bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct determination of mineral nutrients in soybean leaves under vivo conditions by portable X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy
Authors: Tadeu Costa Junior Geovani , Nunes Lidiane Cristina , Feresin Gomes Marcos Henrique , de Almeida Eduardo , Pereira de Carvalho Hudson Wallace
Published: September 2019

A portable energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer furnished with an Rh X‐ray tube was evaluated for the determination of macronutrients and micronutrients in soybean leaves (Glycine max L.). XRF instrumental parameters were optimized in a univariate way, and emission intensities were measured for 60 s and under vacuum for macronutrients, and during 180 s, under air, and 305 μm Al/25.4 μm Ti filter, for micronutrients. Fresh and dried leaves were irradiated, and it was possible to identify P, K, Ca, S, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn Kα emission lines. For comparative purpose, the samples were also microwave assisted, digested and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. In general, linear correlations between K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn concentrations in the tested samples and the corresponding portable XRF (pXRF) intensities were obtained. The linear correlation coefficients (R2) ranged from 0.42 to 0.86. In addition, the detection limits were suitable for plant nutrient diagnosis. It is demonstrated that pXRF is a simple and powerful tool for analysis of plant materials.
Longitudinal analysis of dementia diagnosis and specialty care among racially diverse Medicare beneficiaries
Authors: Drabo Emmanuel Fulgence , Barthold Douglas , Joyce Geoffrey , Ferido Patricia , Chang Chui Helena , Zissimopoulos Julie
Published: September 2019

Introduction

There is insufficient understanding of diagnosis of etiologic dementia subtypes and contact with specialized dementia care among older Americans.

Methods

We quantified dementia diagnoses and subsequent health care over five years by etiologic subtype and physician specialty among Medicare beneficiaries with incident dementia diagnosis in 2008/09 (226,604 persons/714,015 person‐years).

Results

Eighty‐five percent of people were diagnosed by a nondementia specialist physician. Use of dementia specialists within one year (22%) and five years (36%) of diagnosis was low. “Unspecified” dementia diagnosis was common, higher among those diagnosed by nondementia specialists (33.2%) than dementia specialists (21.6%). Half of diagnoses were Alzheimer's disease.

Discussion

Ascertainment of etiologic dementia subtype may inform hereditary risk and facilitate financial and care planning. Use of dementia specialty care was low, particularly for Hispanics and Asians, and associated with more detection of etiological subtype. Dementia‐related professional development for nonspecialists is urgent given their central role in dementia diagnosis and care.
A CLASS OF MIXTURE OF EXPERTS MODELS FOR GENERAL INSURANCE: APPLICATION TO CORRELATED CLAIM FREQUENCIES
Authors: Chai Fung Tsz , Badescu Andrei L. , Sheldon Lin X.
Published: September 2019

This paper focuses on the estimation and application aspects of the Erlang count logit-weighted reduced mixture of experts model (EC-LRMoE), which is a fully flexible multivariate insurance claim frequency regression model. We first prove the identifiability property of the proposed model to ensure that it is a suitable candidate for statistical inference. An expectation conditional maximization (ECM) algorithm is developed for efficient model calibrations. Three simulation studies are performed to examine the effectiveness of the proposed ECM algorithm and the versatility of the proposed model. The applicability of the EC-LRMoE is shown through fitting an European automobile insurance data set. Since the data set contains several complex features, we find it necessary to adopt such a flexible model. Apart from showing excellent fitting results, we are able to interpret the fitted model in an insurance perspective and to visualize the relationship between policyholders’ information and their risk level. Finally, we demonstrate how the fitted model may be useful for insurance ratemaking.
What is the Added Value of the Concept of the “Essence” of EU Fundamental Rights?
Authors: Dawson Mark , Lynskey Orla , Muir Elise
Published: September 2019

This Article introduces our Special Issue by posing a central question: What is the added value of the increasing prominence of the concept of the “essence” of fundamental rights in EU law? It will address this larger question in four steps: First, by examining the function of the concept in EU law and the methods for its derivation; second, by summarizing how its application diverges across EU—and international—law; third, by outlining some enduring difficulties with the essence concept; and finally, by reflecting on its future role in EU law, including its impact on other sites of legal authority—such as domestic fundamental rights, the political institutions of the EU, and international human rights law. As the other articles of this issue demonstrate, while there is not yet a coherent approach to deriving and understanding the essence of rights across the fundamental rights the EU must protects, the essence concept plays an increasingly significant role in demarcating the boundaries between the EU’s legal and political orders and between overlapping sites of legal authority. Recent developments—such as the rule of law “crises”—are likely to further amplify the importance of “essence” to EU law practice and scholarship.
Passive hovering of a flexible -flyer in a vertically oscillating airflow
Authors: Zhang Xiang , He Guowei , Wang Shizhao , Zhang Xing
Published: September 2019

