bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entomofauna associada à erva-de-touro (Poiretia latifolia Vogel) em povoamentos na região do Planalto Catarinense
Authors:   Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Maass Renê Marcos , Boff Mari Inês Carissimi , Rosa Joatan Machado da , Pikart Tiago Georg
Published: May 2018

Poiretia latifolia Vogel (Fabaceae) é uma promissora planta nativa do ecossistema campos de altitude, inserido no bioma Mata Atlântica na região Sul do Brasil. Seu valor se encontra na composição do seu óleo essencial que é rico em monoterpenos com potencial de uso farmacêutico e cosmético. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a entomofauna associada à P. latifolia, bem como avaliar a influência dos insetos no sucesso reprodutivo da planta. O levantamento da entomofauna foi realizado no período de dezembro de 2015 a janeiro de 2016, em dois povoamentos naturais de P. latifolia localizados nos municípios de Capão Alto e São José do Cerrito, Santa Catarina. A entomofauna foi monitorada por 42 horas em cada local, sendo marcadas cinco plantas em cada área que foram acompanhadas de hora em hora, das 9:00 às 16:00. A influência das variáveis meteorológicas sobre a presença de insetos foi analisada pelo coeficiente de correlação de Pearson. Para determinar os danos por herbivoria, foram marcadas dez plantas de P. latifolia em cada área, das quais foram coletadas flores e sementes para avaliar o dano por insetos. Insetos pertencentes às ordens Coleoptera, Diptera e Hymenoptera foram predominantes em ambos os povoamentos. A presença de insetos da ordem Diptera demonstrou correlação positiva significativa com a temperatura média diária (r = 0,84; p = 0,03442) no povoamento de Capão Alto. Os danos causados por insetos às flores e sementes de P. latifolia foram superiores em São José do Cerrito, correspondendo por 54% e 88% das estruturas danificadas, respectivamente. Alterações ambientais causadas pela intensidade de uso agrícola próximo aos povoamentos de P. latifolia podem ter causado estas diferenças.
What's New in OJS 3
Authors: Public Knowledge Project The
Published: May 2018

Dette indlæg er hentet fra en tidligere udgave af "Learning OJS 3 - A Visual Guide to Open Journal Systems Version 3.0".Den er taget med her, da indholdet ikke fides i den opdaterede udgave, der kun medtager nyheder i OJS 3.1-udgaven.
Prospective abuse and intimate partner violence surgical evaluation (PRAISE-2 pilot): Statistical analysis plan for a pilot prospective cohort study
Authors: Madden Kim , Heels-Ansdell Diane , Sprague Sheila , Johal Herman , Ghert Michelle , Bhandari Mohit , Thabane Lehana
Published: May 2018

Background. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent social issue that affects the health and well-being of women globally. In orthopaedics, the prevalence of women who have experienced abuse in the past year is as high as 1 in 6. PRAISE-2 is a multi-centre pilot prospective cohort study of 250 women with musculoskeletal injuries to determine how IPV experiences affect injury-related outcomes, and how patterns of IPV change over a 12 month period of time following a musculoskeletal injury. The current report is a description of the statistical analysis plan for the PRAISE-2 pilot study. Methods. This study is a pilot multicentre prospective cohort study to primarily assess feasibility of our recruitment, retention and data collection strategies, and to collect preliminary data on orthopaedic outcomes after experiencing IPV, as well as changes in IPV patterns following an injury. Included participants will be adult females presenting to participating fracture clinics for a fracture and/or dislocation requiring orthopaedic care. Participants will be followed for one year. The primary analysis will be descriptive. We will report recruitment, missed visits, out of window visits, participant completion data, and completed form data as counts and percentages with 95% confidence intervals. Based on the primary analyses, we will report whether the feasibility criteria have been met, and recommend modifications to the protocol for any planned definitive studies, if needed. All secondary (clinical) analyses are exploratory. Discussion. In order for surgeons to be as effective as possible in assisting and advocating for women who have experienced abuse, we need more information on how IPV experiences are associated with musculoskeletal outcomes. Both the feasibility and clinical information gained from this pilot study will be instrumental in informing future observational and interventional IPV studies. By reporting our statistical analysis plan before the study ends, we hope to improve the transparency, integrity, and reproducibility of our study findings. Trial registration. This study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov NCT02529267 on 20 August 2015, before the first participant was enrolled
Balance of Payment Dynamic in Indonesia and the Structure of Economy
Authors: Falianty Telisa
Published: May 2018

This paper will assess in aggregate and detail the trend of BOP and its component in Indonesia. Stationarity test will be employed to each component of Indonesian BOP to assess the persistency. This study will calculate the balance of payment constrained growth (BOPC) using Kalman Filter technique (state space model). The BOP, secondary income, and financial account are found to be stationer which means that the data are mean reverting. On the other hand, current account balance, trade balance, service balance, primary income, and capital account balance are unit root. This paper found the evidence of the importance of commodity price to Indonesian current account and export. Indonesian dependency on commodity-based export need to be restructured. Indonesia should also consider the side effect of FDI as a source of financing for current account deficit, without ignoring the positive effect of FDI and the volatility of portfolio investment. The persistency of primary income deficit should also become Indonesian future policy agenda.
Tourism and Economic Development in ASEAN 1998-2013
Authors: Martawardaya Berly
Published: May 2018

