibility to estimate this parameter directly from the nameplate data of the induction motor. The proposed methodology only relies on line voltages, currents, and nameplate data and is not intrusive. The proposed methodology is analyzed through simulation and validated through experimental results with three-phase induction motors. Also, a comparison of methods for in-service induction motors efficiency estimation is presented for the tested motors.
Theoretical Analysis of Planar Spiral Coils between Two Multilayer Media for Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging
Authors: Luo Zhichao , Wei Xuezhe
Published: March 2018

Square and circular coils are two typical topologies for coupling coils and are applied to wireless charging. However, most of the research on coupling coils is based on the finite element model (FEM), which is a time-consuming process for 3-D structure coils. In this paper, on the basis of Fourier–Bessel transformation and Dual Fourier transformation, two theoretical models of square and circular coils between two multilayer media are proposed. With the proposed models, we consider several important parameters such as the size of the coils, thickness, and permeability of each layer. Thus, both the self-inductance and mutual inductance of two planar coils can be calculated without much computational time. Additionally, these theoretical models can help designers figure out the different trends of self-inductance and mutual inductance, which has plenty of benefits for the preliminary pad design. Lastly, a prototype with a size of 600 mm × 600 mm and a 200 mm air gap was built in order to verify the proposed models.
Wind Speed Prediction with Spatio–Temporal Correlation: A Deep Learning Approach
Authors: Zhu Qiaomu , Chen Jinfu , Zhu Lin , Duan Xianzhong , Liu Yilu
Published: March 2018

Wind speed prediction with spatio–temporal correlation is among the most challenging tasks in wind speed prediction. In this paper, the problem of predicting wind speed for multiple sites simultaneously is investigated by using spatio–temporal correlation. This paper proposes a model for wind speed prediction with spatio–temporal correlation, i.e., the predictive deep convolutional neural network (PDCNN). The model is a unified framework, integrating convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and a multi-layer perceptron (MLP). Firstly, the spatial features are extracted by CNNs located at the bottom of the model. Then, the temporal dependencies among these extracted spatial features are captured by the MLP. In this way, the spatial and temporal correlations are captured by PDCNN intrinsically. Finally, PDCNN generates the predicted wind speed by using the learnt spatio–temporal correlations. In addition, three error indices are defined to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the model on the wind turbine array. Experiment results on real-world data show that PDCNN can capture the spatio–temporal correlation effectively, and it outperforms the conventional machine learning models, including multi-layer perceptron, support vector regressor, decision tree, etc.
Simulating Engineering Flows through Complex Porous Media via the Lattice Boltzmann Method
Authors: Krastev Vesselin , Falcucci Giacomo
Published: March 2018

In this paper, recent achievements in the application of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to complex fluid flows are reported. More specifically, we focus on flows through reactive porous media, such as the flow through the substrate of a selective catalytic reactor (SCR) for the reduction of gaseous pollutants in the automotive field; pulsed-flow analysis through heterogeneous catalyst architectures; and transport and electro-chemical phenomena in microbial fuel cells (MFC) for novel waste-to-energy applications. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known application of LBM modeling to the study of MFCs, which represents by itself a highly innovative and challenging research area. The results discussed here essentially confirm the capabilities of the LBM approach as a flexible and accurate computational tool for the simulation of complex multi-physics phenomena of scientific and technological interest, across physical scales.
A Novel Type-2 Fuzzy Logic for Improved Risk Analysis of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells in Marine Power Systems Application
Authors: Bahrebar Sajjad , Blaabjerg Frede , Wang Huai , Vafamand Navid , Khooban Mohammad-Hassan , Rastayesh Sima , Zhou Dao
Published: March 2018

A marine energy system, which is fundamentally not paired with electric grids, should work for an extended period with high reliability. To put it in another way, by employing electrical utilities on a ship, the electrical power demand has been increasing in recent years. Besides, fuel cells in marine power generation may reduce the loss of energy and weight in long cables and provide a platform such that each piece of marine equipment is supplied with its own isolated wire connection. Hence, fuel cells can be promising power generation equipment in the marine industry. Besides, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is widely accepted throughout the industry as a valuable tool for identifying, ranking, and mitigating risks. The FMEA process can help to design safe hydrogen fueling stations. In this paper, a robust FMEA has been developed to identify the potentially hazardous conditions of the marine propulsion system by considering a general type-2 fuzzy logic set. The general type-2 fuzzy system is decomposed of several interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems to reduce the inherent highly computational burden of the general type-2 fuzzy systems. Linguistic rules are directly incorporated into the fuzzy system. Finally, the results demonstrate the success and effectiveness of the proposed approach in computing the risk priority number as compared to state-of-the-art methods.
A Transient ElectroMagnetic (TEM) Method Survey in North-Central Coast of Crete, Greece: Evidence of Seawater Intrusion
Authors: Kalisperi Despina , Kouli Maria , Vallianatos Filippos , Soupios Pantelis , Kershaw Stephen , Lydakis-Simantiris Nikos
Published: March 2018

