bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Values and local wisdom of Karonese Mengket Rumah Mbaru tradition in north Sumatera
Authors: Perangin-rangin Alemina Br.
Published: February 2020

A house does not only mean a place to stay but also a symbol of prosperity and prestige in Karonese perspective; in addition, it is valuable in the social and cultural life. The tradition of Mengket Rumah Mbaru (entrance to a new house) is a ceremony of gratitude to God and becomes a medium of happiness that is shared among family members and relatives since the owners have succeeded to build their own house. This paper is descriptive qualitative and the researchers were directly involved in the ceremony to discover the local wisdom of the tradition. Since this tradition has various local wisdom, its implementation today has undergone changes in some respects because some of its elements are intentionally eliminated, substituted or no longer held. The values of local wisdom lying in this tradition are hardworking and perseverance, cooperation and family relationship, affection and concern, solidarity and self-belonging, gratitude, thankfulness, and sharing.
Behnke_Armbruster_Strobel - The needs of the many - Influence of personality on third-party judgments of utilitarian rule violations
Authors: Behnke Alexander , Armbruster Diana , Strobel Anja
Published: February 2020

Safeguarding the rights of minorities is crucial for just societies. However, there are conceivable situations were minority rights might seriously impede the rights of the majority. Favoring the minority in such cases constitutes a violation of utilitarian principles. To investigate the emotional, cognitive, and punitive responses of observers of such utilitarian rule transgressions, we conducted an online study with 1004 participants. Two moral scenarios (vaccine policy and epidemic) were rephrased in the third-party perspective. In both scenarios the protagonist opted against the utilitarian option which resulted in more fatalities in total, but avoided harm to a minority. The scenarios varied in whether the minority would have been harmed accidentally or deliberate. The majority of participants chose not to punish the scenarios’ protagonists at all. However, 30.5% judged that protecting the minority over the interests of the majority when only accidental harm would have occurred (vaccine policy) was worthy of punishment. In comparison, only 11.5% opted to punish a protagonist whose decision avoided deliberate harm to a minority at the cost of the majority (epidemic). Emotional responses and appropriateness ratings paralleled these results. Furthermore, complex personality × situation interactions revealed the influence of personality features, i.e., psychopathy, empathy, altruism, authoritarianism, need for cognition and faith in intuition, on participants’ responses. The results further underscore the need to consider the interaction of situational features and inter-individual differences in moral decisions and sense of justice.
Analisis dan Perancangan Desain Sistem Informasi Pembayaran Tagihan Supplier Pada PT. Jaya Teknik Indonesia Berdasarkan Kebutuhan Sistem
Authors: Hariyadi Tri , Laraswati Dewi , Ariani Fattya
Published: February 2020

Abstract - Economic development in Indonesia is currently growing rapidly. To achieve this economic development, a good system is needed. One of these systems is a payment system. That is a system that deals with payments made by a company to suppliers so that a job can be completed on time without any financial disturbances. An integrated system makes it easy for employees to do their work. PT Jaya Teknik Indonesia is a contracting company. The existing system of PT Jaya Teknik Indonesia is currently not computerized. The manual process for checking the billing file causes the length of the payment process due to the large number of billing files that have to be processed and not connected between one part and another so that to conduct a complete data check must ask directly the relevant part. Because of this, the author tries to make the bill payment system of suppliers at PT Jaya Teknik Indonesia. This payment system analysis is made to solve the problems that exist in this company in order to achieve an effective and efficient system in carrying out activities in the company.

Keywords: System Design, Payment Information System Design, Payment Information System, Bill Payment Information System
Variations in Marriage Squeeze by Region, Religion, and Caste in India
Authors: Vishwakarma Minakshi , Shekhar Chander , Yadav Akhilesh
Published: February 2020

