bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Possible Reactions of Dietary Phenolic Compounds with Salivary Nitrite and Thiocyanate in the Stomach
Authors: Takahama Umeo , Hirota Sachiko
Published: July 2017

Foods are mixed with saliva in the oral cavity and swallowed. While staying in the stomach, saliva is contentiously provided to mix with the ingested foods. Because a salivary component of nitrite is protonated to produce active nitrous acid at acidic pH, the redox reactions of nitrous acid with phenolic compounds in foods become possible in the stomach. In the reactions, nitrous acid is reduced to nitric oxide (•NO), producing various products from phenolic compounds. In the products, stable hydroxybezoyl benzofuranone derivatives, which are produced from quercetin and its 7-O-glucoside, are included. Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin are oxidized to quinones and the quinones can react with thiocyanic acid derived from saliva, producing stable oxathiolone derivatives. 6,8-Dinitrosocatechis are produced from catechins by the redox reaction, and the dinitrocatechins are oxidized further by nitrous acid producing the quinones, which can make charge transfer complexes with the dinitrosocatechin and can react with thiocyanic acid producing the stable thiocyanate conjugates. In this way, various products can be produced by the reactions of salivary nitrite with dietary phenolic compounds, and reactive and toxic quinones formed by the reactions are postulated to be removed in the stomach by thiocyanic acid derived from saliva.
Design of 4 × 1 Power Beam Combiner Based on MultiCore Photonic Crystal Fiber
Authors: Malka Dror , Cohen Eyal , Zalevsky Zeev
Published: July 2017

A novel concept of 4 × 1 power beam combiner based on multicore photonic crystal fiber is described. The light coupling obtained by integrating small air-holes in the multicore photonic crystal fiber (PCF) structure allows light coupling between coherent laser sources to the central core. The beam propagation method (BPM) and coupled mode theory were used for analyzing the proposed device. Simulation results show that four coherent fiber laser sources of 1 µm in a multicore PCF structure can be combined into one source after 2.6 mm light propagation, with a power efficiency of 99.6% and bandwidth of 220 nm. In addition, a higher 8 × 1 ratio combiner was demonstrated, based on the proposed device. Thus, the device can be very useful to combine beams.
Communication Strategies to Improve Healthy Food Consumption among Schoolchildren: Focus on Milk
Authors: Gennaro Laura , Durazzo Alessandra , Berni Canani Sibilla , Maccati Fabrizia , Lupotto Elisabetta
Published: July 2017

This work provides an updated picture of communication strategies developed to improve healthy dietary habits in schoolchildren, with a focus on the importance of milk consumption. The paper has investigated two main areas: the definition of the main orientations and key points of research approach relative to the communication methods, with special attention to multiple strategies and the identification of their peculiarities to increase daily milk consumption. The school environment is considered as a unique environment to help increase the adoption of a correct dietary habit and lifestyle; it increases physical activity by facilitating the flow of health-related information. In this regard, several studies have highlighted the importance and effectiveness of school-based interventions on a large-scale, also considering multiple contexts, early interventions as well as the involvement of teachers, students and families. The effective actions range from interventions on prices and the availability of desirable and undesirable foods to educational programmes that improve food knowledge and the choices of students and/or their parents. From the nutritional point of view, milk is an important component of a well-balanced diet—especially for children—because it contains essential nutrients. It is a substantial contributor to the daily energy intake; however, its consumption often declines with aging and becomes insufficient. Therefore, developing strategies to increase its consumption is an important objective to reach.
Lanthanide Coordination Polymers as Luminescent Sensors for the Selective and Recyclable Detection of Acetone
Authors: Wang Kaimin , Ma Yulu , Tang Huaijun
Published: July 2017

Three new isostructural lanthanide coordination polymers {[Ln(L)2·2H2O]·Cl·4H2O}, Ln = La (LaL 1), Tb (TbL 2), Eu (EuL 3), L = 4-carboxy-1-(4-carboxybenzyl)pyridinium, have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, TG, PXRD, and luminescence. The solid-state luminescence properties of those Ln-CPs were investigated, realizing the zwitterionic ligand (L) is an excellent antenna chromophore for sensitizing both Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions. We utilized TbL 2 as a representative chemosensor to consider the potential luminescence sensing properties in different solvent suspension, which has the potential to serve as the first case of a luminescent Ln-CP material based on the zwitterionic type of organic ligand for selective and recyclable sensing of acetone in methanol solution.
Online Auction Fraud Detection in Privacy-Aware Reputation Systems
Authors: Lin Jun-Lin , Khomnotai Laksamee
Published: July 2017