Seawater intrusion into near-shore aquifers is one of the main environmental problems that affect Mediterranean islands. Crete is the biggest and most populated island of Greece, characterized by limited surface waters and strong dependence on groundwater sources as the primary source of natural water supply for extensive agricultural activity and human use. Freshwater demand in Crete has increased notably the last decades. The Geropotamos aquifer is located on the north-central coast of Crete and freshwater management is in a delicate balance with saltwater at coastal areas of the aquifer due to the scarce precipitation and high evaporation as well as the intense over exploitation of the groundwater resources. The geological setting of the study area is considered complex and the local tectonic regime is characterized by two sets of faults orientated NW-SE and NE-SW. Investigation of the aquifer using a survey grid of 1179 Transient ElectroMagnetic soundings (TEM) in 372 sites, has resulted in 1D models, and 2D/3D visualization of geoelectric structures, depicting the zones of salination of groundwater in the aquifer. Geological mapping, hydro-lithological data and geochemical analysis of 24 water samples (22 boreholes and 2 springs) are in agreement with results obtained from TEM soundings, supporting our interpretation that the aquifer is degraded by saline intrusion which likely occurs along fractures in a fault zone, emphasising the critical role of fracture pathways in salination problems of coastal aquifers.
Cycling for Transportation in Sao Paulo City: Associations with Bike Paths, Train and Subway Stations
Authors: Florindo Alex , Barrozo Ligia , Turrell Gavin , Barbosa João , Cabral-Miranda William , Cesar Chester , Goldbaum Moisés
Published: March 2018

Cities that support cycling for transportation reap many public health benefits. However, the prevalence of this mode of transportation is low in Latin American countries and the association with facilities such as bike paths and train/subway stations have not been clarified. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between bike paths, train/subway stations and cycling for transportation in adults from the city of Sao Paulo. We used data from the Sao Paulo Health Survey (n = 3145). Cycling for transportation was evaluated by a questionnaire and bike paths and train/subway stations were geocoded using the geographic coordinates of the adults’ residential addresses in 1500-m buffers. We used multilevel logistic regression, taking account of clustering by census tract and households. The prevalence of cycling for transportation was low (5.1%), and was more prevalent in males, singles, those active in leisure time, and in people with bicycle ownership in their family. Cycling for transportation was associated with bike paths up to a distance of 500 m from residences (OR (Odds Ratio) = 2.54, 95% CI (Confidence interval) 1.16–5.54) and with the presence of train/subway stations for distances >500 m from residences (OR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.10–3.86). These results are important to support policies to improve cycling for transportation in megacities such as Sao Paulo.
A Stratified Meta-Analysis of the Association between Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke during Childhood and Adulthood and Urothelial Bladder Cancer Risk
Authors: Van Osch Frits , Jochems Sylvia , Wesselius Anke , Van Schooten Frederik , Bryan Richard , Zeegers Maurice
Published: March 2018

Background: Active smoking is a major risk factor for urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). However, the evidence that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) either in childhood or adult life is also associated with UBC risk is ambiguous. With this meta-analysis, we aim to summarise how exposure to ETS is associated with UBC risk. Methods: In total, 11 studies (3 cohort studies, 8 case-control studies) were included in this meta-analysis and summary odds ratios (SORs) for UBC risk were calculated for never smokers who were exposed to ETS during childhood at home, during adulthood at home, or during adulthood in a work environment compared to never smokers who were never exposed to ETS. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of findings. Results: Never smokers exposed to ETS during childhood (SOR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82–1.26), during adulthood at work (SOR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.78–1.18) or at home (SOR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.83–1.15) were at a similar risk of UBC compared to never smokers who were never exposed to ETS. Results for males and females were similar. Also, when pooling all estimates during both childhood and adulthood, no effect was observed (SOR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.89–1.10). Conclusions: Although measurement of exposure to ETS was imprecise, there does not seem to be an association between UBC risk and exposure to ETS during childhood or adulthood. However, the current body of evidence mostly overlooks the duration and intensity of exposure to ETS.
Characterization of an Integrated Active Glu-1Ay Allele in Common Wheat from Wild Emmer and Its Potential Role in Flour Improvement
Authors: Wang Zhenzhen , Huang Lin , Wu Bihua , Hu Jiliang , Jiang Zilong , Qi Pengfei , Zheng Youliang , Liu Dengcai
Published: March 2018