We numerically investigate the passive flight of a flexible$\unicode[STIX]{x039B}$-flyer in a vertically oscillating airflow with zero mean stream. The flexibility of the flyer is introduced by a torsion spring installed at the hinged joint. We study the effects of spring stiffness, density, resting angle and actuation efforts on the hovering performance. The results suggest that the occurrence of resonance in flexible flyers can result in significantly different performances in flexible and rigid flyers. It is found that flexibility can have two opposing effects, reducing or increasing the actuation efforts for hovering, depending on the range of driving frequency. This result is explained by the modulation of relative motion between the flyer and the imposed background flow due to the involvement of passive angular oscillation. The angular oscillation patterns, the wake symmetry properties and the postural stability behaviours under different driving conditions are also explored. Based on the findings of the present study, the ideal parameter values for stable hovering are suggested. The results of this study offer novel insight into the mechanism by which the flexibility of the flyer affects the passive hovering performance.
Effects of toxic baits and food-based attractants for fruit flies on the parasitoidFopius arisanus(Sonan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Authors: Farah Simón , Rakes Matheus , Portalanza Diego , Nava Dori E. , Durigon Angelica , Grützmacher Anderson D. , Dias-Pini Nivia , Goméz-Torres Mariuxi
Published: September 2019

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of toxic baits and attractants for fruit flies on the biology of its parasitoidFopius arisanus. We tested two food-based attractants; hydrolysed corn protein (Biofruit®3%) and sugarcane molasses (7%), their mixtures with spinosad and malathion-based insecticides, and a ready-to-use commercial bait (Success 0.02 CB®). Malathion-based lures were used as references for mortality (i.e., positive control), while negative control was honey. The formulations Biofruit®+ malathion (T1), molasses + malathion (T2), and spinosad + molasses (T3) were toxic toF. arisanus, being classified as harmful (class 4). In addition, toxic baits composed of Biofruit + spinosad (T4) reduced parasitism by 97.99%, being rated as moderately harmful (class 3). Yet, Success 0.02 CB®(T7) was considered slightly toxic (class 2), causing a 64.55% reduction in parasitism. Regarding the biological parameters ofF. arisanus, offspring number and parasitoid longevity were significantly reduced by using hydrolysed protein attractants when compared to the control (honey). However, sugarcane molasses improved parasitoid reproduction and longevity, as did the honey. Lastly, ingestion tests showed the major role of attractants in toxic-bait formulations againstF. arisanus.
Finding next of kin: Cross-lingual embedding spaces for related languages
Authors: Sharoff Serge
Published: September 2019

Some languages have very few NLP resources, while many of them are closely related to better-resourced languages. This paper explores how the similarity between the languages can be utilised by porting resources from better- to lesser-resourced languages. The paper introduces a way of building a representation shared across related languages by combining cross-lingual embedding methods with a lexical similarity measure which is based on the weighted Levenshtein distance. One of the outcomes of the experiments is a Panslavonic embedding space for nine Balto-Slavonic languages. The paper demonstrates that the resulting embedding space helps in such applications as morphological prediction, named-entity recognition and genre classification.
The language of typology
Authors: Grover Robert , Emmitt Stephen , Copping Alex
Published: September 2019

The concept of typology has recurred in architectural discourse since the term’s conception in the early nineteenth century. To describe an architectural object usually involves an act of typifying; a generalisation of built form to common characteristics. Both the analysis of architecture and its creation require this abstraction, which offers the potential to form types and expose initially unapparent relationships. Typology’s Enlightenment origins sought to link architecture to a natural order, but its terminology has subsequently been adopted in modernist rejections of mass culture and Neo-Rationalist pursuits of continua and meaning. Despite widespread use of the term, the role typology plays in the process of design remains unclear. Attempts to link its academic origins to the creation of architectural form (notably by Gottfried Semper in the nineteenth century, and Guilio Carlo Argan and Aldo Rossi in the twentieth century) have done little to synthesise the two and merely succeeded in alienating it from practice.
Investigation of Electron Momentum Density in Carbon Nanotubes Using Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Feng Zhenbao , Li Hefu , Wang Zongliang , Zhang Xiaoyan , Li Hengshuai , Hu Haiquan , Su Dangsheng
Published: September 2019

Valence Compton profiles (CPs) of multiwall (MWCNTs) and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were obtained by recording electron energy-loss spectra at large momentum transfer in the transmission electron microscope, a technique known as electron Compton scattering from solids (ECOSS). The experimental MWCNT/SWCNT results were compared with that of graphite. Differences between the valence CPs of MWCNTs and SWCNTs were observed, and the SWCNT CPs indicate a greater delocalization of the ground-state charge density compared to graphite. The results clearly demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the ECOSS technique as a complementary tool for studying the electronic structure of materials with nanoscale spatial resolution.
FINITE SOLVABLE GROUPS WITH DISTINCT MONOMIAL CHARACTER DEGREES
Authors: QIAN GUOHUA , YANG YONG
Published: September 2019

In this paper we classify the finite solvable groups in which distinct nonlinear monomial characters have distinct degrees.
Analysis and design of TEM-TE11 coaxial waveguide bend mode converters
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Zhao Xuhao , Yuan Chengwei , Zhang Jiande
Published: September 2019

Two coaxial waveguide bend mode converters that transform coaxial transverse electromagnetic mode to TE11 coaxial waveguide mode are presented in this paper. Both converters are designed and optimized on the basis of the strictly derived mode coupling coefficients. Conversion efficiencies of both converters are over 99% and the power-handling capacities reach a gigawatt level. The combined dual-bend mode converter is fabricated and tested. The experimental results coincide well with the theoretical calculations and simulations, which demonstrates the feasibility of the designed converter.
CME: Nächtliche Dyspnoe
Authors: Kind Roman , Bloch Konrad E.
Published: September 2019