Marriage squeeze is a demographic phenomenon underlining the asymmetry between the availability of potential brides and grooms in a population. Since mate selection is very specific and bound by religion, caste, and region in India, existing demographic and sociocultural variability reflects even more emphatically on marriage squeeze in these subgroups. The last round of the Indian census (2011) was used for this study. To capture the marriage squeeze, the study utilized two methods—Schoen’s method of two-sex life table and the sex ratio method. At present, India is experiencing a marriage squeeze for males in rural as well as urban areas. Differences have been observed in the tightness of marriage squeeze across different subgroups of the population. The tightness of the male marriage squeeze is greater among Hindus than Muslims in the age group 15–45. In terms of caste, the scheduled tribes are experiencing a higher scarcity of brides than “other” castes; conversely, scheduled caste brides are experiencing a scarcity of grooms. Across the states, a higher tightness of marriage squeeze among males is observed in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, and Haryana compared to the rest of the states. The rapid changes that occurred in the sex ratio in the past few decades are visible in the initial two cohorts of marriageable age. Variations in marriage squeeze across different social groups are mainly driven by alterations in the natural sex ratio and the changing pattern of marriage in India.
How Food Processing Impacts Hyperkalemia and Hyperphosphatemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Picard Kelly , Mager Diana , Richard Caroline
Published: February 2020

Food processing has a unique impact on patients living with chronic kidney disease who may need to restrict dietary sodium, potassium, and phosphorus intake. Canada is the second largest consumer of processed food in the world. Highly processed foods tend to be more nutrient dense, contain less fibre, and are higher in sodium than unprocessed foods. To reduce the amount of sodium in processed food, Health Canada has encouraged food producers to reduce the sodium in their food. Potassium additives have been identified as an attractive alternative to sodium and their use in food processing is expected to increase. Phosphorus additives have been reported to be present in about 44% of processed foods. Given the changes in the nutrient profiles of processed foods, dietary advice on ways to reduce sodium, potassium, and phosphorus intake may be best achieved by recommending minimally processed food and encouraging unprocessed foods more often.
Regards sur la « réserve ministérielle » : la disparition d’une manne financière publique confidentielle des cabinets ministériels ?
Authors: Baudu Aurélien
Published: February 2020

Initialement destinée à assurer la solidarité nationale de l’État au plan local face à l’imprévisibilité, au fil du temps elle a évolué vers un instrument électoraliste, confidentiellement orchestré par le cabinet du ministre de l’Intérieur et mis en musique par les préfets. Critiquée par la Cour des comptes, son exécution budgétaire a été interrompue par le Gouvernement, après que le Conseil constitutionnel ait censuré sa suppression jugée inconstitutionnelle…
EFFECT OF PLANTAGO OVATA MUCILAGE USED AS NATURAL SUPERDISINTEGRANT ON RAPIMELTS TABLET OF METACLOPRAMIDE HCL
Authors: Abhinav kumar Tripathi  , Hemendra Gautam
Published: February 2020

Formulation, development and optimization of rapimelts containing metoclopramide HCl using natural superdisintegrant To isolate mucilage from the plantago ovata husk powder by pregelatinization method. To prepare priliminary trial batches of repimelts using β cyclodextrin with different ratio of drug and polymer. To evaluate the drug polymer complex and finally which polymer and ratio of drug and polymer is better to formulate final formulation. To achieve taste masking of drug. To prepare preliminary trial batches of rapimelts using plantago ovata mucilage as natural superdisintegrant and crosspovidone as synthetic superdisintegrant by direct compression method. To evaluate the prepared rapimelts for various properties like friability, hardness, wetting time, water absorption ratio, disintegration time, drug content, drug  etc. Identifying the key variables and their levels for applying factorial design and to optimize one formulation. To evaluate the final batches and find out the optimized batch based on statistical optimization using experimental design. To compare the optimized formulation with marketed preparation. To carry out stability studies of optimized batch as per ICH guidelines. The aim of the present investigation was to Formulate, designed, and evaluates plant agoovata mucilage used as a natural superdisintegrant was to developed and optimized rapimelts containing Metoclopramide HCL.