Glu-1Ay, one of six genes encoding a high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS), is frequently silenced in hexaploid common wheat. Here, an active allele of Glu-1Ay was integrated from wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) accession D97 into the common wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivar Chuannong 16 via the repeated self-fertilization of the pentaploid interspecific hybrid, culminating in the selection of a line TaAy7-40 shown to express the wild emmer Glu-1Ay allele. The open reading frame of this allele was a 1830 bp long sequence, demonstrated by its heterologous expression in Escherichia coli to encode a 608-residue polypeptide. Its nucleotide sequence was 99.2% identical to that of the sequence within the wild emmer parent. The TaAy7-40 introgression line containing the active Glu-1Ay allele showed higher protein content, higher sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation value, higher content of wet gluten in the flour, higher grain weight, and bigger grain size than Chuannong 16. The end-use quality parameters of the TaAy7-40 were superior to those of the medium gluten common wheat cultivars Mianmai 37 and Neimai 9. Thus, the active Glu-1Ay allele might be of potential value in breeding programs designed to improve wheat flour quality.
The Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), an Important Pantropical Tree
Authors: Saina Josphat , Li Zhi-Zhong , Gichira Andrew , Liao Yi-Ying
Published: March 2018

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Simaroubaceae) is a deciduous tree widely distributed throughout temperate regions in China, hence suitable for genetic diversity and evolutionary studies. Previous studies in A. altissima have mainly focused on its biological activities, genetic diversity and genetic structure. However, until now there is no published report regarding genome of this plant species or Simaroubaceae family. Therefore, in this paper, we first characterized A. altissima complete chloroplast genome sequence. The tree of heaven chloroplast genome was found to be a circular molecule 160,815 base pairs (bp) in size and possess a quadripartite structure. The A. altissima chloroplast genome contains 113 unique genes of which 79 and 30 are protein coding and transfer RNA (tRNA) genes respectively and also 4 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA) with overall GC content of 37.6%. Microsatellite marker detection identified A/T mononucleotides as majority SSRs in all the seven analyzed genomes. Repeat analyses of seven Sapindales revealed a total of 49 repeats in A. altissima, Rhus chinensis, Dodonaea viscosa, Leitneria floridana, while Azadirachta indica, Boswellia sacra, and Citrus aurantiifolia had a total of 48 repeats. The phylogenetic analysis using protein coding genes revealed that A. altissima is a sister to Leitneria floridana and also suggested that Simaroubaceae is a sister to Rutaceae family. The genome information reported here could be further applied for evolution and invasion, population genetics, and molecular studies in this plant species and family.
Immune-Specific Expression and Estrogenic Regulation of the Four Estrogen Receptor Isoforms in Female Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Casanova-Nakayama Ayako , Wernicke von Siebenthal Elena , Kropf Christian , Oldenberg Elisabeth , Segner Helmut
Published: March 2018

Genomic actions of estrogens in vertebrates are exerted via two intracellular estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERα and ERβ, which show cell- and tissue-specific expression profiles. Mammalian immune cells express ERs and are responsive to estrogens. More recently, evidence became available that ERs are also present in the immune organs and cells of teleost fish, suggesting that the immunomodulatory function of estrogens has been conserved throughout vertebrate evolution. For a better understanding of the sensitivity and the responsiveness of the fish immune system to estrogens, more insight is needed on the abundance of ERs in the fish immune system, the cellular ratios of the ER subtypes, and their autoregulation by estrogens. Consequently, the aims of the present study were (i) to determine the absolute mRNA copy numbers of the four ER isoforms in the immune organs and cells of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and to compare them to the hepatic ER numbers; (ii) to analyse the ER mRNA isoform ratios in the immune system; and, (iii) finally, to examine the alterations of immune ER mRNA expression levels in sexually immature trout exposed to 17β-estradiol (E2), as well as the alterations of immune ER mRNA expression levels in sexually mature trout during the reproductive cycle. All four ER isoforms were present in immune organs—head kidney, spleen-and immune cells from head kidney and blood of rainbow trout, but their mRNA levels were substantially lower than in the liver. The ER isoform ratios were tissue- and cell-specific, both within the immune system, but also between the immune system and the liver. Short-term administration of E2 to juvenile female trout altered the ER mRNA levels in the liver, but the ERs of the immune organs and cells were not responsive. Changes of ER gene transcript numbers in immune organs and cells occurred during the reproductive cycle of mature female trout, but the changes in the immune ER profiles differed from those in the liver and gonads. The correlation between ER gene transcript numbers and serum E2 concentrations was only moderate to low. In conclusion, the low mRNA numbers of nuclear ER in the trout immune system, together with their limited estrogen-responsiveness, suggest that the known estrogen actions on trout immunity may be not primarily mediated through genomic actions, but may involve other mechanisms, such as non-genomic pathways or indirect effects.
Application of CRISPR-Cas9 Based Genome-Wide Screening Approaches to Study Cellular Signalling Mechanisms
Authors: Sharma Sumana , Petsalaki Evangelia
Published: March 2018