Zusammenfassung. Nächtliche Dyspnoe hat eine breite Differenzialdiagnose von zum Teil ernsthaften bis lebensbedrohlichen Erkrankungen. Bei der systematischen Abklärung ist eine detaillierte Anamnese zur Charakterisierung der Atemnot und zur Evaluation möglicher Grundkrankheiten als erster Schritt entscheidend. Die anschliessenden klinischen und Zusatzuntersuchungen werden entsprechend gezielt eingesetzt, um mögliche Erkrankungen der oberen und unteren Atemwege, der Lungen, Atemregulationsstörungen, Herzerkrankungen sowie neurologische und, nach Ausschluss anderer Ursachen, psychische Erkrankungen zu erfassen.
Der rätselhafte Husten – ein fallbasierter Vorschlag einer Abklärungsstrategie
Authors: Wieser Stephan
Published: September 2019

Zusammenfassung. Husten ist eines der häufigsten Symptome in der Grundversorgung. Über- wie auch Unterdiagnostik ist zu vermeiden. Beim akuten und subakuten Husten (<8 Wochen) muss anhand von Warnsignalen die Indikation zur sofortigen weiteren Diagnostik geprüft werden, ansonsten kann meist abgewartet werden. Beim chronischen Husten (>8 Wochen) sind bei unauffälliger Basis-Untersuchung neben Rauchen und ACE-Hemmern das Husten-Asthma, der gastro-ösophageale Reflux oder Affektionen der oberen Atemwege die häufigsten Ursachen und gehören systematisch abgeklärt resp. empirisch behandelt.
El Ni�o May Be a Culprit Behind the Cholera Epidemic in Yemen
Authors: Learn Joshua
Published: September 2019

Increased rainfall in East Africa and subsequent wind may have brought infected bugs to Yemen, causing the worst cholera outbreak of our time.
Revealing the Ocean’s Rare but Prolific Carbon Export Events
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: September 2019

New findings suggest that rare events underlie a global inverse relationship between primary production of organic carbon in the upper ocean and the fraction that is exported to the deep sea.
A Deep Learning‐Based Approach to Forecast the Onset of Magnetic Substorms
Authors: Maimaiti M. , Kunduri B. , Ruohoniemi J. M. , Baker J. B. H. , House Leanna L.
Published: September 2019

The auroral substorm has been extensively studied over the last six decades. However, our understanding of its driving mechanisms is still limited and so is our ability to accurately forecast its onset. In this study, we present the first deep learning‐based approach to predict the onset of a magnetic substorm, defined as the signature of the auroral electrojets in ground magnetometer measurements. Specifically, we use a time history of solar wind speed (Vx), proton number density, and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) components as inputs to forecast the occurrence probability of an onset over the next 1 hr. The model has been trained and tested on a data set derived from the SuperMAG list of magnetic substorm onsets and can correctly identify substorms ∼75% of the time. In contrast, an earlier prediction algorithm correctly identifies ∼21% of the substorms in the same data set. Our model's ability to forecast substorm onsets based on solar wind and IMF inputs prior to the actual onset time, and the trend observed in IMF Bz prior to onset together suggest that a majority of the substorms may not be externally triggered by northward turnings of IMF. Furthermore, we find that IMF Bz and Vx have the most significant influence on model performance. Finally, principal component analysis shows a significant degree of overlap in the solar wind and IMF parameters prior to both substorm and nonsubstorm intervals, suggesting that solar wind and IMF alone may not be sufficient to forecast all substorms, and preconditioning of the magnetotail may be an important factor.
Author Correction: In vivo transduction of ETV2 improves cardiac function and induces vascular regeneration following myocardial infarction
Authors: Lee Sunghun , Lee Dong Hun , Park Bong-Woo , Kim Ri Youn , Hoang Anh Duc , Woo Sang-Keun , Xiong Wenjun , Lee Yong Jin , Ban Kiwon , Park Hun-Jun
Published: September 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
The functional repertoire contained within the native microbiota of the model nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zimmermann Johannes , Obeng Nancy , Yang Wentao , Pees Barbara , Petersen Carola , Waschina Silvio , Kissoyan Kohar A , Aidley Jack , Hoeppner Marc P , Bunk Boyke , Spröer Cathrin , Leippe Matthias , Dierking Katja , Kaleta Christoph , Schulenburg Hinrich
Published: September 2019

The microbiota is generally assumed to have a substantial influence on the biology of multicellular organisms. The exact functional contributions of the microbes are often unclear and cannot be inferred easily from 16S rRNA genotyping, which is commonly used for taxonomic characterization of bacterial associates. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, we here analyzed the metabolic competences of the native microbiota of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We integrated whole-genome sequences of 77 bacterial microbiota members with metabolic modeling and experimental characterization of bacterial physiology. We found that, as a community, the microbiota can synthesize all essential nutrients for C. elegans. Both metabolic models and experimental analyses revealed that nutrient context can influence how bacteria interact within the microbiota. We identified key bacterial traits that are likely to influence the microbe’s ability to colonize C. elegans (i.e., the ability of bacteria for pyruvate fermentation to acetoin) and affect nematode fitness (i.e., bacterial competence for hydroxyproline degradation). Considering that the microbiota is usually neglected in C. elegans research, the resource presented here will help our understanding of this nematode’s biology in a more natural context. Our integrative approach moreover provides a novel, general framework to characterize microbiota-mediated functions.
A novel CUL4B splice site variant in a young male exhibiting less pronounced features
Authors: Nakamura Yuji , Okuno Yusuke , Muramatsu Hideki , Kawai Tomoko , Satou Kazuhito , Ieda Daisuke , Hori Ikumi , Ohashi Kei , Negishi Yutaka , Hattori Ayako , Takahashi Yoshiyuki , Kojima Seiji , Saitoh Shinji
Published: September 2019