Keywords: Rapimelt , Superdisintegrant, Rapimelt Super disintegrate, Metaclopramide hydrochloride
Intention to Create Legal Relations and the Reform of Contract law: A Conservative Approach in the Modern Global Era Social Development, Customary Law and Administration of Justice in Nigeria
Authors: Archibong James E.
Published: February 2020

Intention to create legal relations is one of the essential elements of a valid contract. It is a critical factor in validating a contract alongside offer, acceptance and consideration. Even when an agreement fulfills these three basic elements, failure to prove intent to be legally bound nullifies the contract and justifies the refusal of the justice system to enforce it. It has been argued on one hand that as far as an agreement has met the basic elements of offer, acceptance and consideration necessitating a separate test of intention to create legal relations is inordinate. On the other hand, it has also been submitted that the doctrine should be retained. Through an analytical approach, this paper examines both sides of the contention and resolves in favour of retaining the doctrine. This will enhance commerce; guaranty contracting parties’ uninhibited right and freedom to enter into a contract and ensure certainty and stability in the realm of contract in a manner consistent with the requirements of modern global era.
El rol del Estado en el Sistema de Medios Mexicano 2013-2018. Punto de partida para una agenda de investigación
Authors: Gómez Rodrigo
Published: February 2020

Este artículo plantea pensar el Sistema de Medios en México (SMM) a partir del contexto político de la alternancia democrática, la convergencia tecnológica y el marco regulatorio que plantea la Ley Federal de Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión de 2014. La investigación hace foco en la dimensión que observa el rol del Estado y, en particular, analiza las políticas públicas de comunicación más importantes de 2013 a 2018. El artículo concluye, por un lado, que el nuevo marco normativo refleja rupturas significativas de la añeja y perversa relación de mutuo beneficio entre el sistema político y el sistema de medios. Pero, por el otro lado, sigue advirtiendo la centralidad de las prácticas clientelares del SMM.
BECOMING A WOMAN IN A CONSUMER SOCIETY: TANTE ROSA AND “TO ROOM NINETEEN”
Authors: Sev Ateş Ansi , Yüksel Hülya
Published: February 2020

This
study aims to analyse two works of literature; “To Room Nineteen”, by Doris
Lessing, and Tante Rosa, by Sevgi
Soysal, comparatively; our objective is to read these texts as cases which
illustrate the roles of ideal wifehood and motherhood, and to identify the role
of the capitalist consumer culture in shaping these identities. Although these
two works are the products of different cultures, the two texts share a lot in common:
both were written in the same decade, and both portray the social and economic
conditions of the period. Besides, the texts depict the female protagonists’
existence under the strain of consumerism as a form of struggle, because they
feel they do not belong to the consumer culture that they have been born into.
They search for identities, meanings other than those which are assigned by
this culture of consumerism. Both texts portray the dilemmas and struggles of
the authors, as well. The primary objective of this study is to identify the
roles of the ideal wife and the ideal mother imposed by modern consumer
culture. Taking these literary texts as cases in point, this study also
attempts to find out how women try to cope with the strains of fulfilling these
roles.
Characterization of ctx gene Negative Vibrio fluvialis Organisms Isolated from the Environment
Authors: Biswas Juthi , Jainab Tahsina , Hossain Mahmud , Yasmin Mahmuda , Nessa Jamalun , Ahsan Chowdhury Rafiqul
Published: February 2020

A total of five Vibrio fluvialis organisms were isolated from the different environmental samples collected from Dhaka, Satkhira and Khulna. All these isolates were confirmed following API 20NE tests. Molecular analysis showed the absence of ctx, toxR, tdh, trh, stx1, and stx2 genes in these organisms. However, culture filtrates and crude proteins prepared from these organisms showed fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loop assay, haemolysis of sheep red blood cess, rounding of BHK-21, HeLa and MDCK cells in cell culture assay, hind limb paralysis and death of mice in mice lethality assay and morphological changes in mouse neuronal cell assay. All these results indicated that the environmental V. fluvialis organisms, may not contain different virulence genes, including the ctx gene. However, the other in vivo and in vitro assays indicate that the toxins produced by the V. fluvialis organisms may contain enterotoxin, haemolysin, cytotoxin and neurotoxin.

Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 36 Number 2 December 2019, pp 91-97
Prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections (HBV, HCV, HIV and Treponema pallidum in Volunteer Blood Donors in Shirajganj District
Authors: Hasan Md Mahmudul , Shammi Tahmina , Kabir Md Shahidul
Published: February 2020

Blood and its components are essential for life and often required to be transfused in critical health condition. However, such transfusion is reported to be associated with the risk of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) with notable pathogens e.g. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Treponema pallidum. These pathogens are of major public health concern especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. Increase in the number of TTIs is found to be associated with improper management of safe blood transfusion protocol (SBTP) and unethical practices. This study focuses on the prevalence of such TTIs in volunteers’ blood collected between October and December 2018 from Sakhawath Memorial and Avicina Hospitals in Shirajgong district. Prevalence rate of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and Treponema pallidum were 1.2%, 6.8%, 0.8% and 1.6%, respectively. Among the infected individuals, 75% HIV positive cases were professionals, 70% HCV infected cases wwere from other professional groups and 50% of syphilis infected were homemakers. Male donors showed higher incidence rate of HBV (65%), HCV (72%) and HIV (85%) compared to the female donors. Although the findings of the study showed prevalence of TTIs in volunteer blood donors (VBDs) at an alarming rate, most of the infected individuals were not aware of their infections and potential risk of transmission from them. It is necessary to create awareness among blood donors about possible causes of transmission and prevention of infection . Such initiative from both governmental and non-governmental organizations can help reduce TTIs among VBDs.

Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 36 Number 2 December 2019, pp 105-109
Private messages from the field: Confessions on digital ethnography and its discomforts
Authors: Abidin Crystal , De Seta Gabriele
Published: February 2020

This special issue collects the confessions of five digital ethnographers laying bare their methodological failures, disciplinary posturing, and ethical dilemmas. The articles are meant to serve as a counseling stations for fellow researchers who are approaching digital media ethnographically. On the one hand, this issue’s contributors acknowledge the rich variety of methodological articulations reflected in the lexicon of “buzzword ethnography”. On the other, they evidence how doing ethnographic research about, on, and through digital media is most often a messy, personal, highly contextual enterprise fraught with anxieties and discomforts. Through the four “private messages from the field” collected in this issue, we acknowledge the messiness, open-endedness and coarseness of ethnographic research in-the-making. In order to do this, and as a precise editorial choice made in order to sidestep the lexical turf wars and branding exercises of ‘how to’ methodological literature, we propose to recuperate two forms of ethnographic writing: Confessional ethnography (Van Maanen 2011) and self-reflection about the dilemmas of ethnographic work (Fine 1993). Laying bare our fieldwork failures, confessing our troubling epistemological choices and sharing our ways of coping with these issues becomes a precious occasion to remind ourselves of how much digital media, and the ways of researching them, are constantly in the making.
Поняття «учасник операції Об’єднаних сил (антитерористичної операції)» за законодавством України
Authors: Мацько В. А.
Published: February 2020

У статті досліджується поняття «учасник операції Об’єднаних сил (антитерористичної операції)» за законодавством України. За результатами проведеного аналізу чинного законодавства України та праць вітчизняних науковців за напрямом забезпечення прав учасників ООС/АТО, сформульовано авторське визначення поняття «учасник операції Об’єднаних сил (антитерористичної операції)». Наведено перелік документів, що підтверджують участь в ООС та АТО. Визначено існуючі прогалини в чинному законодавстві України, які регулюють питання надання статусу учасника бойових дій особам, які займаються волонтерською діяльністю.
Impacts of Array Orientation and Tilt Angles for Photovoltaic Self-Sufficiency and Self-Consumption Indices in Olive Mills in Spain
Authors: Jiménez-Castillo Gabino , Muñoz-Rodríguez Francisco José , Martinez-Calahorro Antonio Javier , Tina Giuseppe Marco , Rus-Casas Catalina
Published: February 2020

