bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neighborhood Perceptions and Cumulative Impacts of Low Level Chronic Exposure to Fine Particular Matter (PM2.5) on Cardiopulmonary Health
Authors: Malecki Kristen , Schultz Amy , Bergmans Rachel
Published: January 2018

Adverse perceptions of neighborhood safety, aesthetics and quality including access to resources can induce stress and may make individuals more sensitive to cardiopulmonary effects of air pollution exposure. Few studies have examined neighborhood perceptions as important and modifiable non-chemical stressors of the built environment that may exacerbate effects of air pollution on cardiopulmonary health outcomes, particularly among general population based cohorts. This study examined associations between low-level chronic exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and cardiopulmonary health, and the potential mediating or modifying effects of adverse neighborhood perceptions. Using data from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW), 2230 non-asthmatic adults age 21–74 were included in the analyses. The overall goals of this study were to assess if individuals who experience stress from neighborhood environments in which they live were more sensitive to low levels of fine particular matter (PM2.5 μg/m3). Demographic predictors of air pollution exposure included younger age, non-White race, lower education and middle class income. After adjustments, objective lung function measures (FEV1 and FEV1 to FVC ratio) were the only cardiopulmonary health indicators significantly associated with chronic three-year annual averages of PM2.5. Among all non-asthmatics, a ten unit increase in estimated three year annual average PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with lower forced expiratory volume (L) in one second FEV1 (β = −0.40 μg/L; 95% CI −0.45, −0.06). Among all individuals, adverse perceptions of the neighborhood built environment did not appear to statistically moderate or mediate associations. However, stratified analysis did reveal significant associations between PM2.5 and lung function (FEV1) only among individuals with negative perceptions and increased reports of neighborhood stressors. These findings included individuals who felt their neighborhoods were poorly maintained (β = −0.82; 95% CI −1.35, −0.28), experienced stress from crime (β = −0.45; 95% CI −0.94, 0.04) or reported neighborhood is not well maintained (β = −1.13, CI −2.04, −0.24). These significant associations were similar for FEV1 to FVC ratio. Multi-pronged approaches addressing both neighborhood built environment aesthetics and air pollution regulation may be necessary to protect vulnerable and susceptible individuals and reduce persistent inequalities.
Comparing U.S. Injury Death Estimates from GBD 2015 and CDC WONDER
Authors: Wu Yue , Cheng Xunjie , Ning Peishan , Cheng Peixia , Schwebel David C. , Hu Guoqing
Published: January 2018

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine consistency in injury death statistics from the United States CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) with those from GBD 2015 estimates. Methods: Differences in deaths and the percent difference in deaths between GBD 2015 and CDC WONDER were assessed, as were changes in deaths between 2000 and 2015 for the two datasets. Results: From 2000 to 2015, GBD 2015 estimates for the U.S. injury deaths were somewhat higher than CDC WONDER estimates in most categories, with the exception of deaths from falls and from forces of nature, war, and legal intervention in 2015. Encouragingly, the difference in total injury deaths between the two data sources narrowed from 44,897 (percent difference in deaths = 41%) in 2000 to 34,877 (percent difference in deaths = 25%) in 2015. Differences in deaths and percent difference in deaths between the two data sources varied greatly across injury cause and over the assessment years. The two data sources present consistent changes in direction from 2000 to 2015 for all injury causes except for forces of nature, war, and legal intervention, and adverse effects of medical treatment. Conclusions: We conclude that further studies are warranted to interpret the inconsistencies in data and develop estimation approaches that increase the consistency of the two datasets.
LHCSR Expression under HSP70/RBCS2 Promoter as a Strategy to Increase Productivity in Microalgae
Authors: Perozeni Federico , Stella Giulio , Ballottari Matteo
Published: January 2018

Microalgae are unicellular photosynthetic organisms considered as potential alternative sources for biomass, biofuels or high value products. However, limited biomass productivity is commonly experienced in their cultivating system despite their high potential. One of the reasons for this limitation is the high thermal dissipation of the light absorbed by the outer layers of the cultures exposed to high light caused by the activation of a photoprotective mechanism called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). In the model organism for green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, NPQ is triggered by pigment binding proteins called light-harvesting-complexes-stress-related (LHCSRs), which are over-accumulated in high light. It was recently reported that biomass productivity can be increased both in microalgae and higher plants by properly tuning NPQ induction. In this work increased light use efficiency is reported by introducing in C. reinhardtii a LHCSR3 gene under the control of Heat Shock Protein 70/RUBISCO small chain 2 promoter in a npq4 lhcsr1 background, a mutant strain knockout for all LHCSR genes. This complementation strategy leads to a low expression of LHCSR3, causing a strong reduction of NPQ induction but is still capable of protecting from photodamage at high irradiance, resulting in an improved photosynthetic efficiency and higher biomass accumulation.
Effects of Fluoxetine on Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Neuroprotection in the Model of Global Cerebral Ischemia in Rats
Authors: Khodanovich Marina , Kisel Alena , Kudabaeva Marina , Chernysheva Galina , Smolyakova Vera , Krutenkova Elena , Wasserlauf Irina , Plotnikov Mark , Yarnykh Vasily
Published: January 2018