Patients with variants in CUL4B exhibit syndromic intellectual disability (MIM #300354). A seven-year-old boy presented with intellectual disability, a history of seizure, characteristic facial features, and short stature. Whole-exome sequencing detected a c.974+3A>G variant in CUL4B, which was subsequently confirmed to disrupt mRNA splicing. The current patient showed less pronounced phenotypic features compared with the previously reported cases. This report, therefore, provides evidence of genotype–phenotype correlations in CUL4B-related disorders.
Deep learning extends de novo protein modelling coverage of genomes using iteratively predicted structural constraints
Authors: Greener Joe G. , Kandathil Shaun M. , Jones David T.
Published: September 2019

The inapplicability of amino acid covariation methods to small protein families has limited their use for structural annotation of whole genomes. Recently, deep learning has shown promise in allowing accurate residue-residue contact prediction even for shallow sequence alignments. Here we introduce DMPfold, which uses deep learning to predict inter-atomic distance bounds, the main chain hydrogen bond network, and torsion angles, which it uses to build models in an iterative fashion. DMPfold produces more accurate models than two popular methods for a test set of CASP12 domains, and works just as well for transmembrane proteins. Applied to all Pfam domains without known structures, confident models for 25% of these so-called dark families were produced in under a week on a small 200 core cluster. DMPfold provides models for 16% of human proteome UniProt entries without structures, generates accurate models with fewer than 100 sequences in some cases, and is freely available.
Predictive value of genomic screening: cross-sectional study of cystic fibrosis in 50,788 electronic health records
Authors: Sugunaraj J. P. , Brosius H. M. , Murray M. F. , Manickam K. , Stamm J. A. , Carey D. J. , Mirshahi U. L.
Published: September 2019

Doubts have been raised about the value of DNA-based screening for low-prevalence monogenic conditions following reports of testing this approach using available electronic health record (EHR) as the sole phenotyping source. We hypothesized that a better model for EHR-focused examination of DNA-based screening is Cystic Fibrosis (CF) since the diagnosis is proactively sought within the healthcare system. We reviewed CFTR variants in 50,778 exomes. In 24 cases with bi-allelic pathogenic CFTR variants, there were 21 true-positives. We considered three cases “potential” false-positives due to limitations in available EHR phenotype data. This genomic screening exhibited a positive predictive value of 87.5%, negative predictive value of 99.9%, sensitivity of 95.5%, and a specificity of 99.9%. Despite EHR-based phenotyping limitations in three cases, the presence or absence of pathogenic CFTR variants has strong predictive value for CF diagnosis when EHR data is used as the sole phenotyping source. Accurate ascertainment of the predictive value of DNA-based screening requires condition-specific phenotyping beyond available EHR data.
Comprehensive genomic analysis of an indigenous Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes degrading phenolic compounds
Authors: Safari Maryam , Yakhchali Bagher , Shariati.J Vahid
Published: September 2019

Environmental contamination with aromatic compounds is a universal challenge. Aromatic-degrading microorganisms isolated from the same or similar polluted environments seem to be more suitable for bioremediation. Moreover, microorganisms adapted to contaminated environments are able to use toxic compounds as the sole sources of carbon and energy. An indigenous strain of Pseudomonas, isolated from the Mahshahr Petrochemical plant in the Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran, was studied genetically. It was characterized as a novel Gram-negative, aerobic, halotolerant, rod-shaped bacterium designated Pseudomonas YKJ, which was resistant to chloramphenicol and ampicillin. Genome of the strain was completely sequenced using Illumina technology to identify its genetic characteristics. MLST analysis revealed that the YKJ strain belongs to the genus Pseudomonas indicating the highest sequence similarity with Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes strain CECT 5344 (99% identity). Core- and pan-genome analysis indicated that P. pseudoalcaligenes contains 1,671 core and 3,935 unique genes for coding DNA sequences. The metabolic and degradation pathways for aromatic pollutants were investigated using the NCBI and KEGG databases. Genomic and experimental analyses showed that the YKJ strain is able to degrade certain aromatic compounds including bisphenol A, phenol, benzoate, styrene, xylene, benzene and chlorobenzene. Moreover, antibiotic resistance and chemotaxis properties of the YKJ strain were found to be controlled by two-component regulatory systems.
Construction of three-dimensional temperature distribution using a network of ultrasonic transducers
Authors: Shen Xuehua , Chen Huanting , Shih Tien-Mo , Xiong Qingyu , Zhang Hualin
Published: September 2019

Although the ultrasonic technique for measuring temperature distributions has drawn much attention in recent years, most studies that adopt this technique focus on two-dimensional (2D) systems. Mathematically, extending from 2D to 3D requires higher construction-performing algorithms, as well as more complicated, but extremely crucial, designs of ultrasonic transducer layouts. Otherwise the ill condition of governing-equation matrices will become more serious. Here, we aim at constructing 3D temperature distributions by using a network of properly-installed ultrasonic transducers that can be controlled to transmit and receive ultrasound. In addition, the proposed method is capable of performing this construction procedure in real time, thus monitoring transient temperature distributions and guarantee the safety of operations related to heating or burning. Numerical simulations include constructions for four kinds of temperature distributions, as well as corresponding qualitative and quantitative analyses. Finally, our study offers a guide in developing non-intrusive experimental methods that measure 3D temperature distributions in real time.
Divergent selection and genetic structure of Sideritis scardica populations from southern Balkan Peninsula as revealed by AFLP fingerprinting
Authors: Grdiša Martina , Radosavljević Ivan , Liber Zlatko , Stefkov Gjoshe , Ralli Parthenopi , Chatzopoulou Paschalina S. , Carović-Stanko Klaudija , Šatović Zlatko
Published: September 2019