With a privacy-aware reputation system, an auction website allows the buyer in a transaction to hide his/her identity from the public for privacy protection. However, fraudsters can also take advantage of this buyer-anonymized function to hide the connections between themselves and their accomplices. Traditional fraudster detection methods become useless for detecting such fraudsters because these methods rely on accessing these connections to work effectively. To resolve this problem, we introduce two attributes to quantify the buyer-anonymized activities associated with each user and use them to reinforce the traditional methods. Experimental results on a dataset crawled from an auction website show that the proposed attributes effectively enhance the prediction accuracy for detecting fraudsters, particularly when the proportion of the buyer-anonymized activities in the dataset is large. Because many auction websites have adopted privacy-aware reputation systems, the two proposed attributes should be incorporated into their fraudster detection schemes to combat these fraudulent activities.
Risk Analysis of the Future Implementation of a Safety Management System for Multiple RPAS Based on First Demonstration Flights
Authors: Grimaccia Francesco , Bonfante Federica , Battipede Manuela , Maggiore Paolo , Filippone Edoardo
Published: July 2017

The modern aeronautical scenario has welcomed the massive diffusion of new key elements, including the Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), initially used for military purposes only. The current decade has seen RPAS ready to become a new airspace user in a large variety of civilian applications. Although RPAS can currently only be flown into segregated airspaces, due to national and international Flight Aviation Authorities′ (FAAs) constraints, they represent a remarkable potential growth in terms of development and economic investments for aviation. Full RPAS development will only happen when flight into non-segregated airspaces is authorized, as for manned civil and military aircraft. The preliminary requirement for disclosing the airspace to RPAS is the implementation of an ad hoc Safety Management System (SMS), as prescribed by ICAO, for every aeronautical operator. This issue arises in the context of the ongoing restructuring of airspaces management, according to SESAR-JU in Europe and NextGen in the USA (SESAR-JU has defined how RPAS research should be conducted in SESAR 2020, all in accordance with the 2015 European ATM Master Plan). This paper provides the basis to implement a risk model and general procedures/methodologies to investigate RPAS safety, according to the operational scenarios defined by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The study is based on results achieved by multiple-RPAS experimental flights, performed within the RAID (RPAS-ATM Integration Demonstration) project.
Internal Balance during Low-Voltage-Ride-Through of the Modular Multilevel Converter STATCOM
Authors: Tsolaridis Georgios , Kontos Epameinondas , Chaudhary Sanjay , Bauer Pavol , Teodorescu Remus
Published: July 2017

Grid faults are common in power systems and can have a severe impact on the operation of the converters in the system. In this paper, the operation of a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC)-based Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOM) is investigated during grid faults. The study focuses on the challenging internal control of the converter to allow the independent control of the energy levels of each arm, with the goal to maintain internal balancing of the MMC during contingencies. Extensive experimental results highlight the need for a sophisticated internal control. Moreover, the experimental analysis verifies that, by using the proposed control structure, the MMC can effectively ride through a fault on the AC side without tripping, while injecting the necessary positive and negative sequence reactive current levels according to the most recent grid codes.
Factors Influencing the Accuracy of Infectious Disease Reporting in Migrants: A Scoping Review
Authors: Giorgi Rossi Paolo , Riccardo Flavia , Pezzarossi Annamaria , Ballotari Paola , Dente Maria , Napoli Christian , Chiarenza Antonio , Velasco Munoz Cesar , Noori Teymur , Declich Silvia
Published: July 2017

We conducted a scoping review of literature to improve our understanding of the accuracy of infectious disease monitoring in migrants in the Europe. We searched PubMed for papers relevant to the topic including: case reports, observational and experimental studies, reviews, guidelines or policy documents; published after 1994. We identified 532 papers, 27 of which were included in the review. Legislation and right to access health care influence both the accuracy of rates and risk measures under estimating the at risk population, i.e., the denominator. Furthermore, the number of reported cases, i.e., the numerator, may also include cases not accounted for in the denominator. Both biases lead to an overestimated disease occurrence. Restriction to healthcare access and low responsiveness may cause under-detection of cases, however a quantification of this phenomenon has not been produced. On the contrary, screening for asymptomatic diseases increases ascertainment leading to increased detection of cases. Incompleteness of denominator data underestimates the at-risk population. In conclusion, most studies show a lower probability of under-reporting infectious diseases in migrants compared with native populations.
The Relationship of TPOAb and TGAb with Risk of Thyroid Nodules: A Large Epidemiological Study
Authors: Xu Weimin , Huo Liangliang , Chen Zexin , Huang Yangmei , Jin Xingyi , Deng Jing , Zhu Sujuan , Yu Yunxian
Published: July 2017