A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, has recently attracted a significant interest as a neuroprotective therapeutic agent. There is substantial evidence of improved neurogenesis under fluoxetine treatment of brain ischemia in animal stroke models. We studied long-term effects of fluoxetine treatment on hippocampal neurogenesis, neuronal loss, inflammation, and functional recovery in a new model of global cerebral ischemia (GCI). Brain ischemia was induced in adult Wistar male rats by transient occlusion of three main vessels originating from the aortic arch and providing brain blood supply. Fluoxetine was injected intraperitoneally in a dose of 20 mg/kg for 10 days after surgery. To evaluate hippocampal neurogenesis at time points 10 and 30 days, 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine was injected at days 8–10 after GCI. According to our results, 10-day fluoxetine injections decreased neuronal loss and inflammation, improved survival and functional recovery of animals, enhanced neurogenesis, and prevented an early pathological increase in neural stem cell recruitment in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus without reducing the number of mature neurons at day 30 after GCI. In summary, this study suggests that fluoxetine may provide a promising therapy in cerebral ischemia due to its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and neurorestorative effect.
Psoriasis: A STAT3-Centric View
Authors: Calautti Enzo , Avalle Lidia , Poli Valeria
Published: January 2018

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT)3 has recently emerged as a key player in the development and pathogenesis of psoriasis and psoriatic-like inflammatory conditions. Indeed, STAT3 hyperactivation has been reported in virtually every cell type involved in disease initiation and maintenance, and this factor mediates the signal of most cytokines that are involved in disease pathogenesis, including the central Interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis. Despite the recent availability of effective biological agents (monoclonal antibodies) against IL-17 and IL-23, which have radically changed the current standard of disease management, the possibility of targeting either STAT3 itself or, even better, the family of upstream activators Janus kinases (JAK1, 2, 3, and TYK2) offers additional therapeutic options. Due to the oral/topical administration modality of these small molecule drugs, their lower cost, and the reduced risk of eliciting adverse immune responses, these compounds are being actively scrutinized in clinical settings. Here, we summarize the main pathological features of psoriatic conditions that provide the rationale for targeting the JAK/STAT3 axis in disease treatment.
Skin Protective Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate
Authors: Kim Eunji , Hwang Kyeonghwan , Lee Jongsung , Han Sang Yun , Kim Eun-Mi , Park Junseong , Cho Jae Youl
Published: January 2018

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin and an abundant polyphenol in green tea. Although several papers have evaluated EGCG as a cosmetic constituent, the skin hydration effect of EGCG is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the mechanism by which EGCG promotes skin hydration by measuring hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS) and hyaluronidase (HYAL) gene expression and antioxidant and anti-pigmentation properties using cell proliferation assay, Western blotting analysis, luciferase assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. RT-PCR showed that EGCG increased the expression of natural moisturizing factor-related genes filaggrin (FLG), transglutaminase-1, HAS-1, and HAS-2. Under UVB irradiation conditions, the expression level of HYAL was decreased in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, we confirmed the antioxidant activity of EGCG and also showed a preventive effect against radical-evoked apoptosis by downregulation of caspase-8 and -3 in HaCaT cells. EGCG reduced melanin secretion and production in melanoma cells. Together, these results suggest that EGCG might be used as a cosmetic ingredient with positive effects on skin hydration, moisture retention, and wrinkle formation, in addition to radical scavenging activity and reduction of melanin generation.
Transcriptome Analysis in Haematococcus pluvialis: Astaxanthin Induction by High Light with Acetate and Fe2+
Authors: He Bangxiang , Hou Lulu , Dong Manman , Shi Jiawei , Huang Xiaoyun , Ding Yating , Cong Xiaomei , Zhang Feng , Zhang Xuecheng , Zang Xiaonan
Published: January 2018

Haematococcus pluvialis is a commercial microalga, that produces abundant levels of astaxanthin under stress conditions. Acetate and Fe2+ are reported to be important for astaxanthin accumulation in H. pluvialis. In order to study the synergistic effects of high light stress and these two factors, we obtained transcriptomes for four groups: high light irradiation (HL), addition of 25 mM acetate under high light (HA), addition of 20 μM Fe2+ under high light (HF) and normal green growing cells (HG). Among the total clean reads of the four groups, 156,992 unigenes were found, of which 48.88% were annotated in at least one database (Nr, Nt, Pfam, KOG/COG, SwissProt, KEGG, GO). The statistics for DEGs (differentially expressed genes) showed that there were more than 10 thousand DEGs caused by high light and 1800–1900 DEGs caused by acetate or Fe2+. The results of DEG analysis by GO and KEGG enrichments showed that, under the high light condition, the expression of genes related to many pathways had changed, such as the pathway for carotenoid biosynthesis, fatty acid elongation, photosynthesis-antenna proteins, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms and so on. Addition of acetate under high light significantly promoted the expression of key genes related to the pathways for carotenoid biosynthesis and fatty acid elongation. Furthermore, acetate could obviously inhibit the expression of genes related to the pathway for photosynthesis-antenna proteins. For addition of Fe2+, the genes related to photosynthesis-antenna proteins were promoted significantly and there was no obvious change in the gene expressions related to carotenoid and fatty acid synthesis.
Scanning the Immunopathogenesis of Psoriasis
Authors: Chiricozzi Andrea , Romanelli Paolo , Volpe Elisabetta , Borsellino Giovanna , Romanelli Marco
Published: January 2018