Sideritis scardica Giseb. is a subalpine/alpine plant species endemic to the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. In this study, we combined Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) and environmental data to examine the adaptive genetic variations in S. scardica natural populations sampled in contrasting environments. A total of 226 AFLP loci were genotyped in 166 individuals from nine populations. The results demonstrated low gene diversity, ranging from 0.095 to 0.133 and significant genetic differentiation ranging from 0.115 to 0.408. Seven genetic clusters were revealed by Bayesian clustering methods as well as by Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components and each population formed its respective cluster. The exception were populations P02 Mt. Shara and P07 Mt. Vermio, that were admixed between two clusters. Both landscape genetic methods Mcheza and BayeScan identified a total of seven (3.10%) markers exhibiting higher levels of genetic differentiation among populations. The spatial analysis method Samβada detected 50 individual markers (22.12%) associated with bioclimatic variables, among them seven were identified by both Mcheza and BayeScan as being under directional selection. Four bioclimatic variables associated with five out of seven outliers were related to precipitation, suggesting that this variable is the key factor affecting the adaptive variation of S. scardica.
DNA accessibility of chromatosomes quantified by automated image analysis of AFM data
Authors: Würtz Martin , Aumiller Dennis , Gundelwein Lina , Jung Philipp , Schütz Christian , Lehmann Kathrin , Tóth Katalin , Rohr Karl
Published: September 2019

DNA compaction and accessibility in eukaryotes are governed by nucleosomes and orchestrated through interactions between DNA and DNA-binding proteins. Using QuantAFM, a method for automated image analysis of atomic force microscopy (AFM) data, we performed a detailed statistical analysis of structural properties of mono-nucleosomes. QuantAFM allows fast analysis of AFM images, including image preprocessing, object segmentation, and quantification of different structural parameters to assess DNA accessibility of nucleosomes. A comparison of nucleosomes reconstituted with and without linker histone H1 quantified H1’s already described ability of compacting the nucleosome. We further employed nucleosomes bearing two charge-modifying mutations at position R81 and R88 in histone H2A (H2A R81E/R88E) to characterize DNA accessibility under destabilizing conditions. Upon H2A mutation, even in presence of H1, the DNA opening angle at the entry/exit site was increased and the DNA wrapping length around the histone core was reduced. Interestingly, a distinct opening of the less bendable DNA side was observed upon H2A mutation, indicating an enhancement of the intrinsic asymmetry of the Widom-601 nucleosomes. This study validates AFM as a technique to investigate structural parameters of nucleosomes and highlights how the DNA sequence, together with nucleosome modifications, can influence the DNA accessibility.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Kidney: Design and Evaluation of a Reliable Processing Pipeline
Authors: Borrelli Pasquale , Cavaliere Carlo , Basso Luca , Soricelli Andrea , Salvatore Marco , Aiello Marco
Published: September 2019

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is particularly suitable for kidney studies due to tubules, collector ducts and blood vessels in the medulla that produce spatially restricted diffusion of water molecules, thus reflecting the high grade of anisotropy detectable by DTI. Kidney DTI is still a challenging technique where the off-resonance susceptibility artefacts and subject motion can severely affect the reproducibility of results. The aim of this study is to design a reliable processing pipeline by assessing different image processing approaches in terms of reproducibility and image artefacts correction. The results of four different processing pipelines (eddy: correction of eddy-currents and motion between DTI volume; eddy-s2v: eddy and within DTI volume motion correction; topup: eddy and geometric distortion correction; topup-s2v: topup and within DTI volume motion correction) are compared in terms of reproducibility by test-retest analysis in 14 healthy subjects. Within-subject coefficient of variation (wsCV) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) are measured to assess the reproducibility and Dice similarity index is evaluated for the spatial alignment between DTI and anatomical images. Topup-s2v pipeline provides highest reproducibility (wsCV = 0.053, ICC = 0.814) and best correction of image distortion (Dice = 0.83). This study definitely provides a recipe for data processing, enabling for a clinical suitability of kidney DTI.
HilD induces expression of a novel Salmonella Typhimurium invasion factor, YobH, through a regulatory cascade involving SprB
Authors: Banda María M. , Manzo Rubiceli , Bustamante Víctor H.
Published: September 2019