The cellular signalling process is a highly complex mechanism, involving multiple players, which together orchestrate the cell’s response to environmental changes and perturbations. Given the multitude of genes that participate in the process of cellular signalling, its study in a genome-wide manner has proven challenging. Recent advances in gene editing technologies, including clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) approaches, have opened new opportunities to investigate global regulatory signalling programs of cells in an unbiased manner. In this review, we focus on how the application of pooled genetic screening approaches using the CRISPR/Cas9 system has contributed to a systematic understanding of cellular signalling processes in normal and disease contexts.
Microfabrication-Based Three-Dimensional (3-D) Extracellular Matrix Microenvironments for Cancer and Other Diseases
Authors: Song Kena , Wang Zirui , Liu Ruchuan , Chen Guo , Liu Liyu
Published: March 2018

Exploring the complicated development of tumors and metastases needs a deep understanding of the physical and biological interactions between cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironments. One of the major challenges is the ability to mimic the complex 3-D tissue microenvironment that particularly influences cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in relation to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Traditional cell culture is unable to create 3-D cell scaffolds resembling tissue complexity and functions, and, in the past, many efforts were made to realize the goal of obtaining cell clusters in hydrogels. However, the available methods still lack a precise control of cell external microenvironments. Recently, the rapid development of microfabrication techniques, such as 3-D printing, microfluidics, and photochemistry, has offered great advantages in reconstructing 3-D controllable cancer cell microenvironments in vitro. Consequently, various biofunctionalized hydrogels have become the ideal candidates to help the researchers acquire some new insights into various diseases. Our review will discuss some important studies and the latest progress regarding the above approaches for the production of 3-D ECM structures for cancer and other diseases. Especially, we will focus on new discoveries regarding the impact of the ECM on different aspects of cancer metastasis, e.g., collective invasion, enhanced intravasation by stress and aligned collagen fibers, angiogenesis regulation, as well as on drug screening.
Disease Modeling Using 3D Organoids Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Ho Beatrice , Pek Nicole , Soh Boon-Seng
Published: March 2018

The rising interest in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived organoid culture has stemmed from the manipulation of various combinations of directed multi-lineage differentiation and morphogenetic processes that mimic organogenesis. Organoids are three-dimensional (3D) structures that are comprised of multiple cell types, self-organized to recapitulate embryonic and tissue development in vitro. This model has been shown to be superior to conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture methods in mirroring functionality, architecture, and geometric features of tissues seen in vivo. This review serves to highlight recent advances in the 3D organoid technology for use in modeling complex hereditary diseases, cancer, host–microbe interactions, and possible use in translational and personalized medicine where organoid cultures were used to uncover diagnostic biomarkers for early disease detection via high throughput pharmaceutical screening. In addition, this review also aims to discuss the advantages and shortcomings of utilizing organoids in disease modeling. In summary, studying human diseases using hiPSC-derived organoids may better illustrate the processes involved due to similarities in the architecture and microenvironment present in an organoid, which also allows drug responses to be properly recapitulated in vitro.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Dental Origin for Inducing Tissue Regeneration in Periodontitis: A Mini-Review
Authors: Hernández-Monjaraz Beatriz , Santiago-Osorio Edelmiro , Monroy-García Alberto , Ledesma-Martínez Edgar , Mendoza-Núñez Víctor
Published: March 2018