Olive mills are extensive in the Mediterranean Basin, and Spain constitutes approximately 45% of global production. The industrial sector faces a new energetic paradigm where distributed generation provided by small renewable energy sources may reduce the dependence from fossil energy sources as well as avoid energy distribution losses. Photovoltaic self-consumption systems can play an important role in confronting this challenge due to their modularity and their decreasing cost. Most of self-sufficiency energy studies are focused on building sector and discussions about the idiosyncrasy of industrial load profiles, and their matching capability with photovoltaic generation profiles can be scarcely found. This work analyzes the potential of photovoltaic self-consumption systems as a function of the array power, array tilt, and orientation angles to face the electric consumption in olive mills. Different recording intervals and reporting periods are considered. Results show that a self-sufficiency index of 40% may be achieved on olive harvest basis. Moreover, due to the load profile particularities, percentage error lower than 1.6% has been found when considering a recording interval of 60 min when matching the olive load consumption and photovoltaic generation profiles. Chosen array tilt and orientation angles may be key parameters to maximize the self-sufficiency index.
A Low EMI DC-DC Buck Converter with a Triangular Spread-Spectrum Mechanism
Authors: Lin Jing-Yuan , Hsu Yi-Chieh , Lin Yo-Da
Published: February 2020

In this paper, a triangular spread-spectrum mechanism is proposed to suppress the electromagnetic interference (EMI) of a DC-DC buck converter. The proposed triangular spread-spectrum mechanism, which is implemented in the chip, can avoid modifying the printed circuit board of switching regulators. In addition, a lower ripple of output voltage of switching regulators and a better system stability can be realized by the inductive DC resistance (DCR) current sensing circuit. The chip is fabricated by using TSMC 0.18-μm 1P6M CMOS technology. The chip area including PADs is 1.2 × 1.15 mm2. The input voltage range is 2.7~3.3 V and the output voltage is 1.8 V. The maximum load current is 700 mA. The off-chip inductor and capacitor are 3.3 μH and 10 μF, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the maximum spur of the proposed DC-DC buck converter with the triangular spread-spectrum mechanism improves to 14dBm. Moreover, the transient recovery time of step-up and step-down loads are both 5 μs. The measured maximum efficiency is 94% when the load current is 200 mA.
Safe and Efficient Coal Mining Below the Goaf: A Case Study
Authors: Pan Weidong , Zhang Shaopeng , Liu Yi
Published: February 2020

Mining at the fully mechanized working face below the goaf of the short-distance coal seam is influenced by the upper goaf. To address this problem, methods such as theoretical analyses, numerical simulation, and on-site measurement are used to study the strata behavior characteristics of the Ningxia Lingxin Coal Mine 051508 working face in this study. The roof weighting intervals of the working faces below the goaf and the non-goaf are obtained via theoretical calculations. The stoping processes of the working faces below the goaf and the non-goaf are simulated with FLAC3D to obtain the distribution law of the bearing pressure and plastic zones before the working face. Based on the statistical analysis of the measured working resistance of the supports and its distribution, the roof weighting interval of the working face mining below the goaf is obtained. The results show that the roof weighting interval and the advanced abutment pressure during mining at the working face below the goaf are smaller than those below the non-goaf, providing a reasonable theoretical basis for mining below the goaf, and having important significance for safe and efficient mining.
Engineering Herbicide-Tolerance Rice Expressing an Acetohydroxyacid Synthase with a Single Amino Acid Deletion
Authors: Fang, Jun , Wan Changzhao , Wang Wei , Ma Liuyin , Wang Xinqi , Cheng Can , Zhou Jihua , Qiao Yongjin , Wang Xiao
Published: February 2020

The acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is an essential enzyme involved in branched amino acids. Several herbicides wither weeds via inhibiting AHAS activity, and the AHAS mutants show tolerance to these herbicides. However, most AHAS mutations are residue substitutions but not residue deletion. Here, residue deletion was used to engineering the AHAS gene and herbicide-tolerant rice. Molecular docking analysis predicted that the W548 of the AHAS was a residue deletion to generate herbicide tolerance. The AHAS-ΔW548 protein was generated in vitro to remove the W548 residue. Interestingly, the deletion led to the tetramer dissociation of the AHAS, while this dissociation did not reduce the activity of the AHAS. Moreover, the W548 deletion contributed to multi-family herbicides tolerance. Specially, it conferred more tolerance to sulfometuron-methyl and bispyribac-sodium than the W548L substitution. Further analysis revealed that AHAS-ΔW548 had the best performance on the sulfometuron-methyl tolerance compared to the wild-type control. Over-expression of the AHAS-ΔW548 gene into rice led to the tolerance of multiple herbicides in the transgenic line. The T-DNA insertion and the herbicide treatment did not affect the agronomic traits and yields, while more branched-chain amino acids were detected in transgenic rice seeds. Residue deletion of W548 in the AHAS could be a useful strategy for engineering herbicide tolerant rice. The increase of branched-chain amino acids might improve the umami tastes of the rice.
Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Herbal Small-Molecule Drugs for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Wuli Wei , Tsai Sheng-Tzung , Chiou Tzyy-Wen , Harn Horng-Jyh
Published: February 2020