Objective: The association between thyroid hormones, thyroid autoantibodies, and thyroid nodules are still not clear. The cross-sectional study, conducted in Hangzhou, China in 2010, aimed to identify the relationship of thyroid hormones and autoantibodies with thyroid nodules. Methods: Information regarding social demography was collected by a questionnaire. Thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine, thyroxin, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxin, thyrotropin), thyroid autoantibodies (thyroid peroxidase antibody, antithyroglobulin antibody), and thyroid nodules (diagnosed by ultrasonography) was measured in 1271 adults. The association of thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies with thyroid nodules was evaluated using multiple logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of thyroid nodules among males and females was 29.49% and 33.15%, respectively. The thyroid hormone level in the thyroid nodules group was significantly higher than the non-nodules group (all p values < 0.05), except reversely in TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) (p = 0.0532) and TGAb (thyroglobulin antibody) (p = 0.0004). High levels of TPOAb (thyroid peroxidase antibody) (OR (Odds Ratio) = 1.51, 95% CI (confidence interval): 0.99–2.30) and TGAb (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.49–5.51) were associated with increased risk of thyroid nodules, compared with corresponding low levels. However, following sub-analyses in two genders, the similar associations were only observed in females (TPOAb: OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 0.99–2.68; TGAb: OR = 3.13, 95% CI: 1.53–6.40). Conclusions: The present study indicated that thyroid autoantibodies were positively associated with the risk of thyroid nodules in Chinese coastal adults.
“Look at the Whole Me”: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Black Infant Mortality in the US through Women’s Lived Experiences and Community Context
Authors: Wallace Maeve , Green Carmen , Richardson Lisa , Theall Katherine , Crear-Perry Joia
Published: July 2017

In the US, the non-Hispanic Black infant mortality rate exceeds the rate among non-Hispanic Whites by more than two-fold. To explore factors underlying this persistent disparity, we employed a mixed methods approach with concurrent quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Eighteen women participated in interviews about their experience of infant loss. Several common themes emerged across interviews, grouped by domain: individual experiences (trauma, grieving and counseling; criminalization); negative interactions with healthcare providers and the healthcare system; and broader contextual factors. Concurrently, we estimated the Black infant mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) using linked live birth-infant death records from 2010 to 2013 in every metropolitan statistical area in the US. Poisson regression examined how contextual indicators of population health, socioeconomic conditions of the Black population, and features of the communities in which they live were associated with Black infant mortality and inequity in Black–White infant mortality rates across 100 metropolitan statistical areas with the highest Black infant mortality rates. We used principal components analysis to create a Birth Equity Index in order to examine the collective impact of contextual indicators on Black infant mortality and racial inequity in mortality rates. The association between the Index and Black infant mortality was stronger than any single indicator alone: in metropolitan areas with the worst social, economic, and environmental conditions, Black infant mortality rates were on average 1.24 times higher than rates in areas where conditions were better (95% CI = 1.16, 1.32). The experiences of Black women in their homes, neighborhoods, and health care centers and the contexts in which they live may individually and collectively contribute to persistent racial inequity in infant mortality.
Quantifying Projected Heat Mortality Impacts under 21st-Century Warming Conditions for Selected European Countries
Authors: Kendrovski Vladimir , Baccini Michela , Martinez Gerardo , Wolf Tanja , Paunovic Elizabet , Menne Bettina
Published: July 2017

Under future warming conditions, high ambient temperatures will have a significant impact on population health in Europe. The aim of this paper is to quantify the possible future impact of heat on population mortality in European countries, under different climate change scenarios. We combined the heat-mortality function estimated from historical data with meteorological projections for the future time laps 2035–2064 and 2071–2099, developed under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. We calculated attributable deaths (AD) at the country level. Overall, the expected impacts will be much larger than the impacts we would observe if apparent temperatures would remain in the future at the observed historical levels. During the period 2071–2099, an overall excess of 46,690 and 117,333 AD per year is expected under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios respectively, in addition to the 16,303 AD estimated under the historical scenario. Mediterranean and Eastern European countries will be the most affected by heat, but a non-negligible impact will be still registered in North-continental countries. Policies and plans for heat mitigation and adaptation are needed and urgent in European countries in order to prevent the expected increase of heat-related deaths in the coming decades.
Disaster Hashtags in Social Media
Authors: Murzintcev Nikita , Cheng Changxiu
Published: July 2017

Social media is a rich data source for analyzing the social impact of hazard processes and human behavior in disaster situations; it is used by rescue agencies for coordination and by local governments for the distribution of official information. In this paper, we propose a method for data mining in Twitter to retrieve messages related to an event. We describe an automated process for the collection of hashtags highly related to the event and specific only to it. We compare our method with existing keyword-based methods and prove that hashtags are good markers for the separation of similar, simultaneous incidents; therefore, the retrieved messages have higher relevancy. The method uses disaster databases to find the location of an event and to estimate the impact area. The proposed method can also be adapted to retrieve messages about other types of events with a known location, such as riots, festivals and exhibitions.
Molecular and Clinicopathological Differences by Age at the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Chang Chu-Cheng , Lin Pei-Ching , Lin Chun-Chi , Lan Yuan-Tzu , Lin Hung-Hsin , Lin Chien-Hsing , Yang Shung-Haur , Liang Wen-Yi , Chen Wei-Shone , Jiang Jeng-Kai , Lin Jen-Kou , Chang Shih-Ching
Published: July 2017