HilD is an AraC-like transcriptional regulator encoded in theSalmonellapathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), which actives transcription of many genes within and outside SPI-1 that are mainly required for invasion ofSalmonellainto host cells. HilD controls expression of target genes directly or by acting through distinct regulators; three different regulatory cascades headed by HilD have been described to date. Here, by analyzing the effect of HilD on theyobHgene inSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), we further define an additional regulatory cascade mediated by HilD, which was revealed by previous genome-wide analyses. In this regulatory cascade, HilD acts through SprB, a LuxR-like regulator encoded in SPI-1, to induce expression of virulence genes. Our data show that HilD induces expression ofsprBby directly counteracting H-NS-mediated repression on the promoter region upstream of this gene. Then, SprB directly activates expression of several genes includingyobH,slrPandugtL. Interestingly, we found that YobH, a protein of only 79 amino acids, is required for invasion ofS. Typhimurium into HeLa cells and mouse macrophages. Thus, our results reveal a novelS. Typhimurium invasion factor and provide more evidence supporting the HilD-SprB regulatory cascade.
A mutated rabbit defensin NP-1 produced by Chlorella ellipsoidea can improve the growth performance of broiler chickens
Authors: Fan Chengming , Wu Jihua , Xu Ling , Bai Lili , Yang Heming , Yan Congjuan , Wu Qing , Chen Yuhong , Hu Zanmin
Published: September 2019

The demand for alternatives to antibiotics to improve the growth performance of food animals is increasing. Defensins constitute the first line of defence against pathogens in the innate immune system of animals and humans. A transgenic Chlorella ellipsoidea strain producing mNP-1 (a mutated rabbit defensin NP-1) was previously obtained in our laboratory. In this study, a process for producing the transgenic strain on a large scale was developed, and the C. ellipsoidea strain producing mNP-1 was used as a feed additive to improve the health and growth performance of chickens. The volume of C. ellipsoidea producing mNP-1 can be scaled up to 10,000 L with approximately 100 g/L dry biomass, and the mNP-1 content of transgenic microalgal powder (TMP) was 90–105 mg/L. A TMP-to-regular feed ratio of 1‰, as the optimal effective dose, can promote the growth of broiler chickens by increasing weight by 9.27–12.95%. mNP-1 can improve duodenum morphology by promoting long and thin villi and affect the microbial community of the duodenum by increasing the diversity and abundance of beneficial microbes. These results suggested that transgenic Chlorella producing mNP-1 can be industrially produced and used as an effective feed additive and an alternative to antibiotics for improving the health and growth performance of broiler chickens or other types of food animals/poultry.
Longitudinal variations in thermospheric parameters under summer noontime conditions inferred from ionospheric observations: A comparison with empirical models
Authors: Mikhailov Andrey V. , Perrone Loredana
Published: September 2019

Longitudinal variations in the thermospheric neutral composition ([O] and [N2]) and exospheric temperature Tex have been inferred from June monthly median noontime foF1 and foF2 observations at mid-latitudes to check for consistency with empirical MSIS models. In general, a similarity in longitudinal variations has been demonstrated, and this is interesting, as similar variations were obtained with very different methods and different data sources. Both inferred and MSISE-00 modelled height-integrated O/N2 ratios are comparable to TIMED/GUVI observations only under solar minimum conditions but differ substantially under high solar activity. The retrieved height-integrated O/N2 ratio longitudinal variations are small (∼15%) in comparison to the observed NmF2 variations under high solar activity. The height-integrated O/N2 ratio cannot be incorporated into the F2-layer formation mechanism; therefore, such observations cannot be used for any quantitative interpretation of NmF2 variations.
Improving seasonal forecasts of air temperature using a genetic algorithm
Authors: Ratnam J. V. , Dijkstra H. A. , Doi Takeshi , Morioka Yushi , Nonaka Masami , Behera Swadhin K.
Published: September 2019

Seasonal forecasts of air-temperature generated by numerical models provide guidance to the planners and to the society as a whole. However, generating accurate seasonal forecasts is challenging mainly due to the stochastic nature of the atmospheric internal variability. Therefore, an array of ensemble members is often used to capture the prediction signals. With large spread in the prediction plumes, it becomes important to employ techniques to reduce the effects of unrealistic members. One such technique is to create a weighted average of the ensemble members of seasonal forecasts. In this study, we applied a machine learning technique, viz. a genetic algorithm, to derive optimum weights for the 24-ensemble members of the coupled general circulation model; the Scale Interaction Experiment-Frontier research center for global change version 2 (SINTEX-F2) boreal summer forecasts. Our analysis showed the technique to have significantly improved the 2m-air temperature anomalies over several regions of South America, North America, Australia and Russia compared to the unweighted ensemble mean. The spatial distribution of air temperature anomalies is improved by the GA technique leading to better representation of anomalies in the predictions. Hence, machine learning techniques could help in improving the regional air temperature forecasts over the mid- and high-latitude regions where the model skills are relatively modest.
A novel technique to prepare a single cell suspension of isolated quiescent human hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Zhai Xiangyu , Wang Wei , Dou Dandan , Ma Yunlong , Gang Du , Jiang Zhengchen , Shi Binyao , Jin Bin
Published: September 2019

To explore a simple and easy-to-learn procedure for the isolation of human quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) that requires no advanced training. Thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This protocol will provide sufficient primary cells with minimal contaminants for future basic research on diseases associated with human HSCs. Normal liver tissues were isolated from patients undergoing hepatic hemangioma resection, and a single cell suspension of these tissues was prepared using the Gentle MACS tissue processor. By using this method, the difficulty of the procedure was reduced, fewer cells were lost during the preparation treatments, and the maximal activity of single cells was maintained. Following preparation of the cell suspension, the HSCs were further isolated using a Nycodenz density gradient. Cell viability was examined by trypan blue staining, and the purity of the quiescent human HSCs was determined by autofluorescence and oil red O staining. Activated and quiescent human HSCs were identified using immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The cell cycle distribution in activated and quiescent human HSCs was analyzed by flow cytometry.The recovery rate of the HSCs was approximately (2.1 ± 0.23) × 106 of tissue, with 94.43 ± 1.89% cell viability and 93.8 ± 1.52% purity. The technique used in this study is a simple, high-yield, and repeatable method for HSC isolation that is worthy of recommendation.
Temporal variation of eukaryotic community structures in UASB reactor treating domestic sewage as revealed by 18S rRNA gene sequencing
Authors: Hirakata Yuga , Hatamoto Masashi , Oshiki Mamoru , Watari Takahiro , Kuroda Kyohei , Araki Nobuo , Yamaguchi Takashi
Published: September 2019