Many countries support government policies to encourage tourism sector, including ASEAN countries, due to an assumption that tourism contributes positively to GDP and poverty reduction. This study investigates that assumption, as well as the correlation between tourism and HDI, by applying panel data regression to eight ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Laos Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam,) during 1998--2013. We found that the number of international tourist arrivals as a proxy variable for tourism have a significant and positive correlation with poverty reduction. Tourism is also proven to increase GDP per capita (albeit in a smaller magnitude) and increase HDI (in an even smaller scale). These findings confirmed our hypothesis on the positive effects of tourism. It is recommended that the tourist promotion is continued while studying the best practices to strategically develop the tourism sector in order to strengthen the positive correlation.
Determining the genetic basis of anthracycline-cardiotoxicity by molecular response QTL mapping in induced cardiomyocytes
Authors: Knowles David A , Burrows Courtney K , Blischak John D , Patterson Kristen M , Serie Daniel J , Norton Nadine , Ober Carole , Pritchard Jonathan K , Gilad Yoav
Published: May 2018

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (ACT) is a key limiting factor in setting optimal chemotherapy regimes, with almost half of patients expected to develop congestive heart failure given high doses. However, the genetic basis of sensitivity to anthracyclines remains unclear. We created a panel of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from 45 individuals and performed RNA-seq after 24 hr exposure to varying doxorubicin dosages. The transcriptomic response is substantial: the majority of genes are differentially expressed and over 6000 genes show evidence of differential splicing, the later driven by reduced splicing fidelity in the presence of doxorubicin. We show that inter-individual variation in transcriptional response is predictive of in vitro cell damage, which in turn is associated with in vivo ACT risk. We detect 447 response-expression quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and 42 response-splicing QTLs, which are enriched in lower ACT GWASp-values, supporting the in vivo relevance of our map of genetic regulation of cellular response to anthracyclines.
Comment on “Evolutionary transitions between beneficial and phytopathogenic Rhodococcus challenge disease management”
Authors: Vereecke Danny
Published: May 2018

I would like to report significant issues of concern regarding this paper (Savory et al., 2017).
Viromes of one year old infants reveal the impact of birth mode on microbiome diversity
Authors: McCann Angela , Ryan Feargal J. , Stockdale Stephen R. , Dalmasso Marion , Blake Tony , Ryan C. Anthony , Stanton Catherine , Mills Susan , Ross Paul R. , Hill Colin
Published: May 2018

Establishing a diverse gut microbiota after birth is being increasingly recognised as important for preventing illnesses later in life. It is well established that bacterial diversity rapidly increases post-partum; however, few studies have examined the infant gut virome/phageome during this developmental period. We performed a metagenomic analysis of 20 infant faecal viromes at one year of age to determine whether spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) or caesarean section (CS) influenced viral composition. We find that birth mode results in distinctly different viral communities, with SVD infants having greater viral and bacteriophage diversity. We demonstrate that CrAssphage is acquired early in life, both in this cohort and two others, although no difference in birth mode is detected. A previous study has shown that bacterial OTU’s (operational taxonomic units) identified in the same infants could not discriminate between birth mode at 12 months of age. Therefore, our results indicate that vertical transmission of viral communities from mother to child may play a role in shaping the early life microbiome, and that birth mode should be considered when studying the early life gut virome.
Asymmetries in mother-infant behaviour in Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Authors: Regaiolli Barbara , Spiezio Caterina , Hopkins William Donald
Published: May 2018

Asymmetries in the maternal behaviour and anatomy might play an important role in the development of primate manual lateralization. In particular, early life asymmetries in mother’s and infant’s behaviour have been suggested to be associated with the development of the hand preference of the offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of behavioural asymmetries in different behavioural categories of mother-infant dyads of zoo-living Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). The study subjects were 14 Barbary macaques involved in seven mother-infant dyads housed in Parco Natura Viva, Italy. For the mothers, bouts of hand preference for maternal cradling and infant retrieval were collected. For the infants, we focused on nipple preference and hand preference for clinging on mother ventrum. Moreover, we collected bouts of hand preference for food reaching in both groups. No significant group-level bias was found for any of the behavioural categories in either mothers or infants. However, at the individual level, six out of seven mothers showed a significant cradling bias, three toward the right hand and three toward the left hand. Moreover, all infants showed a significant nipple preference, six toward the mother’s right nipple, one toward the left nipple. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the infant nipple preference and their hand preference for food reaching, suggesting that maternal environment rather than behaviour might affect the development of hand preference in Old World monkeys. Our findings seem partially to add to previous literature on perceptual lateralization in different species of non-primate mammals, reporting a lateral bias in mother-infant interactions. Given the incongruences between our study and previous research in great apes and humans, our results seem to suggest possible phylogenetic differences in the lateralization of mothers and infants within the Primates order.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Running Versus Interrupted Subcuticular Sutures for Skin Closure in Open Gastric Surgery
Authors: Inoue Kentaro , Michiura Taku , Fukui Junichi , Mukaide Hiromi , Ozaki Takashi , Miki Hirokazu , Kaibori Masaki , Satoi Sohei , Kon Masanori , Hamada Madoka
Published: May 2018

Objective:

The aim of this study was to compare the scar quality associated with different types of subcuticular suture techniques: running or interrupted.