We compared the clinicopathological and molecular profiles between different age groups of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (age <50, 56–60, 60–70, 70–80, and >80); 1475 CRC patients were enrolled after excluding 30 individuals with Lynch syndrome. The mutation spectra for APC, TP53, KRAS, PIK3CA, FBXW7, BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, TGFbR, Akt1, and PTEN were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by MassArray and microsatellite (MSI-high) analysis by performing genotyping. Male patients (74.1%) were significantly predominant to females (25.9%) in the older age group (70–80, >80). There was an insignificantly linear trend between TNM staging and age-onset of CRC diagnosis. Patients aged < 50 had 58.7% diseases in the advanced stages (Stage III: 36.5% and IV: 22.2% respectively), while this decreased to 40.2% (Stage III: 26.2% and IV; 14.0% respectively) in patients >80. The distributions of mutation frequency were similar in majority of the genes studied among different age groups. Additionally, patients aged <50 had significantly higher frequency of MSI-high, PTEN, and HRAS mutations than those of other groups. Age-onset at diagnosis significantly affected overall survival (HR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.35–1.58), but not cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.08; 95% CI: 0.99–1.18) in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, molecular and clinicopathological differences were not as significant among different age groups of CRC patients as previously suspected.
Modeling and Analysis of Contact Conditions during NC-Form Grinding of Cutting Edges
Authors: Uhlmann Eckart , Bruckhoff Joachim
Published: July 2017

Due to increasing demands on cutting tools, cutting edge preparation is of high priority because of its influence on the tool life. Current cutting edge preparation processes are mostly limited to generating simple roundings on the cutting edge. Multi-axis high precision form grinding processes offer great potential to generate defined cutting edge microgeometries. Knowledge about the relation between grinding strategy and material removal rate can achieve improved work results with regard to higher precision of shape and dimensional accuracy as well as enhanced cutting edge quality. Therefore, a kinematic-geometric model was developed in order to analyze the complex contact conditions during grinding cutting edge microgeometries by using a simulation approach based on the intersection of geometric bodies. The subsequent grinding tests largely validated the utilized simulation approach.
Influences of Excitation on Dynamic Characteristics of Piezoelectric Micro-Jets
Authors: Li Kai , Liu Jun-Kao , Chen Wei-Shan , Zhang Lu
Published: July 2017

Piezoelectric micro-jets are based on piezoelectric ink-jet technology and can achieve the drop-on demand requirements. A piezoelectric micro-jet which is designed for bearing lubrication is presented in this paper. In order to analyze the fluid dynamic characteristics of the piezoelectric micro-jet so as to obtain good injection performance, a direct coupling simulation method is proposed in this paper. The effects of inlet and viscous losses in the cavity are taken into account, which are close to the actual conditions in the direct coupling method. The effects of the pulse excitation parameters on the pinch-off time, tail length, velocity, and volume of the droplet are analyzed by the proposed direct coupling method. The pressure distribution inside the cavity of the micro-jet and the status of the droplet formation at different times are also given. In addition, the method is proved to be effective in predicting and analyzing the fluid dynamic characteristics of piezoelectric micro-jets by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results.
Quality Control of the Root and Rhizome of Helminthostachys zeylanica (Daodi-Ugon) by HPLC Using Quercetin and Ugonins as Markers
Authors: Wu Kun-Chang , Kao Chun-Pin , Ho Yu-Ling , Chang Yuan-Shiun
Published: July 2017

Daodi-Ugon is the dried root and rhizome of Helminthostachys zeylanica (L.) Hook. and has been used for centuries in the treatment of inflammation, fever, pneumonia, burns, and various disorders. However, the chromatographic methods to determine the phytochemical composition of H. zeylanica have never been reported. This study not only aims to develop a valid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and to establish a chromatographic fingerprint for the quality control of H. zeylanica, it also establish the proposed content limits of Quercetin, Ugonin J, and Ugonin M. An HPLC method with a RP18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was developed for the quantitative analysis of Quercetin, Ugonin J, and Ugonin M in H. zeylanica. A simple gradient of (A) methanol/(B) phosphoric acid in water (5–45 min, 70–80% A; 50–55 min, 80–70% A) was used and 360 nm was selected as the detection wavelength. The average contents and proposed content limits for H. zeylanica were calculated with a t-test and a measurement uncertainty test based on 20 batches of authentic H. zeylanica samples. Limits of detection (LOD), quantification (LOQ), linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery of the developed method were validated. All of the validation results of quantitative determination and fingerprinting methods were satisfactory. The developed method was then applied to assay the contents of Quercetin, Ugonin J, and Ugonin M and to acquire the fingerprints of all of the collected H. zeylanica samples. At the 99% confidence level, the calculated content limits were 56.45, 112.15, and 277.98 mg/kg for Quercetin, Ugonin J, and Ugonin M, respectively. Those validated HPLC quantitative method, fingerprinting profile, and the proposed content limits of three chemical markers that could be used in the quality control of H. zeylanica in the market.
Prediction of Drug–Target Interaction Networks from the Integration of Protein Sequences and Drug Chemical Structures
Authors: Meng Fan-Rong , You Zhu-Hong , Chen Xing , Zhou Yong , An Ji-Yong
Published: July 2017