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, the immunologic model of which has been profoundly revised following recent advances in the understanding of its pathophysiology. In the current model, a crosstalk between keratinocytes, neutrophils, mast cells, T cells, and dendritic cells is thought to create inflammatory and pro-proliferative circuits mediated by chemokines and cytokines. Various triggers, including recently identified autoantigens, Toll-like receptor agonists, chemerin, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin may activate the pathogenic cascade resulting in enhanced production of pro-inflammatory and proliferation-inducing mediators such as interleukin (IL)-17, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-23, IL-22, interferon (IFN)-α, and IFN-γ by immune cells. Among these key cytokines lie therapeutic targets for currently approved antipsoriatic therapies. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the immune-mediated mechanisms characterizing the current pathogenic model of psoriasis.
Fungicidal PMMA-Undecylenic Acid Composites
Authors: Petrović Milica , Bonvin Debora , Hofmann Heinrich , Mionić Ebersold Marijana
Published: January 2018

Undecylenic acid (UA), known as antifungal agent, still cannot be used to efficiently modify commercial dental materials in such a way that this affects Candida. Actually, issues with Candida infections and fungal resistance compromise the use of Poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) as dental material. The challenge remains to turn PMMA into an antifugal material, which can ideally affect both sessile (attached) and planktonic (free-floating) Candida cells. We aimed to tackle this challenge by designing PMMA-UA composites with different UA concentrations (3–12%). We studied their physico-chemical properties, the antifungal effect on Candida and the cytotoxicity toward human cells. We found that UA changes the PMMA surface into a more hydrophilic one. Mainly, as-preparation composites with ≥6% UA reduced sessile Candida for >90%. After six days, the composites were still efficiently reducing the sessile Candida cells (for ~70% for composites with ≥6% UA). Similar results were recorded for planktonic Candida. Moreover, the inhibition zone increased along with the UA concentration. The antifungal effect of UA was also examined at the surface of an UA-loaded agar and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC90) was below the lowest-studied 0.0125% UA. Furthermore, the embedded filamentation test after 24 h and 48 h showed complete inhibition of the Candida growth at 0.4% UA.
Protective Effects of Protocatechuic Acid on Seizure-Induced Neuronal Death
Authors: Lee Song , Choi Bo , Kho A , Jeong Jeong , Hong Dae , Lee Sang , Lee Sang , Lee Min , Song Hong , Choi Hui , Suh Sang
Published: January 2018

Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a type of phenolic acid found in green tea and has been shown to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of PCA on pilocarpine seizure-induced neuronal death in the hippocampus has not been evaluated. In the present study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects of PCA on seizure-induced brain injury. Epileptic seizure was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of pilocarpine (25 mg/kg) in adult male rats, and PCA (30 mg/kg) was injected into the intraperitoneal space for three consecutive days after the seizure. Neuronal injury and oxidative stress were evaluated three days after a seizure. To confirm whether PCA increases neuronal survival and reduced oxidative injury in the hippocampus, we performed Fluoro-Jade-B (FJB) staining to detect neuronal death and 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) staining to detect oxidative stress after the seizure. In the present study, we found that, compared to the seizure vehicle-treated group, PCA administration reduced neuronal death and oxidative stress in the hippocampus. To verify whether a decrease of neuronal death by PCA treatment was due to reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration, we measured glutathione with N-ethylmaleimide (GS-NEM) levels in hippocampal neurons. A seizure-induced reduction in the hippocampal neuronal GSH concentration was preserved by PCA treatment. We also examined whether microglia activation was affected by the PCA treatment after a seizure, using CD11b staining. Here, we found that seizure-induced microglia activation was significantly reduced by the PCA treatment. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that PCA deserves further investigation as a therapeutic agent for reducing hippocampal neuronal death after epileptic seizures.
Carbon Monoxide Potentiates High Temperature-Induced Nicotine Biosynthesis in Tobacco
Authors: Cheng Tielong , Hu Liwei , Wang Pengkai , Yang Xiuyan , Peng Ye , Lu Ye , Chen Jinhui , Shi Jisen
Published: January 2018

Carbon monoxide (CO) acts as an important signal in many physiological responses in plants, but its role in plant secondary metabolism is still unknown. Nicotine is the main alkaloid generated in tobacco and the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) has previously been reported to efficiently induce its biosynthesis. Whether and how CO interacts with JA to regulate nicotine biosynthesis in tobacco remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that high temperature (HT) induces quick accumulation of nicotine in tobacco roots, combined with an increase in CO and JA concentration. Suppressing CO generation reduced both JA and nicotine biosynthesis, whereas exogenous application of CO increased JA and nicotine content. CO causes an increased expression of NtPMT1 (a key nicotine biosynthesis enzyme), via promoting NtMYC2a binding to the G-box region of its promoter, leading to heightened nicotine levels under HT conditions. These data suggest a novel function for CO in stimulating nicotine biosynthesis in tobacco under HT stress, through a JA signal.
Visfatin Promotes IL-6 and TNF-α Production in Human Synovial Fibroblasts by Repressing miR-199a-5p through ERK, p38 and JNK Signaling Pathways
Authors: Wu Min-Huan , Tsai Chun-Hao , Huang Yuan-Li , Fong Yi-Chin , Tang Chih-Hsin
Published: January 2018