Summary of Background Data:

Subcuticular suture is a preferred skin closure method even in gastrointestinal surgery. Two methods for subcuticular suture are used: running or interrupted sutures.

Methods:

Inclusion criteria were as follows: age ≥ 20 years; American Society of Anesthesiologists performance status 1 to 3; histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the stomach; no evidence of distant metastases or disease considered unresectable; no prior upper abdominal surgery; no uncontrolled infections, diabetes, or cardiac disease; and adequate renal function. Patients were randomly assigned to running subcuticular suture or interrupted subcuticular suture. Scar areas were calculated using a digital photograph calculator at about 7 months after surgery. The observer scar assessment scale (OSAS) was used for scar assessment.

Results:

Between April 10, 2009, and February 28, 2012, 220 patients were enrolled into this study and 201 patients were evaluated. There was no difference in scar area between the interrupted group and the running group [0.97 cm2 (95% CI: 0.73–1.21) in the interrupted group and 1.17 cm2 (95% CI: 0.91–1.42, P = 0.27) in the running group]. Three observers performed the OSAS, for which no significant difference was detected across the closure groups.

Conclusions:

There were no significant differences in cosmetic outcomes between running and interrupted subcuticular sutures. The final decision about the choice of method should be made balancing surgeon needs (time-saving with running) and surgeon techniques (running might be difficult).
GRP78‐mediated antioxidant response and ABC transporter activity confers chemoresistance to pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Dauer Patricia , Sharma Nikita S. , Gupta Vineet K. , Nomura Alice , Dudeja Vikas , Saluja Ashok , Banerjee Sulagna
Published: May 2018

Chemoresistance is a major therapeutic challenge that plays a role in the poor statistical outcomes in pancreatic cancer. Unfolded protein response (UPR) is one of the homeostasis mechanisms in cancer cells that have been correlated with chemoresistance in a number of cancers including pancreatic cancer. In this study, we show that modulating glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), the master regulator of the UPR, can have a profound effect on multiple pathways that mediate chemoresistance. Our study showed for the first time that silencing GRP78 can diminish efflux activity of ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and it can decrease the antioxidant response resulting in an accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We also show that these effects can be mediated by the activity of specificity protein 1 (SP1), a transcription factor overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. Thus, inhibition of SP1 negatively affects the UPR, deregulates the antioxidant response of NRF2, as well as ABC transporter activity by inhibiting GRP78‐mediated ER homeostasis. Sp1 and NRF2 have been classified as nononcogene addiction genes and thus are imperative to understanding the molecular mechanism of resistance. These finding have huge clinical relevance as both Sp1 and GRP78 are overexpressed in pancreatic cancer patients and increased expression of these proteins is indicative of poor prognosis. Understanding how these proteins may regulate chemoresistance phenotype of this aggressive cancer may pave the way for development of efficacious therapy for this devastating disease.
Effect of the volatile anesthetic agent isoflurane on lateral diffusion of cell membrane proteins
Authors: Ono Junichiro , Fushimi Satoko , Suzuki Shingo , Ameno Kiyoshi , Kinoshita Hiroshi , Shirakami Gotaro , Kabayama Kazuya
Published: May 2018

The volatile anesthetic isoflurane (ISO) has previously been shown to increase the fluidity of artificial lipid membranes, but very few studies have used biological cell membranes. Therefore, to investigate whether ISO affects the mobility of membrane proteins, fluorescence‐labeled transferrin receptor (TfR) and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored protein were expressed in human embryonic kidney 293T cells and neural cells and lateral diffusion was examined using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Lateral diffusion of the TfR increased with ISO treatment. On the other hand, there was no effect on GPI‐anchored protein. We also used GC/MS to confirm that there was no change in the concentration of ISO due to vaporization during measurement. These results suggest that ISO affects the mobility of transmembrane protein molecules in living cells.
Advances in Biomaterials for Drug Delivery
Authors: Fenton Owen S. , Olafson Katy N. , Pillai Padmini S. , Mitchell Michael J. , Langer Robert
Published: May 2018

Advances in biomaterials for drug delivery are enabling significant progress in biology and medicine. Multidisciplinary collaborations between physical scientists, engineers, biologists, and clinicians generate innovative strategies and materials to treat a range of diseases. Specifically, recent advances include major breakthroughs in materials for cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, and genome editing. Here, strategies for the design and implementation of biomaterials for drug delivery are reviewed. A brief history of the biomaterials field is first established, and then commentary on RNA delivery, responsive materials development, and immunomodulation are provided. Current challenges associated with these areas as well as opportunities to address long‐standing problems in biology and medicine are discussed throughout.
Raman Signatures of Broken Inversion Symmetry and In‐Plane Anisotropy in Type‐II Weyl Semimetal Candidate TaIrTe4
Authors: Liu Yinan , Gu Qiangqiang , Peng Yu , Qi Shaomian , Zhang Na , Zhang Yinong , Ma Xiumei , Zhu Rui , Tong Lianming , Feng Ji , Liu Zheng , Chen Jian‐Hao
Published: May 2018