Knowledge of drug–target interaction (DTI) plays an important role in discovering new drug candidates. Unfortunately, there are unavoidable shortcomings; including the time-consuming and expensive nature of the experimental method to predict DTI. Therefore, it motivates us to develop an effective computational method to predict DTI based on protein sequence. In the paper, we proposed a novel computational approach based on protein sequence, namely PDTPS (Predicting Drug Targets with Protein Sequence) to predict DTI. The PDTPS method combines Bi-gram probabilities (BIGP), Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Relevance Vector Machine (RVM). In order to evaluate the prediction capacity of the PDTPS, the experiment was carried out on enzyme, ion channel, GPCR, and nuclear receptor datasets by using five-fold cross-validation tests. The proposed PDTPS method achieved average accuracy of 97.73%, 93.12%, 86.78%, and 87.78% on enzyme, ion channel, GPCR and nuclear receptor datasets, respectively. The experimental results showed that our method has good prediction performance. Furthermore, in order to further evaluate the prediction performance of the proposed PDTPS method, we compared it with the state-of-the-art support vector machine (SVM) classifier on enzyme and ion channel datasets, and other exiting methods on four datasets. The promising comparison results further demonstrate that the efficiency and robust of the proposed PDTPS method. This makes it a useful tool and suitable for predicting DTI, as well as other bioinformatics tasks.
Rare Splice Variants in Long Non-Coding RNAs
Authors: Sen Rituparno , Doose Gero , Stadler Peter
Published: July 2017

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) form a substantial component of the transcriptome and are involved in a wide variety of regulatory mechanisms. Compared to protein-coding genes, they are often expressed at low levels and are restricted to a narrow range of cell types or developmental stages. As a consequence, the diversity of their isoforms is still far from being recorded and catalogued in its entirety, and the debate is ongoing about what fraction of non-coding RNAs truly conveys biological function rather than being “junk”. Here, using a collection of more than 100 transcriptomes from related B cell lymphoma, we show that lncRNA loci produce a very defined set of splice variants. While some of them are so rare that they become recognizable only in the superposition of dozens or hundreds of transcriptome datasets and not infrequently include introns or exons that have not been included in available genome annotation data, there is still a very limited number of processing products for any given locus. The combined depth of our sequencing data is large enough to effectively exhaust the isoform diversity: the overwhelming majority of splice junctions that are observed at all are represented by multiple junction-spanning reads. We conclude that the human transcriptome produces virtually no background of RNAs that are processed at effectively random positions, but is—under normal circumstances—confined to a well defined set of splice variants.
Taste, Salt Consumption, and Local Explanations around Hypertension in a Rural Population in Northern Peru
Authors: Pesantes M. , Diez-Canseco Francisco , Bernabé-Ortiz Antonio , Ponce-Lucero Vilarmina , Miranda J.
Published: July 2017

Interventions to promote behaviors to reduce sodium intake require messages tailored to local understandings of the relationship between what we eat and our health. We studied local explanations about hypertension, the relationship between local diet, salt intake, and health status, and participants’ opinions about changing food habits. This study provided inputs for a social marketing campaign in Peru promoting the use of a salt substitute containing less sodium than regular salt. Qualitative methods (focus groups and in-depth interviews) were utilized with local populations, people with hypertension, and health personnel in six rural villages. Participants were 18–65 years old, 41% men. Participants established a direct relationship between emotions and hypertension, regardless of age, gender, and hypertension status. Those without hypertension established a connection between eating too much/eating fried food and health status but not between salt consumption and hypertension. Participants rejected dietary changes. Economic barriers and high appreciation of local culinary traditions were the main reasons for this. It is the conclusion of this paper that introducing and promoting salt substitutes require creative strategies that need to acknowledge local explanatory disease models such as the strong association between emotional wellbeing and hypertension, give a positive spin to changing food habits, and resist the “common sense” strategy of information provision around the causal connection between salt consumption and hypertension.
Incorporating Added Sugar Improves the Performance of the Health Star Rating Front-of-Pack Labelling System in Australia
Authors: Peters Sanne , Dunford Elizabeth , Jones Alexandra , Ni Mhurchu Cliona , Crino Michelle , Taylor Fraser , Woodward Mark , Neal Bruce
Published: July 2017