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques composed of the β-amyloid peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and associates with progressive declines in memory and cognition. Several genes play important roles and regulate enzymes that produce a pathological accumulation of β-amyloid in the brain, such as gamma secretase (γ-secretase). Induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Alzheimer’s disease with different underlying genetic mechanisms may help model different phenotypes of Alzheimer’s disease and facilitate personalized drug screening platforms for the identification of small molecules. We also discuss recent developments by γ-secretase inhibitors and modulators in the treatment of AD. In addition, small-molecule drugs isolated from Chinese herbal medicines have been shown effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease. We propose a mechanism of small-molecule drugs in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Combining therapy with different small-molecule drugs may increase the chance of symptomatic treatment. A customized strategy tailored to individuals and in combination with therapy may be a more suitable treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
Advances in Chemistry and Bioactivity of Magnoflorine and Magnoflorine-Containing Extracts
Authors: Okon Estera , Kukula-Koch Wirginia , Jarzab Agata , Halasa Marta , Stepulak Andrzej , Wawruszak Anna
Published: February 2020

The review collects together some recent information on the identity and pharmacological properties of magnoflorine, a quaternary aporphine alkaloid, that is widely distributed within the representatives of several botanical families like Berberidaceae, Magnoliaceae, Papaveraceae, or Menispermaceae. Several findings published in the scientific publications mention its application in the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases including inflammatory ones, allergies, hypertension, osteoporosis, bacterial, viral and fungal infections, and some civilization diseases like cancer, obesity, diabetes, dementia, or depression. The pharmacokinetics and perspectives on its introduction to therapeutic strategies will also be discussed.
Combined Analysis of the Metabolome and Transcriptome Identified Candidate Genes Involved in Phenolic Acid Biosynthesis in the Leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus
Authors: Lin Weida , Li Yueling , Lu Qiuwei , Lu Hongfei , Li Junmin
Published: February 2020

To assess changes of metabolite content and regulation mechanism of the phenolic acid biosynthesis pathway at different developmental stages of leaves, this study performed a combined metabolome and transcriptome analysis of Cyclocarya paliurus leaves at different developmental stages. Metabolite and transcript profiling were conducted by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer and high-throughput RNA sequencing, respectively. Transcriptome identification showed that 58 genes were involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic acid. Among them, 10 differentially expressed genes were detected between every two developmental stages. Identification and quantification of metabolites indicated that 14 metabolites were located in the phenolic acid biosynthetic pathway. Among them, eight differentially accumulated metabolites were detected between every two developmental stages. Association analysis between metabolome and transcriptome showed that six differentially expressed structural genes were significantly positively correlated with metabolite accumulation and showed similar expression trends. A total of 128 transcription factors were identified that may be involved in the regulation of phenolic acid biosynthesis; these include 12 MYBs and 10 basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors. A regulatory network of the phenolic acid biosynthesis was established to visualize differentially expressed candidate genes that are involved in the accumulation of metabolites with significant differences. The results of this study contribute to the further understanding of phenolic acid biosynthesis during the development of leaves of C. paliurus.
Peptidyl Arginine Deiminase 2 (PADI2)-Mediated Arginine Citrullination Modulates Transcription in Cancer
Authors: Beato Miguel , Sharma Priyanka
Published: February 2020