Periodontitis is a chronic disease that begins with a period of inflammation of the supporting tissues of the teeth table and then progresses, destroying the tissues until loss of the teeth occurs. The restoration of the damaged dental support apparatus is an extremely complex process due to the regeneration of the cementum, the periodontal ligament, and the alveolar bone. Conventional treatment relies on synthetic materials that fill defects and replace lost dental tissue, but these approaches are not substitutes for a real regeneration of tissue. To address this, there are several approaches to tissue engineering for regenerative dentistry, among them, the use of stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can be obtained from various sources of adult tissues, such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, skin, and tissues of the orofacial area. MSC of dental origin, such as those found in the bone marrow, have immunosuppressive and immunotolerant properties, multipotency, high proliferation rates, and the capacity for tissue repair. However, they are poorly used as sources of tissue for therapeutic purposes. Their accessibility makes them an attractive source of mesenchymal stem cells, so this review describes the field of dental stem cell research and proposes a potential mechanism involved in periodontal tissue regeneration induced by dental MSC.
Time-Resolved Measurement of the ATP-Dependent Motion of the Group II Chaperonin by Diffracted Electron Tracking
Authors: Ogawa Naoki , Yamamoto Yohei , Abe Keisuke , Sekiguchi Hiroshi , Sasaki Yuji , Ishikawa Akira , Frydman Judith , Yohda Masafumi
Published: March 2018

Previously, we demonstrated the ATP-dependent dynamics of a group II chaperonin at the single-molecule level by diffracted X-ray tracking (DXT). The disadvantage of DXT is that it requires a strong X-ray source and also perfect gold nano-crystals. To resolve this problem, we developed diffracted electron tracking (DET). Electron beams have scattering cross-sections that are approximately 1000 times larger than those of X-rays. Thus, DET enables us to perform super-accurate measurements of the time-resolved 3D motion of proteins labeled with commercially available gold nanorods using a scanning electron microscope. In this study, we compared DXT and DET using the group II chaperonin from Methanococcus maripaludis (MmCpn) as a model protein. In DET, the samples are prepared in an environmental cell (EC). To reduce the electron beam-induced protein damage, we immobilized MmCpn on the bottom of the EC to expose gold nanorods close to the carbon thin film. The sample setup worked well, and the motions of gold nanorods were clearly traced. Compared with the results of DXT, the mobility in DET was significantly higher, which is probably due to the difference in the method for immobilization. In DET, MmCpn was immobilized on a film of triacetyl cellulose. Whereas proteins are directly attached on the surface of solid support in DXT. Therefore, MmCpn could move relatively freely in DET. DET will be a state-of-the-art technology for analyzing protein dynamics.
Novel Indications for Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, beyond Hematological Malignancies
Authors: Campbell Robert , Chong Geoffrey , Hawkes Eliza
Published: March 2018

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a critical terminal enzyme in the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) pathway. BTK activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain B-cell malignancies. Targeting this pathway has emerged as a novel target in B-cell malignancies, of which ibrutinib is the first-in-class agent. A few other BTK inhibitors (BTKi) are also under development (e.g., acalabrutinib). While the predominant action of BTKi is the blockade of B-cell receptor pathway within malignant B-cells, increasing the knowledge of off-target effects as well as a potential role for B-cells in proliferation of solid malignancies is expanding the indication of BTKi into non-hematological malignancies. In addition to the expansion of the role of BTKi monotherapy, combination therapy strategies utilizing ibrutinib with established regimens and combination with modern immunotherapy compounds are being explored.
Effect of Printing Parameters on Tensile, Dynamic Mechanical, and Thermoelectric Properties of FDM 3D Printed CABS/ZnO Composites
Authors: Aw Yah , Yeoh Cheow , Idris Muhammad , Teh Pei , Hamzah Khairul , Sazali Shulizawati
Published: March 2018

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) has been widely used in medical appliances, automobile, aircraft and aerospace, household appliances, toys, and many other fields. The ease of processing, low cost and high flexibility of FDM technique are strong advantages compared to other techniques for thermoelectric polymer composite fabrication. This research work focuses on the effect of two crucial printing parameters (infill density and printing pattern) on the tensile, dynamic mechanical, and thermoelectric properties of conductive acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/zinc oxide (CABS/ZnO composites fabricated by FDM technique. Results revealed significant improvement in tensile strength and Young’s modulus, with a decrease in elongation at break with infill density. Improvement in dynamic storage modulus was observed when infill density changed from 50% to 100%. However, the loss modulus and damping factor reduced gradually. The increase of thermal conductivity was relatively smaller compared to the improvement of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, therefore, the calculated figure of merit (ZT) value increased with infill density. Line pattern performed better than rectilinear, especially in tensile properties and electrical conductivity. From the results obtained, FDM-fabricated CABS/ZnO showed much potential as a promising candidate for thermoelectric application.
Temperature and Recognition Dual Responsive Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) and Poly(N,N-Dimethylacrylamide) with Adamantyl Side Group
Authors: Dong Qiujing , Luo Chunhua , Li Na , Chi Jiaxiang , Zhang Qingqing
Published: March 2018