Osteoarthritis (OA), an inflammatory form of arthritis, is characterized by synovial inflammation and cartilage destruction largely influenced by two key proinflammatory cytokines—interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Notably, levels of visfatin (a proinflammatory adipokine) are elevated in patients with OA, although the relationship of visfatin to IL-6 and TNF-α expression in OA pathogenesis has been unclear. In this study, visfatin enhanced the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in human OA synovial fibroblasts (OASFs) in a concentration-dependent manner and stimulation of OASFs with visfatin promoted phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), while ERK, p38, and JNK inhibitors or siRNAs all abolished visfatin-induced increases in IL-6 and TNF-α production. Moreover, transfection with miR-199a-5p mimics reversed visfatin-induced increases in IL-6 and TNF-α production. Furthermore, we also found that visfatin-promoted IL-6 and TNF-α production is mediated via the inhibition of miR-199a-5p expression through the ERK, p38, and JNK signaling pathways. Visfatin may therefore be an appropriate target for drug intervention in OA treatment.
Cloning and Functional Analysis of Phosphoethanolamine Methyltransferase Promoter from Maize (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Niu Gai-Li , Gou Wei , Han Xiang-Long , Qin Cheng , Zhang Li-Xin , Abomohra Abd , Ashraf Muhammad
Published: January 2018

Betaine, a non-toxic osmoprotectant, is believed to accumulate considerably in plants under stress conditions to maintain the osmotic pressure and promote a variety of processes involved in growth and development. Phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEAMT), a key enzyme for betaine synthesis, is reported to be regulated by its upstream promoter. In the present investigation, by using the transgenic approach, a 1048 bp long promoter region of ZmPEAMT gene from Zea mays was cloned and functionally characterized in tobacco. Computational analysis affirmed the existence of abiotic stress responsive cis-elements like ABRE, MYC, HST, LST etc., as well as pathogen, wound and phytohormone responsive motifs. For transformation in tobacco, four 5′-deletion constructs of 826 bp (P2), 642 bp (P3), 428 bp (P4) and 245 bp (P5) were constructed from the 1048 bp (P1) promoter fragment. The transgenic plants generated through a single event exhibited a promising expression of GUS reporter protein in the leaf tissues of treated with salt, drought, oxidative and cold stress as well as control plants. The GUS expression level progressively reduced from P1 to P5 in the leaf tissues, whereas a maximal expression was observed with the P3 construct in the leaves of control plants. The expression of GUS was noted to be higher in the leaves of osmotically- or salt-treated transgenic plants than that in the untreated (control) plants. An effective expression of GUS in the transgenic plants manifests that this promoter can be employed for both stress-inducible and constitutive expression of gene(s). Due to this characteristic, this potential promoter can be effectively used for genetic engineering of several crops.
Twelve Weeks of Medium-Intensity Exercise Therapy Affects the Lipoprotein Profile of Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Authors: Jorissen Winde , Vanmierlo Tim , Wens Inez , Somers Veerle , Van Wijmeersch Bart , Bogie Jeroen , Remaley Alan , Eijnde Bert , Hendriks Jerome
Published: January 2018

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory auto-immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Serum glucose alterations and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) are reported in MS patients, and are commonly associated with the development of cardio-metabolic co-morbidities. We previously found that a subgroup of MS patients shows alterations in their lipoprotein profile that are similar to a pre-cardiovascular risk profile. In addition, we showed that a high-intensity exercise training has a positive effect on IGT in MS patients. In this study, we hypothesize that exercise training positively influences the lipoprotein profile of MS patients. To this end, we performed a pilot study and determined the lipoprotein profile before (controls, n = 40; MS patients, n = 41) and after (n = 41 MS only) 12 weeks of medium-intensity continuous training (MIT, n = 21, ~60% of VO2max) or high-intensity interval training (HIT, n = 20, ~100–200% of VO2max) using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Twelve weeks of MIT reduced intermediate-density lipoprotein particle count ((nmol/L); −43.4%; p < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c (mg/dL); −7.6%; p < 0.05) and VLDL size ((nm); −6.6%; p < 0.05), whereas HIT did not influence the lipoprotein profile. These results show that MIT partially normalizes lipoprotein alterations in MS patients. Future studies including larger patient and control groups should determine whether MIT can reverse other lipoprotein levels and function and if these alterations are related to MS disease progression and the development of co-morbidities.
Joint Cell Association and User Scheduling in Carrier Aggregated Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Zhang Jia , Meng Lili , Ji Hui
Published: January 2018