Background: The Health Star Rating (HSR) is an interpretive front-of-pack labelling system that rates the overall nutritional profile of packaged foods. The algorithm underpinning the HSR includes total sugar content as one of the components. This has been criticised because intrinsic sugars naturally present in dairy, fruits, and vegetables are treated the same as sugars added during food processing. We assessed whether the HSR could better discriminate between core and discretionary foods by including added sugar in the underlying algorithm. Methods: Nutrition information was extracted for 34,135 packaged foods available in The George Institute’s Australian FoodSwitch database. Added sugar levels were imputed from food composition databases. Products were classified as ‘core’ or ‘discretionary’ based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The ability of each of the nutrients included in the HSR algorithm, as well as added sugar, to discriminate between core and discretionary foods was estimated using the area under the curve (AUC). Results: 15,965 core and 18,350 discretionary foods were included. Of these, 8230 (52%) core foods and 15,947 (87%) discretionary foods contained added sugar. Median (Q1, Q3) HSRs were 4.0 (3.0, 4.5) for core foods and 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) for discretionary foods. Median added sugar contents (g/100 g) were 3.3 (1.5, 5.5) for core foods and 14.6 (1.8, 37.2) for discretionary foods. Of all the nutrients used in the current HSR algorithm, total sugar had the greatest individual capacity to discriminate between core and discretionary foods; AUC 0.692 (0.686; 0.697). Added sugar alone achieved an AUC of 0.777 (0.772; 0.782). A model with all nutrients in the current HSR algorithm had an AUC of 0.817 (0.812; 0.821), which increased to 0.871 (0.867; 0.874) with inclusion of added sugar. Conclusion: The HSR nutrients discriminate well between core and discretionary packaged foods. However, discrimination was improved when added sugar was also included. These data argue for inclusion of added sugar in an updated HSR algorithm and declaration of added sugar as part of mandatory nutrient declarations.
Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activity of Novel Heterocyclic Indole-Trimethoxyphenyl Conjugates
Authors: Cahill Michael , O’Shea Kevin , Pierce Larry , Winfield Hannah , Eccles Kevin , Lawrence Simon , McCarthy Florence
Published: July 2017

The synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of novel heterocyclic indole derivatives is described. The consolidation of the combretastatin and bisindolylmaleimide templates towards the inclusion of a novel heterocyclic ring proffered a versatile pharmacophore with which to pursue chemical diversification. Given literature precedent, maleimide was initially investigated in this role and the bioactivity assessed by measurement of NCI-60 cell panel growth. Subsequently, a range of 5-aminopyrazoles was designed and developed to explore the specific effect of heterocycle hydrogen bonding on cell growth. The unique electronic nature of the 5-aminopyrazole moiety allowed for regiospecific monosubstitution on different sites of the ring, such as thiourea substitution at the N(1) position for derivative 45 or trifluoroacetylation on the 5-amino position for 43. Further derivatisation led to the ultimate development of bicyclic pyrazolotriazinedione 41 and pyrimidine 42 systems. The antiproliferative activities of these 3,4-diaryl-5-aminopyrazoles were assessed using the NCI-60 cell screen, disclosing the discovery of distinct selectivity profiles towards a number of cell lines, such as SNB-75 CNS cancer, UO-31 and CAKI-1 renal cancer cells. A series of DNA topological assays discounted the interaction with topoisomerase II as a putative mechanism of action.
Variation in Yield Responses to Elevated CO2 and a Brief High Temperature Treatment in Quinoa
Authors: Bunce James
Published: July 2017

Intraspecific variation in crop responses to global climate change conditions would provide opportunities to adapt crops to future climates. These experiments explored intraspecific variation in response to elevated CO2 and to high temperature during anthesis in Chenopodium quinoa Wild. Three cultivars of quinoa were grown to maturity at 400 (“ambient”) and 600 (“elevated”) μmol·mol−1 CO2 concentrations at 20/14 °C day/night (“control”) temperatures, with or without exposure to day/night temperatures of 35/29 °C (“high” temperatures) for seven days during anthesis. At control temperatures, the elevated CO2 concentration increased the total aboveground dry mass at maturity similarly in all cultivars, but by only about 10%. A large down-regulation of photosynthesis at elevated CO2 occurred during grain filling. In contrast to shoot mass, the increase in seed dry mass at elevated CO2 ranged from 12% to 44% among cultivars at the control temperature. At ambient CO2, the week-long high temperature treatment greatly decreased (0.30 × control) or increased (1.70 × control) seed yield, depending on the cultivar. At elevated CO2, the high temperature treatment increased seed yield moderately in all cultivars. These quinoa cultivars had a wide range of responses to both elevated CO2 and to high temperatures during anthesis, and much more variation in harvest index responses to elevated CO2 than other crops that have been examined.
Psychometric Properties of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale: Support for a Two-Factor Solution, Concurrent Validity, and Its Relationship with Clinical Psychological Distress in University Students
Authors: Lace John , Handal Paul
Published: July 2017