A series of copolymers with an adamantyl side group (poly(NIPAM-co-AdMA) and poly(DMAM-co-AdMA)) were prepared by radical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAM) with a 2-methyl-2-adamantylmethacrylate (AdMA) monomer. The structure and composition of the as-synthesized copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. Temperature and recognition dual responsivity of the copolymers was investigated by cloud point (Tcp) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. The results show that the as-synthesized copolymers are a kind of temperature-responsive polymer with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Tcp was approximately consistent with the critical temperature of intermolecular copolymer association (Tass) from DLS. For these copolymers, Tcp decreases with increasing content of AdMA unit in the copolymers. After the addition of β-cyclodextrins (β-CD), Tcp increases, and the increment of Tcp values gradually became large with increasing content of AdMA in the copolymers. It is host-guest molecular recognition of β-CD and adamantyl groups that endows the as-synthesized copolymers with recognition-tunable thermosensitivity.
NMR Spectroscopy in Glass Science: A Review of the Elements
Authors: Youngman Randall
Published: March 2018

The study of inorganic glass structure is critically important for basic glass science and especially the commercial development of glasses for a variety of technological uses. One of the best means by which to achieve this understanding is through application of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which has a long and interesting history. This technique is element specific, but highly complex, and thus, one of the many inquiries made by non-NMR specialists working in glass science is what type of information and which elements can be studied by this method. This review presents a summary of the different elements that are amenable to the study of glasses by NMR spectroscopy and provides examples of the type of atomic level structural information that can be achieved. It serves to inform the non-specialist working in glass science and technology about some of the benefits and challenges involved in the study of inorganic glass structure using modern, readily-available NMR methods.
Bioactive Peptides from Cartilage Protein Hydrolysate of Spotless Smoothhound and Their Antioxidant Activity In Vitro
Authors: Tao Jing , Zhao Yu-Qin , Chi Chang-Feng , Wang Bin
Published: March 2018

In the experiment, crude proteins from spotless smoothhound (Mustelus griseus), cartilages were isolated by HCl-Guanidine buffer, and its hydrolysate was prepared using trypsin at pH 8.0, 40 °C with a total enzyme dose of 2.5%. Subsequently, three antioxidant peptides were purified from the hydrolysate using membrane ultrafiltration, anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The amino acid sequences of isolated peptides were identified as Gly-Ala-Glu-Arg-Pro (MCPE-A); Gly-Glu-Arg-Glu-Ala-Asn-Val-Met (MCPE-B); and Ala-Glu-Val-Gly (MCPE-C) with molecular weights of 528.57, 905.00, and 374.40 Da, respectively, using protein amino acid sequence analyzer and mass spectrum. MCPE-A, MCPE-B and MCPE-C exhibited good scavenging activities on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH•) (EC50 3.73, 1.87, and 2.30 mg/mL, respectively), hydroxyl radicals (HO•) (EC50 0.25, 0.34, and 0.06 mg/mL, respectively), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radicals (ABTS+•) (EC50 0.10, 0.05, and 0.07 mg/mL, respectively) and superoxide anion radicals ( O 2 − •) (EC50 0.09, 0.33, and 0.18 mg/mL, respectively). MCPE-B showed similar inhibiting ability on lipid peroxidation with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in a linoleic acid model system. Furthermore, MCPE-A, MCPE-B, and MCPE-C could protect H2O2-induced HepG2 cells from oxidative stress by decreasing the content of malonaldehyde (MDA) and increasing the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and glutathione reductase (GSH-Rx). Glu, Gly, Met, and Pro in their sequences and low molecular weight could be attributed to the antioxidant activities of three isolated peptides. These results suggested that GAERP (MCPE-A), GEREANVM (MCPE-B), and AEVG (MCPE-C) from cartilage protein hydrolysate of spotless smoothhound might serve as potential antioxidants and be used in the pharmaceutical and health food industries.