The layered ternary compound TaIrTe4 is an important candidate to host the recently predicted type‐II Weyl fermions. However, a direct and definitive proof of the absence of inversion symmetry in this material, a prerequisite for the existence of Weyl Fermions, has so far remained evasive. Herein, an unambiguous identification of the broken inversion symmetry in TaIrTe4 is established using angle‐resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy. Combining with high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, an efficient and nondestructive recipe to determine the exact crystallographic orientation of TaIrTe4 crystals is demonstrated. Such technique could be extended to the fast identification and characterization of other type‐II Weyl fermions candidates. A surprisingly strong in‐plane electrical anisotropy in TaIrTe4 thin flakes is also revealed, up to 200% at 10 K, which is the strongest known electrical anisotropy for materials with comparable carrier density, notably in such good metals as copper and silver.
Spin‐Dependent Processes Measured without a Permanent Magnet
Authors: Fontanesi Claudio , Capua Eyal , Paltiel Yossi , Waldeck David H. , Naaman Ron
Published: May 2018

A novel Hall circuit design that can be incorporated into a working electrode, which is used to probe spin‐selective charge transfer and charge displacement processes, is reviewed herein. The general design of a Hall circuit based on a semiconductor heterostructure, which forms a shallow 2D electron gas and is used as an electrode, is described. Three different types of spin‐selective processes have been studied with this device in the past: i) photoinduced charge exchange between quantum dots and the working electrode through chiral molecules is associated with spin polarization that creates a local magnetization and generates a Hall voltage; ii) charge polarization of chiral molecules by an applied voltage is accompanied by a spin polarization that generates a Hall voltage; and iii) cyclic voltammetry (current–voltage) measurements of electrochemical redox reactions that can be spin‐analyzed by the Hall circuit to provide a third dimension (spin) in addition to the well‐known current and voltage dimensions. The three studies reviewed open new doors into understanding both the spin current and the charge current in electronic materials and electrochemical processes.
Engineering Whole Mammalian Cells for Target‐Cell‐Specific Invasion/Fusion
Authors: Kojima Ryosuke , Fussenegger Martin
Published: May 2018

Live mammalian cells are equipped with a synthetic cell invasion system that enables their target‐specific insertion into other live mammalian cells. By conjugating RhoA activator to a transmembrane protein that is segregated from cell–cell interface when specific cell contact occurs, polarization of RhoA activity is synthetically induced inside the cells in response to specific cell contact. This polarization is a sufficient condition for invader cells to selectively penetrate cells expressing a target antigen. Further, when an acid‐responsive fusogenic protein is expressed on invader cells, invader/receiver cell fusion occurs after invasion, and the invader's intracellular contents are released into the recipient's cytosol. It is shown that this system can be used for specific cell ablation. This synthetic‐biology‐inspired cell invasion/fusion system might open the door to using whole mammalian cells for cargo delivery purposes or for ablation of a specific cell type.
Novel PLS3 variants in X‐linked osteoporosis: Exploring bone material properties
Authors: Balasubramanian Meena , Fratzl‐Zelman Nadja , O'Sullivan Rory , Bull Mary , FA Peel Nicola , Pollitt Rebecca C , Jones Rebecca , Milne Elizabeth , Smith Kath , Roschger Paul , Klaushofer Klaus , Bishop Nicholas J
Published: May 2018

Background

Idiopathic Juvenile Osteoporosis (IJO) refers to significantly lower than expected bone mass manifesting in childhood with no identifiable aetiology. IJO classically presents in early pubertal period with multiple fractures including metaphyseal and vertebral crush fractures, and low bone‐mass.

Methods

Here we describe two patients and provide information on their clinical phenotype, genotype and bone material analysis in one of the patients.

Results

Patient 1: 40‐year old adult male diagnosed with IJO in childhood who re‐presented with a hip fracture as an adult. Genetic analysis identified a pathogenic PLS3 hemizygous variant, c.1765del in exon 16. Patient 2: 15‐year old boy with multiple vertebral fractures and bone biopsy findings suggestive of IJO who also has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Genetic analysis identified a maternally inherited PLS3 pathogenic c.1295T>A variant in exon 12. Analyses of the transiliac bone sample revealed severe reduction of trabecular volume and bone turnover indices and elevated bone matrix mineralisation.

Discussion

We propose that genetic testing for PLS3 should be undertaken in patients presenting with a current or previous history of IJO as this has implications for genetic counselling and cascade screening. The extensive evaluation of the transiliac biopsy sample of Patient 2 revealed a novel bone phenotype.