This study examined the dimensionality and concurrent validity of the 16-item Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES) in a sample of 649 university students (448 females) from a private, Catholic university in the Midwestern United States. Present literature predominantly supported a single factor solution. From results of the present study from exploratory principal component analyses (PCAs), a two-component solution (Closeness to the Divine and Selflessness) accounted for 68% of the variance and was preferred to a single component solution. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for this two-factor solution over two different single factor solutions. Convergent validity for the DSES was supported through positive correlations between its total score and emerging components and other commonly utilized measures of spirituality and religion. Discriminant validity was supported through negligible correlations with sociodemographic data. Females reported significantly higher DSES scores. Females with low reported spirituality had significantly higher (and clinically significant) symptoms of psychological distress than moderately and highly spiritual females. The findings of the present study provide contrasting conclusions from previous work supporting a single factor solution for the DSES, encourage further investigation into its dimensionality in varying populations, and suggest a unique relationship between spirituality and psychological distress in university students.
A Stretchable Pressure-Sensitive Array Based on Polymer Matrix
Authors: Luo Yuanzheng , Xiao Qi , Li Buyin
Published: July 2017

Herein, a flexible 6 × 6 pressure-sensitive array (based on the PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) porous substrate) was designed. We have developed a facile method to fabricate the porous substrate, by a single-step operation using the sugar-template method. This strategy effectively diminishes the complexity of the preparation process, as well as the device structure. The electrical resistivity of the stretchable array demonstrates the negative piezo resistive coefficient (NPRC) under 0–100 kpa. Moreover, the pressure-sensitive array reveals a high sensitivity and low delay time (<0.5 s) to the applied forces. Therefore, the pressure distribution could be easily recognized by testing its conductivity changes. Besides, these signal data can be collected into the upper computer, with the purpose of tracking and analyzing the azimuth of the applied loading. This cost-effective micro array has a broad application prospect for fabricating the tactile sensor, artificial skin, and human-computer interfaces.
From Technical Efficiency to Economic Efficiency: Development of Aza-Friedel–Crafts Reaction Using Phosphoric Acid Immobilized in Glycerol as a Sustainable Approach
Authors: Tan Lan , Rahman Abdul
Published: July 2017

The search for sustainable and practical synthetic methodology with high levels of technical efficiency is a highly topical subject that would contribute to developing recycling economy and saving resources. Green synthetic science has been firmly established and has provided essential design criteria for the development of a sustainable approach to high added value molecules and drug discovery, and the further development of sustainable manufacturing processes of medicines with new optimality principles for economic efficiency. In this study, a green atom economical aza-Friedel–Crafts reaction catalyzed by phosphoric acid immobilized in glycerol has been developed. This protocol provides a sustainable approach for the preparation of pyrrolyl and trifluoromethyl dihydrobenzoxazinones in excellent yields with remarkable features, such as bio-renewable glycerol as a cheap, safe and green solvent, easy product separation and catalytic system recycling under mild conditions. Furthermore, the preliminary biological activity of these products was evaluated in glioma (C6) and melanoma (B16BL6) tumor cell lines by using adriamycin as a positive control with the thiazoyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The result suggests that product 5n shows promising cancer growth inhibition of glioma and melanoma, and is a promising lead compound for further investigation as anti-glioma and anti-melanoma agents.
Metabolism of the Marine Phycotoxin PTX-2 and Its Effects on Hepatic Xenobiotic Metabolism: Activation of Nuclear Receptors and Modulation of the Phase I Cytochrome P450
Authors: Alarcan Jimmy , Dubreil Estelle , Huguet Antoine , Hurtaud-Pessel Dominique , Hessel-Pras Stefanie , Lampen Alfonso , Fessard Valérie , Le Hegarat Ludovic
Published: July 2017

PTX-2 is a marine biotoxin frequently found in shellfish that can lead to food intoxication in humans. Information regarding PTX-2 metabolism is scarce, and little is known of its effect on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XME) or its molecular pathways. The aim of this study was consequently to examine PTX-2 Phase I metabolism using rat and human liver S9 fractions, and also to assess the capability of PTX-2: (i) to modulate the gene expression of a panel of Phase I (CYP450) and II (UGT, SULT, NAT, and GST) enzymes, as well as the Phase III or 0 (ABC and SLCO) transporters in the human hepatic HepaRG cell line using qPCR; (ii) to induce specific CYP450 in HepaRG cells measured by immunolabeling detection and the measurement of the cells’ activities; and (iii) to activate nuclear receptors and induce CYP promoter activities in HEK-T and HepG2 transfected cell lines using transactivation and reporter gene assay, respectively. Our results indicate that PTX-2 hydroxylation occurred with both rat and human S9 fractions. Whereas PTX-2 mostly upregulated the gene expression of CYP1A1 and 1A2, no induction of these two CYP activities was observed. Lastly, PTX-2 did not act as an agonist of CAR or PXR. Due to its effects on some key XME, more attention should be paid to possible drug–drug interactions with phycotoxins, especially as shellfish can accumulate several phycotoxins as well as other kinds of contaminants.
Whole Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Insights into Molecular Mechanisms for Toxin Biosynthesis in a Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella (ACHK-T)
Authors: Zhang Yong , Zhang Shu-Fei , Lin Lin , Wang Da-Zhi
Published: July 2017