This paper focuses on the network capacity maximization problem through joint cell association and user scheduling with multiple carrier aggregation (CA) in the heterogeneous networks (HetNets). For the downlink transmission, the proposed joint maximization problem is reformulated from single data flow into multiple data flow through carrier aggregated HetNets, in which the users could associate with BSs on more than one carrier band. Such a flexible joint maximization problem could be solved by convex optimization solutions with reasonable complexity. Numerical analysis has confirmed the performance advantages of the proposed multi-flow solution under different carrier aggregation deployment.
Image Super-Resolution Algorithm Based on an Improved Sparse Autoencoder
Authors: Huang Detian , Huang Weiqin , Yuan Zhenguo , Lin Yanming , Zhang Jian , Zheng Lixin
Published: January 2018

Due to the limitations of the resolution of the imaging system and the influence of scene changes and other factors, sometimes only low-resolution images can be acquired, which cannot satisfy the practical application’s requirements. To improve the quality of low-resolution images, a novel super-resolution algorithm based on an improved sparse autoencoder is proposed. Firstly, in the training set preprocessing stage, the high- and low-resolution image training sets are constructed, respectively, by using high-frequency information of the training samples as the characterization, and then the zero-phase component analysis whitening technique is utilized to decorrelate the formed joint training set to reduce its redundancy. Secondly, a constructed sparse regularization term is added to the cost function of the traditional sparse autoencoder to further strengthen the sparseness constraint on the hidden layer. Finally, in the dictionary learning stage, the improved sparse autoencoder is adopted to achieve unsupervised dictionary learning to improve the accuracy and stability of the dictionary. Experimental results validate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms both in terms of the subjective visual perception and the objective evaluation indices, including the peak signal-to-noise ratio and the structural similarity measure.
Automata Approach to XML Data Indexing
Authors: Šestáková Eliška , Janoušek Jan
Published: January 2018

The internal structure of XML documents can be viewed as a tree. Trees are among the fundamental and well-studied data structures in computer science. They express a hierarchical structure and are widely used in many applications. This paper focuses on the problem of processing tree data structures; particularly, it studies the XML index problem. Although there exist many state-of-the-art methods, the XML index problem still belongs to the active research areas. However, existing methods usually lack clear references to a systematic approach to the standard theory of formal languages and automata. Therefore, we present some new methods solving the XML index problem using the automata theory. These methods are simple and allow one to efficiently process a small subset of XPath. Thus, having an XML data structure, our methods can be used efficiently as auxiliary data structures that enable answering a particular set of queries, e.g., XPath queries using any combination of the child and descendant-or-self axes. Given an XML tree model with n nodes, the searching phase uses the index, reads an input query of size m, finds the answer in time

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(
m
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and does not depend on the size of the original XML document.
Lightweight S-Box Architecture for Secure Internet of Things
Authors: Prathiba A. , Bhaaskaran V.
Published: January 2018

Lightweight cryptographic solutions are required to guarantee the security of Internet of Things (IoT) pervasiveness. Cryptographic primitives mandate a non-linear operation. The design of a lightweight, secure, non-linear 4 × 4 substitution box (S-box) suited to Internet of Things (IoT) applications is proposed in this work. The structure of the 4 × 4 S-box is devised in the finite fields GF (24) and GF ((22)2). The finite field S-box is realized by multiplicative inversion followed by an affine transformation. The multiplicative inverse architecture employs Euclidean algorithm for inversion in the composite field GF ((22)2). The affine transformation is carried out in the field GF (24). The isomorphic mapping between the fields GF (24) and GF ((22)2) is based on the primitive element in the higher order field GF (24). The recommended finite field S-box architecture is combinational and enables sub-pipelining. The linear and differential cryptanalysis validates that the proposed S-box is within the maximal security bound. It is observed that there is 86.5% lesser gate count for the realization of sub field operations in the composite field GF ((22)2) compared to the GF (24) field. In the PRESENT lightweight cipher structure with the basic loop architecture, the proposed S-box demonstrates 5% reduction in the gate equivalent area over the look-up-table-based S-box with TSMC 180 nm technology.
Modeling and Application of Customer Lifetime Value in Online Retail
Authors: Jasek Pavel , Vrana Lenka , Sperkova Lucie , Smutny Zdenek , Kobulsky Marek
Published: January 2018

This article provides an empirical statistical analysis and discussion of the predictive abilities of selected customer lifetime value (CLV) models that could be used in online shopping within e-commerce business settings. The comparison of CLV predictive abilities, using selected evaluation metrics, is made on selected CLV models: Extended Pareto/NBD model (EP/NBD), Markov chain model and Status Quo model. The article uses six online store datasets with annual revenues in the order of tens of millions of euros for the comparison. The EP/NBD model has outperformed other selected models in a majority of evaluation metrics and can be considered good and stable for non-contractual relations in online shopping. The implications for the deployment of selected CLV models in practice, as well as suggestions for future research, are also discussed.
Effect of Water Content on Properties of Homogeneous [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4–H2O Mixtures and Their Application in Oxidative Absorption of H2S
Authors: Wang Jianhong , Ding Renren
Published: January 2018