Conclusion

This report includes a review of IJO and genetic causes of osteoporosis, and suggests that existing cases of IJO should be screened for PLS3. Through analysis of bone material properties in Patient 2, we can conclude that PLS3 does have a role in bone mineralisation.
Two Angelman families with unusually advanced neurodevelopment carry a start codon variant in the most highly expressed UBE3A isoform
Authors: Sadhwani Anjali , Sanjana Neville E. , Willen Jennifer M. , Calculator Stephen N. , Black Emily D. , Bean Lora J. H. , Li Hong , Tan Wen‐Hann
Published: May 2018

We present three children from two unrelated families with Angelman syndrome (AS) whose developmental skills are far more advanced than any other non‐mosaic AS individual ever reported. All have normal gait and use syntactic language spontaneously to express their needs. All of them have a c.2T > C (p.Met1Thr) variant in UBE3A, which abrogates the start codon of isoform 1, but not of isoforms 2 and 3. This variant was maternally inherited in one set of siblings, but de novo in the other child from the unrelated family. This report underscores the importance of considering AS in the differential diagnosis even in the presence of syntactic speech.
Short dispersal distance of males in a wild white‐handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) population
Authors: Matsudaira Kazunari , Ishida Takafumi , Malaivijitnond Suchinda , Reichard Ulrich H.
Published: May 2018

Objectives

It has long been recognized that in gibbons both sexes disperse from the natal group. However, the fate of dispersed individuals was rarely documented. Here we provide the first detailed information on sex differences in dispersal patterns by analyzing the spatial genetic structure of a well‐known white‐handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) population.

Materials and methods

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y‐chromosomal haplotypes, and autosomal microsatellite genotypes were determined for individuals of the Mo Singto study site, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. Mantel tests for the three genetic marker types were performed for 17 gibbon groups comprising 23 adult males and 18 adult females.

Results

Significant positive Mantel correlations were observed for spatial distance and both autosomal microsatellite‐based as well as Y‐chromosomal haplotype‐based genetic distance among adult males. Neighboring adult males tended to be genetically related and share Y‐chromosomal haplotypes. Conversely, no significant Mantel correlations were observed either in autosomal microsatellites or mtDNA among adult females.

Discussion

Our results confirm, at a genetic level, hypotheses from long‐term demographic observations that white‐handed gibbon males of the Mo Singto population primarily disperse into adjacent groups. Instead, females disperse more opportunistically either to adjacent or more distant groups. This sex‐specific difference reflects an apparent greater tolerance between males than between females. The higher tolerance of adult males allows the formation of stable multimale groups and facilitates male dispersal into an adjacent group. Stable multifemale groups have never been documented for white‐handed gibbons probably due to feeding competition between females.
A novel passive micromixer with modified asymmetric lateral wall structures
Authors: Wang Hanlin , Shi Liuyong , Zhou Teng , Xu Chao , Deng Yongbo
Published: May 2018

Homogeneous and rapid mixing in microfluidic devices have always been the premise requirement due to its integration with bioengineering and chemical experiments. In this work, a novel passive micromixer with modified asymmetric lateral wall structures is designed. The numerical simulation is carried out at the Reynolds number ranging from 0.1 to 100 for the novel microchannel and the ordinary “S”‐shaped microchannel. The results indicate that, compared with the “S”‐shaped micromixer, the novel structure exhibits superior mixing performance, which can be attributed to the increasing inertial effect and formation of secondary flow. The simulation results suggest that the novel micromixer developed here will achieve an efficient mixing performance.
MF‐Re‐Rank: A modality feature‐based Re‐Ranking model for medical image retrieval
Authors: Ayadi Hajer , Torjmen‐Khemakhem Mouna , Daoud Mariam , Huang Jimmy Xiangji , Ben Jemaa Maher
Published: May 2018

One of the main challenges in medical image retrieval is the increasing volume of image data, which render it difficult for domain experts to find relevant information from large data sets. Effective and efficient medical image retrieval systems are required to better manage medical image information. Text‐based image retrieval (TBIR) was very successful in retrieving images with textual descriptions. Several TBIR approaches rely on models based on bag‐of‐words approaches, in which the image retrieval problem turns into one of standard text‐based information retrieval; where the meanings and values of specific medical entities in the text and metadata are ignored in the image representation and retrieval process. However, we believe that TBIR should extract specific medical entities and terms and then exploit these elements to achieve better image retrieval results. Therefore, we propose a novel reranking method based on medical‐image‐dependent features. These features are manually selected by a medical expert from imaging modalities and medical terminology. First, we represent queries and images using only medical‐image‐dependent features such as image modality and image scale. Second, we exploit the defined features in a new reranking method for medical image retrieval. Our motivation is the large influence of image modality in medical image retrieval and its impact on image‐relevance scores. To evaluate our approach, we performed a series of experiments on the medical ImageCLEF data sets from 2009 to 2013. The BM25 model, a language model, and an image‐relevance feedback model are used as baselines to evaluate our approach. The experimental results show that compared to the BM25 model, the proposed model significantly enhances image retrieval performance. We also compared our approach with other state‐of‐the‐art approaches and show that our approach performs comparably to those of the top three runs in the official ImageCLEF competition.
Liquid chromatographic and spectrofluorimetric assays of empagliflozin: Applied to degradation kinetic study and content uniformity testing
Authors: Abdel‐Ghany Maha F. , Ayad Miriam F. , Tadros Mariam M.
Published: May 2018