Eukaryotes are important components of ecosystems in wastewater treatment processes. However, little is known about eukaryotic community in anaerobic wastewater treatment systems. In this study, eukaryotic communities in an up flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating domestic sewage during two years of operation were investigated using V4 and V9 regions of 18S rRNA gene for amplicon sequencing. In addition, activated sludge and influent sewage samples were also analyzed and used as the references for aerobic eukaryotic community to characterize anaerobic eukaryotes. The amplicon sequence V4 and V9 libraries detected different taxonomic groups, especially from the UASB samples, suggesting that commonly used V4 and V9 primer pairs could produce a bias for eukaryotic communities analysis. Eukaryotic community structures in the UASB reactor were influenced by the immigration of eukaryotes via influent sewage but were clearly different from the influent sewage and activated sludge. Multivariate statistics indicated that protist genera Cyclidium, Platyophrya and Subulatomonas correlated with chemical oxygen demand and suspended solid concentration, and could be used as bioindicators of treatment performance. Uncultured eukaryotes groups were dominant in the UASB reactor, and their physiological roles need to be examined to understand their contributions to anaerobic processes in future studies.
A reconstructed total precipitation framework
Authors: Igel Matthew R. , Biello Joseph A.
Published: September 2019

Climate change is expected to alter the statistical properties of precipitation. There are two related but consequentially distinct theories for changes to precipitation that have received some consensus: (1) the time-and-space integrated global total precipitation should increase with longwave cooling as the surface warms, (2) the most intense precipitation rates should increase at a faster rate related to the increase in vapor saturation. Herein, these two expectations are combined with an analytic integration of three conceptually independent properties of the tropical hydrological cycle, the intensity, probability, and frequency of precipitation. The total precipitation in both a cloud-resolving model and tropical Global Precipitation Measurement mission data is decomposed and reconstructed with the analytic integral. By applying (1) and (2) to the precipitation characteristics from the model and observations to form a warming proxy model, it is suggested that a wide range of future distributions of precipitation intensity, probability, and frequency are possible.
Hydration lubrication of polyzwitterionic brushes leads to nearly friction- and adhesion-free droplet motion
Authors: Daniel Dan , Chia Alfred Yu Ting , Moh Lionel Chuan Hui , Liu Rongrong , Koh Xue Qi , Zhang Xing , Tomczak Nikodem
Published: September 2019

Recently, there has been much progress in the design and application of oil-repellent superoleophobic surfaces. Polyzwitterionic brush surfaces are of particular interest, because of their ability to repel oil under water, even in the absence of micro-/nanostructures. The origin of this underwater superoleophobicity is attributed to the presence of a stable water film beneath the oil droplet, but this had not been demonstrated experimentally. Here, using optical interferometric techniques, we show that an oil droplet effectively hydroplanes over a water film, whose thickness is between one hundred and hundreds of nanometres. In addition, using a custom-built droplet force apparatus, we find the friction and adhesion forces to be in the nN range for millimetric-sized droplets. These forces are much lower than for other classes of well-known liquid-repellent surfaces, including the lotus-leaf effect and lubricant-infused surfaces, where the typical force is on the order of μN.
A new HPLC method for simultaneous analysis of sterols, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and squalene in olive oil deodorizer distillates using a monolithic column with chemometric techniques
Authors: Tarhan İsmail , Kara Hüseyin
Published: September 2019

Simultaneous determination: sterols, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and squalene in an olive oil deodorizer distillate have been separated using a monolithic column.
A dual-component carrier with both non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant activity towards ROS depletion
Authors: York-Duran Maria Jose , Godoy-Gallardo Maria , Jansman Michelle Maria Theresia , Hosta-Rigau Leticia
Published: September 2019

Elevated ROS levels are related to the initiation and progression of many severe diseases. Herein, we present for the first time a microreactor conducting non-enzymatic and enzymatic activity for the depletion of ROS.
Selenium-doped hydroxyapatite biopapers with an anti-bone tumor effect by inducing apoptosis
Authors: Zhou Zi-Fei , Sun Tuan-Wei , Qin Yun-Hao , Zhu Ying-Jie , Jiang Ying-Ying , Zhang Yang , Liu Jun-Jian , Wu Jin , He Shi-Sheng , Chen Feng
Published: September 2019

Functional Se-HA/chitosan biopapers constructed with self-assembled Se-doped HA nanowires and chitosan have been reported and display high performances inin vitro/vivoanti-tumor studies.
Size effect of mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles on tumor penetration and accumulation
Authors: Zhang Junjie , Wang Xiaofen , Wen Jun , Su Xiaodan , Weng Lixing , Wang Chunyan , Tian Ying , Zhang Yunlei , Tao Jun , Xu Peng , Lu Guangming , Teng Zhaogang , Wang Lianhui
Published: September 2019