The potential of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate ([bmim]Fe(III)Cl4) for replacing an iron(III) chelate catalytic solution in the catalytic oxidation of H2S is attributed to its no side reaction and no degradation of the chelating agent. The catalytic oxidation product of water in non-aqueous [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4 possibly has an influence on the oxidative absorption of H2S. Water and hydrophobic [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4 mixtures at water volume percents from 40% to 70% formed separate phases after srirring, without affecting the oxidative absorption of hydrogen sulfide. Then, studies on the properties of homogeneous [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4–H2O mixtures at water volume percents in the range of 5.88–30% and above 80% reveal that these mixtures are both Brønsted and Lewis acids at vol % (H2O) ≤ 30%, and only Lewis acids at vol % (H2O) ≥ 80%. Raman spectra showed that [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4 was the dominating species at vol % (H2O) ≤ 30%, in contrast, [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4 decomposed into FeCl3·2H2O and [bmim]Cl at vol % (H2O) ≥ 80%. Further research on oxidative absorption of H2S by homogeneous [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4–H2O mixtures demonstrated that [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4 was reduced by H2S to [bmim]Fe(II)Cl4H and FeCl3·2H2O was reduced to FeCl2, at the same time, H2S was oxidized to S8. In addition, the decrease in acidity caused by increasing the water content increased the weight percent of absorbed H2S, and decreased volatile HCl emissions. However, it is difficult to prevent the suspended S8 generated at vol % (H2O) ≥ 80% from the formation of sulfur blockage. Therefore, oxidative absorption of H2S by [bmim]Fe(III)Cl4–H2O mixtures is feasible at vol % (H2O) < 80% without sulfur blockage.
Investigating the (Mis)Match between Natural Pest Control Knowledge and the Intensity of Pesticide Use
Authors: Mall David , Larsen Ashley , Martin Emily
Published: January 2018

Transforming modern agriculture towards both higher yields and greater sustainability is critical for preserving biodiversity in an increasingly populous and variable world. However, the intensity of agricultural practices varies strongly between crop systems. Given limited research capacity, it is crucial to focus efforts to increase sustainability in the crop systems that need it most. In this study, we investigate the match (or mismatch) between the intensity of pesticide use and the availability of knowledge on the ecosystem service of natural pest control across various crop systems. Using a systematic literature search on pest control and publicly available pesticide data, we find that pest control literature is not more abundant in crops where insecticide input per hectare is highest. Instead, pest control literature is most abundant, with the highest number of studies published, in crops with comparatively low insecticide input per hectare but with high world harvested area. These results suggest that a major increase of interest in agroecological research towards crops with high insecticide input, particularly cotton and horticultural crops such as citrus and high value-added vegetables, would help meet knowledge needs for a timely ecointensification of agriculture.
The Effect of Cryopreserved Human Placental Tissues on Biofilm Formation of Wound-Associated Pathogens
Authors: Mao Yong , Singh-Varma Anya , Hoffman Tyler , Dhall Sandeep , Danilkovitch Alla , Kohn Joachim
Published: January 2018

Biofilm, a community of bacteria, is tolerant to antimicrobial agents and ubiquitous in chronic wounds. In a chronic DFU (Diabetic Foot Ulcers) clinical trial, the use of a human cryopreserved viable amniotic membrane (CVAM) resulted in a high rate of wound closure and reduction of wound-related infections. Our previous study demonstrated that CVAM possesses intrinsic antimicrobial activity against a spectrum of wound-associated bacteria under planktonic culture conditions. In this study, we evaluated the effect of CVAM and cryopreserved viable umbilical tissue (CVUT) on biofilm formation of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, the two most prominent pathogens associated with chronic wounds. Firstly, we showed that, like CVAM, CVUT released antibacterial activity against multiple bacterial pathogens and the devitalization of CVUT reduced its antibacterial activity. The biofilm formation was then measured using a high throughput method and an ex vivo porcine dermal tissue model. We demonstrate that the formation of biofilm was significantly reduced in the presence of CVAM- or CVUT-derived conditioned media compared to control assay medium. The formation of P. aeruginosa biofilm on CVAM-conditioned medium saturated porcine dermal tissues was reduced 97% compared with the biofilm formation on the control medium saturated dermal tissues. The formation of S. auerus biofilm on CVUT-conditioned medium saturated dermal tissues was reduced 72% compared with the biofilm formation on the control tissues. This study is the first to show that human cryopreserved viable placental tissues release factors that inhibit biofilm formation. Our results provide an explanation for the in vivo observation of their ability to support wound healing.
Estimating Bacterial and Cellular Load in FCFM Imaging
Authors: Seth Sohan , Akram Ahsan , Dhaliwal Kevin , Williams Christopher
Published: January 2018

We address the task of estimating bacterial and cellular load in the human distal lung with fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy (FCFM). In pulmonary FCFM some cells can display autofluorescence, and they appear as disc like objects in the FCFM images, whereas bacteria, although not autofluorescent, appear as bright blinking dots when exposed to a targeted smartprobe. Estimating bacterial and cellular load becomes a challenging task due to the presence of background from autofluorescent human lung tissues, i.e., elastin, and imaging artifacts from motion etc. We create a database of annotated images for both these tasks where bacteria and cells were annotated, and use these databases for supervised learning. We extract image patches around each pixel as features, and train a classifier to predict if a bacterium or cell is present at that pixel. We apply our approach on two datasets for detecting bacteria and cells respectively. For the bacteria dataset, we show that the estimated bacterial load increases after introducing the targeted smartprobe in the presence of bacteria. For the cell dataset, we show that the estimated cellular load agrees with a clinician’s assessment.
Breast Density Classification Using Local Quinary Patterns with Various Neighbourhood Topologies
Authors: Rampun Andrik , Scotney Bryan , Morrow Philip , Wang Hui , Winder John
Published: January 2018