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), a group of neurotoxic alkaloids, are the most potent biotoxins for aquatic ecosystems and human health. Marine dinoflagellates and freshwater cyanobacteria are two producers of PSTs. The biosynthesis mechanism of PSTs has been well elucidated in cyanobacteria; however, it remains ambiguous in dinoflagellates. Here, we compared the transcriptome profiles of a toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella (ACHK-T) at different toxin biosynthesis stages within the cell cycle using RNA-seq. The intracellular toxin content increased gradually in the middle G1 phase and rapidly in the late G1 phase, and then remained relatively stable in other phases. Samples from four toxin biosynthesis stages were selected for sequencing, and finally yielded 110,370 unigenes, of which 66,141 were successfully annotated in the known databases. An analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that 2866 genes altered significantly and 297 were co-expressed throughout the four stages. These genes participated mainly in protein metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and the oxidation-reduction process. A total of 138 homologues of toxin genes were identified, but they altered insignificantly among different stages, indicating that toxin biosynthesis might be regulated translationally or post-translationally. Our results will serve as an important transcriptomic resource to characterize key molecular processes underlying dinoflagellate toxin biosynthesis.
A Theoretical Study of the Outer Layers of Eight Kepler F-stars: The Relevance of Ionization Processes
Authors: Brito Ana , Lopes Ilídio
Published: July 2017

We have analyzed the theoretical model envelopes of eight Kepler F-stars by computing the phase shift of the acoustic waves,

, and its related function,

. The latter is shown to be a powerful probe of the external stellar layers since it is particularly sensitive to the partial ionization zones located in these upper layers. We found that these theoretical envelopes can be organized into two groups, each of which is characterized by a distinct

shape that we show to reflect the differences related to the magnitudes of ionization processes. Since

can also be determined from the experimental frequencies, we compared our theoretical results with the observable

. Using the function

, and with the purpose of quantifying the magnitude of the ionization processes occurring in the outer layers of these stars, we define two indexes,

and

. These indexes allow us to connect the microphysics of the interior of the star with macroscopic observable characteristics. Motivated by the distinct magnetic activity behaviors of F-stars, we studied the relation between the star’s rotation period and these indexes. We found a trend, in the form of a power-law dependence, that favors the idea that ionization is acting as an underlying mechanism, which is crucial for understanding the relation between rotation and magnetism and even observational features such as the Kraft break.
New Fitting Formula for Cosmic Nonlinear Density Distribution
Authors: Shin Jihye , Kim Juhan , Pichon Christophe , Jeong Donghui , Park Changbom
Published: July 2017

We have measured the probability distribution function (PDF) of a cosmic matter density field from a suite of N-body simulations. We propose the generalized normal distribution of version 2 (

) as an alternative fitting formula to the well-known log-normal distribution. We find that

provides a significantly better fit than that of the log-normal distribution for all smoothing radii (2, 5, 10, 25 [Mpc h
−1]) that we studied. The improvement is substantial in the underdense regions. The development of non-Gaussianities in the cosmic matter density field is captured by continuous evolution of the skewness and shift parameters of the

distribution. We present the redshift evolution of these parameters for aforementioned smoothing radii and various background cosmology models. All the PDFs measured from large and high-resolution N-body simulations that we use in this study can be obtained from the web site https://astro.kias.re.kr/jhshin.
Superluminous Transients at AGN Centers from Interaction between Black Hole Disk Winds and Broad-line Region Clouds
Authors: Moriya Takashi J. , Tanaka Masaomi , Morokuma Tomoki , Ohsuga Ken
Published: July 2017

We propose that superluminous transients that appear at central regions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) such as CSS100217:102913+404220 (CSS100217) and PS16dtm, which reach near- or super-Eddington luminosities of the central black holes, are powered by the interaction between accretion-disk winds and clouds in broad-line regions (BLRs) surrounding them. If the disk luminosity temporarily increases by, e.g., limit–cycle oscillations, leading to a powerful radiatively driven wind, strong shock waves propagate in the BLR. Because the dense clouds in the AGN BLRs typically have similar densities to those found in SNe IIn, strong radiative shocks emerge and efficiently convert the ejecta kinetic energy to radiation. As a result, transients similar to SNe IIn can be observed at AGN central regions. Since a typical black hole disk-wind velocity is ≃0.1c, where c is the speed of light, the ejecta kinetic energy is expected to be ≃1052 erg when ≃1 M
⊙ is ejected. This kinetic energy is transformed to radiation energy in a timescale for the wind to sweep up a similar mass to itself in the BLR, which is a few hundred days. Therefore, both luminosities (∼1044 erg s−1) and timescales (∼100 days) of the superluminous transients from AGN central regions match those expected in our interaction model. If CSS100217 and PS16dtm are related to the AGN activities triggered by limit–cycle oscillations, they become bright again in coming years or decades.