The size effect of mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (MONs) on tumor penetration and accumulation remains poorly understood, which strongly affects the tumor therapeutic efficacy.
Metal-ion batteries meet supercapacitors: high capacity and high rate capability rechargeable batteries with organic cathodes and a Na/K alloy anode
Authors: Kapaev Roman R. , Obrezkov Filipp A. , Stevenson Keith J. , Troshin Pavel A.
Published: September 2019

Organic polymers were used with a NaK-based anode to make ultrafast stable batteries with high energy densities.
Enzyme-assisted waste-to-reactant transformation to engineer renewable DNA circuits
Authors: Li Xiang , Sun Xianbao , Zhou Junxiang , Yao Dongbao , Xiao Shiyan , Zhou Xiang , Wei Bing , Li Chengxu , Liang Haojun
Published: September 2019

Both issues of reactant regeneration and waste elimination could be resolved in this renewable DNA circuit through enzyme-assisted waste-to-reactant transformation.
Forces between zinc sulphide surfaces; amplification of the hydrophobic attraction by surface charge
Authors: Teh E-Jen , Ishida Naoyuki , Skinner William M. , Parsons Drew , Craig Vincent S. J.
Published: September 2019

Surface force measurements reveal that a small increase in surface charge enhance the long range hydrophobic attraction.
Spectroscopic and computational insights into the ion–solvent interactions in hydrated aprotic and protic ionic liquids
Authors: Kundu Kaushik , Chandra Goutam K. , Umapathy Siva , Kiefer Johannes
Published: September 2019

Systematic experimental and theoretical analysis of protic and aprotic ionic liquids (ILs) was executed to gain insights into the IL-hydration at molecular level, which will be basis for the next step, i.e., the study of proteins in hydrated ILs.
Lanthanide-induced conformational change of methanol dehydrogenase involving coordination change of cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone
Authors: Tsushima Satoru
Published: September 2019

Classical molecular dynamics simulations combined with fragment molecular orbital calculations were employed to rationalize the enzymatic activities of MDH carrying different lanthanides.
Redox processes in sodium vanadium phosphate cathodes – insights from operando magnetometry
Authors: Klinser Gregor , Zettl Roman , Wilkening Martin , Krenn Heinz , Hanzu Ilie , Würschum Roland
Published: September 2019

Oxidation processes and electrode–electrolyte interphase formation upon battery cycling have been revealed by operando magnetic susceptibility measurements.
Hydrophobic pattern of alkylated ureas markedly affects water rotation and hydrogen bond dynamics in aqueous solution
Authors: Marekha Bogdan A. , Hunger Johannes
Published: September 2019

Femtosecond infrared spectroscopies reveal the substitution pattern of alkylated ureas to be decisive for hydrogen-bond strengths, water rotation, and hydrogen bond fluctuation in the hydration shell.
Non-mutagenic Ru(ii) complexes: cytotoxicity, topoisomerase IB inhibition, DNA and HSA binding
Authors: da Silva Monize M. , de Camargo Mariana S. , Correa Rodrigo S. , Castelli Silvia , De Grandis Rone A. , Takarada Jessica E. , Varanda Eliana A. , Castellano Eduardo E. , Deflon Victor M. , Cominetti Marcia R. , Desideri Alessandro , Batista Alzir A.
Published: September 2019

Herein we discuss five ruthenium(ii) complexes with good cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
Sn(OH)x-assisted synthesis of mesoporous Mn-porphyrinic frameworks and their carbon derivatives for electrocatalysis
Authors: Zhang Xiaoying , Liu Luyao , Qiao Yu , Liu Jiaxin , Kong Aiguo , Shan Yongkui
Published: September 2019

5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-aminophenyl) Mn-porphyrin and 2,4,6-trihydroxy-1,3,5-benzenetricarbaldehyde were combined into a new mesoporous organic framework by a Schiff-base-type reaction.
Fish-gut-on-chip: development of a microfluidic bioreactor to study the role of the fish intestinein vitro
Authors: Drieschner Carolin , Könemann Sarah , Renaud Philippe , Schirmer Kristin
Published: September 2019

Combining fish intestinal cells and organ-on-chip technology will offer new insights into fish physiology and evaluation of chemical uptake mechanisms.
CoII immobilized on an aminated magnetic metal–organic framework catalyzed C–N and C–S bond forming reactions: a journey for the mild and efficient synthesis of arylamines and arylsulfides
Authors: Mohammadinezhad Arezou , Akhlaghinia Batool
Published: September 2019

The catalytic activity of Fe3O4@AMCA-MIL53(Al)-NH2-CoII NPs as a novel and inexpensive catalyst was investigated in the C–N and C–S cross coupling reactions.
A novel NIR fluorescent probe for the double-site and ratiometric detection of SO2 derivatives and its applications
Authors: Zhu Jianming , Qin Fengyun , Zhang Di , Tang Jun , Liu Wenya , Cao Wenbo , Ye Yong
Published: September 2019

A “naked-eye” fluorescent probe based on xanthenes was obtained.
A hybrid YSZ/SnO2/MEMS SO2 gas sensor
Authors: Hsueh Ting-Jen , Lu Chun-Liang
Published: September 2019

This study uses a solid YSZ electrolyte film in a SnO2 MEMS SO2 gas sensor of the semiconductor type to enhance the redox reaction.