This paper presents an extension of work from our previous study by investigating the use of Local Quinary Patterns (LQP) for breast density classification in mammograms on various neighbourhood topologies. The LQP operators are used to capture the texture characteristics of the fibro-glandular disk region ( F G D r o i ) instead of the whole breast area as the majority of current studies have done. We take a multiresolution and multi-orientation approach, investigate the effects of various neighbourhood topologies and select dominant patterns to maximise texture information. Subsequently, the Support Vector Machine classifier is used to perform the classification, and a stratified ten-fold cross-validation scheme is employed to evaluate the performance of the method. The proposed method produced competitive results up to 86.13 % and 82.02 % accuracy based on 322 and 206 mammograms taken from the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) and InBreast datasets, which is comparable with the state-of-the-art in the literature.
Inorganic Membranes: Preparation and Application for Water Treatment and Desalination
Authors: Kayvani Fard Ahmad , McKay Gordon , Buekenhoudt Anita , Al Sulaiti Huda , Motmans Filip , Khraisheh Marwan , Atieh Muataz
Published: January 2018

Inorganic membrane science and technology is an attractive field of membrane separation technology, which has been dominated by polymer membranes. Recently, the inorganic membrane has been undergoing rapid development and innovation. Inorganic membranes have the advantage of resisting harsh chemical cleaning, high temperature and wear resistance, high chemical stability, long lifetime, and autoclavable. All of these outstanding properties made inorganic membranes good candidates to be used for water treatment and desalination applications. This paper is a state of the art review on the synthesis, development, and application of different inorganic membranes for water and wastewater treatment. The inorganic membranes reviewed in this paper include liquid membranes, dynamic membranes, various ceramic membranes, carbon based membranes, silica membranes, and zeolite membranes. A brief description of the different synthesis routes for the development of inorganic membranes for application in water industry is given and each synthesis rout is critically reviewed and compared. Thereafter, the recent studies on different application of inorganic membrane and their properties for water treatment and desalination in literature are critically summarized. It was reported that inorganic membranes despite their high synthesis cost, showed very promising results with high flux, full salt rejection, and very low or no fouling.
Effect of Lithium Disilicate Reinforced Liner Treatment on Bond and Fracture Strengths of Bilayered Zirconia All-Ceramic Crown
Authors: Jang Yong-Seok , Noh Hyeong-Rok , Lee Min-Ho , Lim Myung-Jin , Bae Tae-Sung
Published: January 2018

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of a lithium-disilicate spray-liner application on both the bond strength between zirconia cores and heat-pressed lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic veneers, and the fracture strength of all-ceramic zirconia crowns. A lithium-disilicate reinforced liner was applied on the surface of a zirconia core and lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic was veneered on zirconia through heat press forming. Microtensile and crown fracture tests were conducted in order to evaluate, respectively, the bonding strength between the zirconia cores and heat pressed lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic veneers, and the fracture strength of bilayered zirconia all-ceramic crowns. The role of lithium-disilicate spray-liner at the interface between zirconia and lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic veneers was investigated through surface and cross-sectional analyses. We confirmed that both the mean bonding strength between the zirconia ceramics and lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic veneers and the fracture strength of the liner-treated groups were significantly higher than those of the untreated groups, which resulted, on the one hand, from the chemical bonding at the interface of the zirconia and lithium-disilicate liner, and, on the other, from the existence of a microgap in the group not treated with liner.
Influence of Depolarizing Fields and Screening Effects on Phase Transitions in Ferroelectric Composites
Authors: Darinskii Boris , Sidorkin Alexander , Sigov Alexander , Popravko Nadezhda
Published: January 2018

The temperature of the transition to the polar state in ferroelectric composites, representing spherical ferroelectric inclusions embedded in a dielectric matrix, under a depolarizing field effect is investigated. This temperature is determined both in the absence and presence of screening effects of the depolarizing field of the bound charges of spontaneous polarization at the inclusions surface. The absence case shows that the Curie point shift is determined by the ratio of the Curie constant of the ferroelectric inclusion to the permittivity of the matrix. Screening effects show that the transition temperature shift decreases through multiplying the value by a decreasing factor equal to the ratio of the screening length to the radius of the ferroelectric inclusion. Examples of the materials for the position of the Curie point on the temperature scale, largely determined by the tilting action of the depolarizing field and the compensating shielding effects, are given.
Secondary Metabolites of Mangrove-Associated Strains of Talaromyces
Authors: Nicoletti Rosario , Salvatore Maria , Andolfi Anna
Published: January 2018