Stability‐indicating high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for determination of empagliflozin (EGF). EGF was subjected to oxidation, wet heat, photo‐degradation, acid hydrolysis and alkali hydrolysis. The alkaline degradation pathway was subjected to a kinetics study as the major product obtained after stress conditions. Arrhenius plots were constructed and the activation energies of the degradation process were calculated. HPLC was used for the kinetic study as it enabled simultaneous determination of EGF and the degradation product while the spectrofluorimetric assay was applied to content uniformity testing due to its higher sensitivity and lower limit of detection (LOD). Isocratic chromatographic elution was attained for HPLC on a Intersil® C18 column (150 mm × 4 mm, 5 μm), using a mobile phase of acetonitrile–potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer pH 4, (50:50, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min with ultraviolet (UV) detection at 225 nm. The relative fluorescence intensity was recorded by spectrofluorimeter applying synchronous mode using ∆λ = 70 nm at 297.6 nm. Linearity ranges were found to be 5–50 μg/ml and 50–1000 ng/ml for HPLC and spectrofluorimetric methods, respectively.
Synthesis of Novel 3‐N‐substituted Carbazole Derivatives and Evaluation of their Abilities to Inhibit Platelet Aggregation
Authors: Kim Jiseon , Jung Sang‐Hyuk , Yun Eunju , Cho Soo‐Hyun , Yuseok O , Kim Ji‐Eun , Kim Young‐Ho , Myung Chang‐Seon , Song Gyu‐Yong
Published: May 2018

The carbazole moiety exhibits various biological activities, including anticancer, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities; some compounds containing the moiety also inhibit platelet aggregation. In the present study, we synthesized a series of 3‐N‐substituted carbazole derivatives and evaluated their abilities to inhibit in vitro platelet aggregation induced by collagen (5 μg/mL). Of the synthesized compounds, compound 5q (JSCa15), with a urea linkage within the carbazole framework, exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity (98.25% at 30 μM). Interestingly, reduction of the nitro group of compound 5q to an amine exhibited significantly decreased activity (compound 5r, 5.18% at 30 μM). Also, substitution of the urea moiety of compound 5q with a carbamate moiety resulted in a considerable loss of activity (compound 8a, 5.91% at 30 μM). These results suggest that the urea moieties and nitro groups of 3‐N‐substituted carbazole derivatives may play key roles in inhibiting in vitro platelet aggregation induced by collagen.
Transcatheter electrosurgery in bipolar or monopolar modes
Authors: Khan Jaffar M. , Lederman Robert J.
Published: May 2018

Key Points

Transcatheter electrosurgery has emerging value in a range of other new procedures that require traversing tissue (transcaval access, transcatheter Glenn Shunt) or slicing tissue (LAMPOON slicing of the mitral valve and BASILICA slicing of the aortic valve).

This is the first report of bipolar radiofrequency wires used to cross lesions in humans, reported here in seven re‐entry CTO cases.

The bipolar configuration may provide directionality to charge without need for wire alignment and advancement, but is theoretically disadvantageous for tissue “cutting” because of problems with charge concentration.
Trace Dissolved Oxygen Removal Using a Hydrocyclone to Enhance Denitrification
Authors: Liu Yi , Wang Hua-lin
Published: May 2018

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is entrained by mixed liquid recirculation (MLR) into the anoxic basin in the pre‐denitrification biological nitrogen removal (PDBNR) process and should be removed to enhance denitrification. A laboratory‐scale PDBNR reactor with an anoxic basin divided into two isometric components was built to investigate the effect of a hydrocyclone on DO removal from the MLR and the subsequent denitrification. The denitrification rate of the mixture of influent and hydrocyclone‐treated nitrified wastewater increased with increasing DO and was higher than that of the wastewater in a conventional anoxic component. More total nitrogen was removed in the anoxic component due to the application of the hydrocyclone in the MLR of a laboratory‐scale reactor and a full‐scale anoxic/aerobic reactor.
Electrodeposition of Gold Nanostructures at the Interface of a Pickering Emulsion
Authors: Booth Samuel G. , Alghamdi Rafgah G. , Belić Domagoj , Brust Mathias
Published: May 2018

The controlled electrodeposition of nanoparticles at the surface of an emulsion droplet offers enticing possibilities in regards to the formation of intricate structures or fine control over the locus or duration of nanoparticle growth. In this work we develop electrochemical control over the spontaneous reduction of aqueous phase Au(III) by heterogeneous electron transfer from decamethylferrocene present in an emulsion droplet – resulting in the growth of nanoparticles. As gold is a highly effective conduit for the passage of electrical current, even on the nanoscale, the deposition significantly enhances the current response for the single electron transfer of decamethylferrocene when acting as a redox indicator. The nanostructures formed at the surface of the emulsion droplets were imaged by cryo‐TEM, providing an insight into the types of structures that may form when stabilised by the interface alone, and how the structures are able to conduct electrons.
The MOF+ Technique: A Potential Multifunctional Platform
Authors: Xiong Yang Yang , Wu Hui Qiong , Luo Feng
Published: May 2018

Pores are the most ubiquitous moieties in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Based on pore, the MOFs can thus communicate with various guest molecules, leading to many important applications such as storage, separation, and catalysis. However, its abundant surface, presenting another basic component, is often ignored. This is primarily due to the intrinsic stability of surface atoms of MOFs towards external surroundings, or an opposite status of badly destroying the structure of MOFs. In this concept article, we present a novel MOF+ technique, which is a complete surface technique. The design, mechanism, applications, challenges and perspectives are discussed in detail.
N‐Terminal Charged Residues of Amyloid‐β Peptide Modulate Amyloidogenesis and Interaction with Lipid Membrane
Authors: Morris Clifford , Cupples Shirin , Kent Thomas W. , Elbassal Esmail A. , Wojcikiewicz Ewa P. , Yi Peng , Du Deguo
Published: May 2018

Interactions of amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides and cellular membranes are proposed to be closely related with Aβ neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we systematically investigated the effect of the N‐terminal hydrophilic region of Aβ40 on its amyloidogenesis and interaction with supported phospholipid bilayer. Our results show that modulation of the charge properties of the dynamic N‐terminal region dramatically influences the aggregation properties of Aβ. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that the N‐terminal charged residues play a crucial role in driving the early adsorption and latter remobilization of the peptide on membrane bilayer, and mediating the rigidity and viscoelasticity properties of the bound Aβ40 at the membrane interface. The results provide new mechanistic insight into the early Aβ‐membrane interactions and binding, which may be critical for elucidating membrane‐mediated Aβ amyloidogenesis in a physiological environment and unravelling the origin of Aβ neurotoxicity.
Dodecabromo‐ and Dodecaiodocentrohexaindane: Td‐Symmetrical Key Building Blocks for Twelve‐Fold Cross‐Coupling Reactions and Six‐Fold Orthogonal Extension
Authors: Linke Jens , Neumann Beate , Stammler Hans‐Georg , Kuck Dietmar
Published: May 2018

Centrohexaindane was converted into its Td‐symmetrical 2,3,6,7,10,11,14,15,20,21,26,27‐dodecabromo and ‐dodecaiodo derivatives using N‐bromo‐ and N‐iodosuccinimide, respectively, in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid as a catalyst in single, highly efficient steps. Sonication or microwave irradiation was indispensable to enforce exhaustive halogenation of the twelve equivalent peripheral positions of this Cartesian polyaromatic hydrocarbon. Despite their extremely poor solubility in most organic solvents, the new dodecahalo derivatives were fully characterized, including single crystal X‐ray structure analysis. Subsequent Pd0‐catalyzed twelve‐fold C−C cross‐coupling reactions furnished the corresponding dodecamethyl, dodeca(phenylethynyl) and dodecaphenyl derivatives in good to excellent yields. The latter hydrocarbon was also analyzed by X‐ray diffraction.
A fluid‐structure interaction (FSI)‐based numerical investigation of peristalsis in an obstructed human ureter
Authors: Takaddus Ahmed Tasnub , Gautam Prashanta , Chandy Abhilash J.
Published: May 2018

Urine moves from the kidney to the bladder through the ureter. A series of compression waves facilitates this transport. Due to the highly concentrated mineral deposits in urine, stones are formed in the kidney and travel down through the urinary tract. While passing, a larger stone can get stuck and cause severe damage to ureter wall. Also, stones in the ureter obstructing the urine flow can cause pain and backflow of urine which in turn might require surgical intervention. The current study develops a 2D axisymmetric numerical model to gain an understanding of the ureter obstruction and its effects on the flow, which are critical in assessing the different treatment options. Transient computational analysis involving a two‐way fully coupled fluid‐structure interaction with the arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian method between the ureteral wall and urine flow is conducted with an obstruction in the ureter. The ureter wall is modeled as an anisotropic hyperelastic material, data of which, is based on biaxial tests on human ureter from previous literature, while the incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations are solved to calculate urine flow. A finite element–based monolithic solver is used for the simulations here. The obstruction is placed in the fluid domain as a circular stone at the proximal part of the ureter. One of the objectives of this study is to quantify the effect of the ureteral obstruction. A sharp jump in pressure gradient and wall shear stress, as well as retrograde urine flow, is observed as a result of the obstruction.
Age‐ and Genotype‐Dependent Variability in the Protein Abundance and Activity of Six Major Uridine Diphosphate‐Glucuronosyltransferases in Human Liver
Authors: Bhatt Deepak Kumar , Mehrotra Aanchal , Gaedigk Andrea , Chapa Revathi , Basit Abdul , Zhang Haeyoung , Choudhari Prachi , Boberg Mikael , Pearce Robin E. , Gaedigk Roger , Broeckel Ulrich , Leeder J. Steven , Prasad Bhagwat
Published: May 2018