Boosted by the general aim of exploiting the biotechnological potential of the microbial component of biodiversity, research on the secondary metabolite production of endophytic fungi has remarkably increased in the past few decades. Novel compounds and bioactivities have resulted from this work, which has stimulated a more thorough consideration of various natural ecosystems as conducive contexts for the discovery of new drugs. Thriving at the frontier between land and sea, mangrove forests represent one of the most valuable areas in this respect. The present paper offers a review of the research on the characterization and biological activities of secondary metabolites from manglicolous strains of species belonging to the genus Talaromyces. Aspects concerning the opportunity for a more reliable identification of this biological material in the light of recent taxonomic revisions are also discussed.
Functional Expression and Characterization of the Recombinant N-Acetyl-Glucosamine/N-Acetyl-Galactosamine-Specific Marine Algal Lectin BPL3
Authors: Hwang Hyun-Ju , Han Jin-Woo , Kim Gwang , Han Jong
Published: January 2018

Lectins, characterized by their carbohydrate-binding ability, have extensive practical applications. However, their industrial use is limited due to impurity. Thus, quality-controlled production of recombinant lectin is necessary. In this study, the algal lectin BPL3 (Bryopsis plumosa lectin 3) was successfully produced using a bacterial expression system, BL21(DE3), with an artificial repeated structure (dimeric construct). Recombinant dimeric BPL3 (rD2BPL3) was confirmed by LC-MS/MS spectrometry. Expression efficiency was greater for the construct with the repeat structure (rD2BPL3) than the monomeric form (rD1BPL3). Optimal conditions for expression were 1 mM IPTG at 20 °C. Recombinant lectin was purified under denaturing conditions and refolded by the flash dilution method. Recombinant BPL3 was solubilized in 1× PBS containing 2 M urea. rD2BPL3 showed strong hemagglutination activity using human erythrocyte. rD2BPL3 had a similar sugar specificity to that of the native protein, i.e., to N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc). Glycan array results showed that recombinant BPL3 and native BPL3 exhibited different binding properties. Both showed weak binding activity to α-Man-Sp. Native BPL3 showed strong binding specificity to the alpha conformation of amino sugars, and rD2BPL3 had binding activity to the beta conformation. The process developed in this study was suitable for the quality-controlled large-scale production of recombinant lectins.
Aquaculture Soft Coral Lobophytum crassum as a Producer of Anti-Proliferative Cembranoids
Authors: Peng Bo-Rong , Lu Mei-Chin , El-Shazly Mohamed , Wu Shwu-Li , Lai Kuei-Hung , Su Jui-Hsin
Published: January 2018

Our continuous search for marine bioactive secondary metabolites led to the screening of crude extracts from a variety of aquaculture soft corals. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of Lobophytum crassum showed a distinctive chemical profile that was different from the wild type. It demonstrated significant anti-proliferative activity against Molt 4 leukemia cell with an IC50 value of 1 μg/mL after 24 h. Chemical investigation focusing on the unique peaks in L. crassum profile led to the discovery of a new α-tocopherol crassumtocopherol C (1), and two new cembrane-based diterpenoids culobophylins D (2) and E (3), along with ten known cembranoids (4–13). The structures of these isolates were elucidated using extensive spectroscopic techniques and a comparison with previously published data of related metabolites. Compound 2 was found to possess the first identified saturated internal C4-O-C14 linkage six-membered ring among all cembrane-type diterpenoids. The anti-proliferative activity of all the isolates (except 3) was evaluated against a limited panel of leukemia cell lines (Molt 4, K562, U937, and Sup-T1). The major compounds 8 and 10 exhibited the most anti-proliferative potent effect, with IC50 values ranging from 1.2 to 7.1 μM. The Structure Activity Relationship (SAR) of the isolates suggested that the presence of lactone moieties is crucial for the anti-proliferative activity against leukemia cells. Our work indicated that the development of an efficient aquaculture protocols for soft corals led to the discovery of new secondary metabolites with unique structural features. Such protocols can lead to a sustainable supply of biologically active compounds in enough quantities for the pharmaceutical industry.
Effect of Low Molecular Weight Oligopeptides Isolated from Sea Cucumber on Diabetic Wound Healing in db/db Mice
Authors: Li Di , Li Lin , Xu Teng , Wang Tianxing , Ren Jinwei , Liu Xinran , Li Yong
Published: January 2018

Impaired wound healing is a major clinical problem in patients with diabetes and is the leading cause of lower limb amputation. This study is aimed to observe the effects of small molecule oligopeptides isolated from sea cucumber (SCCOPs) on the wound healing process in diabetic mice. Ninety db/db male mice were divided into five groups, including the model control group, whey protein group (0.50 g/kg) and three SCCOPs dose groups (0.25 g/kg, 0.50 g/kg and 1.00 g/kg). Additionally, 18 db/m male mice were used as normal control group. After full-thickness incisions on the dorsum, mice in SCCOPs-treated groups were intragastrically administered SCCOPs, while others were administered vehicle or whey protein. Mice were sacrificed on days 4, 7 and 14. The wound healing condition, inflammatory response, angiogenesis, collagen deposition, oxidative stress and nutritional status were evaluated. A pathological report showed increased vascularisation, collagen deposition and epithelialisation in SCCOPs-treated groups. SCCOPs-treated mice showed decreased C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents, and increased IL-10, stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF-1α), nitric oxide (NO), albumin (ALB), prealbumin (PA) and transferrin (TRF) levels and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. All parameters were significant (p < 0.05) in comparison to model control group. These results suggest that treatment with SCCOPs can promote significant wound healing in diabetic mice.