The ontogeny of hepatic uridine diphosphate‐glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) was investigated by determining their protein abundance in human liver microsomes isolated from 136 pediatric (0–18 years) and 35 adult (age >18 years) donors using liquid chromatography / tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) proteomics. Microsomal protein abundances of UGT1A1, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9, UGT2B7, and UGT2B15 increased by ∼8, 55, 35, 33, 8, and 3‐fold from neonates to adults, respectively. The estimated age at which 50% of the adult protein abundance is observed for these UGT isoforms was between 2.6–10.3 years. Measured in vitro activity was generally consistent with the protein data. UGT1A1 protein abundance was associated with multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms exhibiting noticeable ontogeny–genotype interplay. UGT2B15 rs1902023 (*2) was associated with decreased protein activity without any change in protein abundance. Taken together, these data are invaluable to facilitate the prediction of drug disposition in children using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling as demonstrated here for zidovudine and morphine.
Therapeutic Agents Targeting Cardiometabolic Risk for Preventing and Treating Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Arsenault Benoit J. , Perrot Nicolas , Puri Rishi
Published: May 2018

Targeting atherogenic lipoprotein levels with statins remains the current cornerstone of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) management. In patients at high ACVD risk who cannot achieve the desired low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol target, the addition of compounds such as ezetimibe and proprotein subtilisin/kexin type‐9 (PCSK9) inhibitors incrementally lowers cardiovascular risk. New glucose‐lowering drugs such as glucacon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP1R) agonists and sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitors were also shown to improve cardiometabolic risk factors and provide cardiovascular benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes. Our objective is to review the role of these agents in the management of patients at high ACVD risk and introduce new and (re)‐emerging drugs targeting atherogenic lipoproteins such as LDL (inclisiran, bempedoic acid, etc.), remnant‐like particles (fibrates, volanesorsen, and angiopoietin‐like protein‐3 (ANGPTL3) inhibitors), and lipoprotein(a) (AKCEA‐APO[A]LRX). The potential role of drugs targeting inflammation (canakinumab, methotrexate, and colchicine) in ACVD risk prevention/management will also be discussed.
Early‐Stage Sustainability Evaluation of Nanoscale Cathode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Hischier Roland , Kwon Nam Hee , Brog Jean‐Pierre , Fromm Katharina M.
Published: May 2018

Results of an early‐stage sustainability evaluation of two development strategies for new nanoscale cathode materials for Li‐ion batteries are reported: (i) a new production pathway for an existing material (LiCoO2) and (ii) a new nanomaterial (LiMnPO4). Nano‐LiCoO2 was synthesized by a single‐source precursor route at a low temperature with a short reaction time, which results in a smaller grain size and, thereby, a better diffusivity for Li ions. Nano‐LiMnPO4 was synthesized by a wet chemical method. The sustainability potential of these materials was then investigated (at the laboratory and pilot production scales). The results show that the environmental impact of nano‐LiMnPO4 is lower than that of the other examined nanomaterial by several factors regardless of the indicator used for comparison. In contrast to commercial cathode materials, this new material shows, particularly on an energy and capacity basis, results of the same order of magnitude as those of lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) and only slightly higher values than those for lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4); values that are clearly lower than those for high‐temperature LiCoO2.
Males, but not females, perform strategic mate searching movements between host plants in a leaf beetle with scramble competition polygyny
Authors: Muniz Danilo G. , Baena Martha L. , Macías‐Ordóñez Rogelio , Machado Glauco
Published: May 2018

Mate searching is assumed to be performed mostly by males, but when females benefit from multiple mating or are under risk of failing to mate, they may also perform mate searching. This is especially important in scramble competition polygynies, in which mate searching is the main mechanism of mate competition. Typically, more mobile individuals are expected to achieve higher mating success because mobility increases their probability of finding mates. If we assume individual movements are mainly explained by mate searching in scramble competition polygynies, we can investigate searching strategies by asking when individuals should leave their location and where they should go. We hypothesize that individuals will leave their locations when mating opportunities are scarce and will seek spatially close sites with better mating opportunities. We tested these hypotheses for males and females of Leptinotarsa undecimlineata, a leaf beetle with scramble competition polygyny in which both sexes are promiscuous. Individuals mate and feed exclusively on Solanum plants, and thus, individual movements can be described as switches between plants. Females were less likely than males to leave isolated plants, and both males and females moved preferentially to neighboring plants. Males were more likely to leave when the local number of females was low, and the number of males was high. They moved to plants with more females, a behavior consistent with a mate searching strategy. Females were more likely to move to plants with fewer males and many females, a behavior consistent with male harassment avoidance. Strategic movement is widely considered in foraging context, but seldom in a mate searching context. Considering that selection to minimize searching costs, maximize mating success, and minimize harassment may be ubiquitous in nature, we argue that strategic movements by mate searching individuals are likely to occur in many species.