Protein arginine deimination leading to the non-coded amino acid citrulline remains a key question in the field of post-translational modifications ever since its discovery by Rogers and Simmonds in 1958. Citrullination is catalyzed by a family of enzymes called peptidyl arginine deiminases (PADIs). Initially, increased citrullination was associated with autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, as well as other neurological disorders and multiple types of cancer. During the last decade, research efforts have focused on how citrullination contributes to disease pathogenesis by modulating epigenetic events, pluripotency, immunity and transcriptional regulation. However, our knowledge regarding the functional implications of citrullination remains quite limited, so we still do not completely understand its role in physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we review the recently discovered functions of PADI2-mediated citrullination of the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II in transcriptional regulation in breast cancer cells and the proposed mechanisms to reshape the transcription regulatory network that promotes cancer progression.
Dimer Interface Organization is a Main Determinant of Intermonomeric Interactions and Correlates with Evolutionary Relationships of Retroviral and Retroviral-Like Ddi1 and Ddi2 Proteases
Authors: Mótyán János András , Miczi Márió , Tőzsér József
Published: February 2020

The life cycles of retroviruses rely on the limited proteolysis catalyzed by the viral protease. Numerous eukaryotic organisms also express endogenously such proteases, which originate from retrotransposons or retroviruses, including DNA damage-inducible 1 and 2 (Ddi1 and Ddi2, respectively) proteins. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis based on the structural data currently available in Protein Data Bank (PDB) and Structural summaries of PDB entries (PDBsum) databases, with a special emphasis on the regions involved in dimerization of retroviral and retroviral-like Ddi proteases. In addition to Ddi1 and Ddi2, at least one member of all seven genera of the Retroviridae family was included in this comparison. We found that the studied retroviral and non-viral proteases show differences in the mode of dimerization and density of intermonomeric contacts, and distribution of the structural characteristics is in agreement with their evolutionary relationships. Multiple sequence and structure alignments revealed that the interactions between the subunits depend mainly on the overall organization of the dimer interface. We think that better understanding of the general and specific features of proteases may support the characterization of retroviral-like proteases.
Deconvolution of RNA-Seq Analysis of Hyperbaric Oxygen-Treated Mice Lungs Reveals Mesenchymal Cell Subtype Changes
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Zhou Yilu , Li Yali , Hill Charlotte , Ewing Rob M. , Jones Mark G. , Davies Donna E. , Jiang Zhenglin , Wang Yihua
Published: February 2020

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is widely applied to treat several hypoxia-related diseases. Previous studies have focused on the immediate effect of HBO-exposure induced oxidative stress on the lungs, but knowledge regarding the chronic effects from repetitive HBO exposure is limited, especially at the gene expression level. We found that repetitive HBO exposure did not alter the morphology of murine lungs. However, by deconvolution of RNA-seq from those mice lungs using CIBERSORTx and the expression profile matrices of 8 mesenchymal cell subtypes obtained from bleomycin-treated mouse lungs, we identify several mesenchymal cell subtype changes. These include increases in Col13a1 matrix fibroblasts, mesenchymal progenitors and mesothelial cell populations and decreases in lipofibroblasts, endothelial and Pdgfrb high cell populations. Our data suggest that repetitive HBO exposure may affect biological processes in the lungs such as response to wounding, extracellular matrix, vasculature development and immune response.
Transcriptional Regulation of Genes by Ikaros Tumor Suppressor in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Dhanyamraju Pavan Kumar , Iyer Soumya , Smink Gayle , Bamme Yevgeniya , Bhadauria Preeti , Payne Jonathon L , Dovat Elanora , Klink Morgann , Ding Yali
Published: February 2020

Regulation of oncogenic gene expression by transcription factors that function as tumor suppressors is one of the major mechanisms that regulate leukemogenesis. Understanding this complex process is essential for explaining the pathogenesis of leukemia as well as developing targeted therapies. Here, we provide an overview of the role of Ikaros tumor suppressor and its role in regulation of gene transcription in acute leukemia. Ikaros (IKZF1) is a DNA-binding protein that functions as a master regulator of hematopoiesis and the immune system, as well as a tumor suppressor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Genetic alteration or functional inactivation of Ikaros results in the development of high-risk leukemia. Ikaros binds to the specific consensus binding motif at upstream regulatory elements of its target genes, recruits chromatin-remodeling complexes and activates or represses transcription via chromatin remodeling. Over the last twenty years, a large number of Ikaros target genes have been identified, and the role of Ikaros in the regulation of their expression provided insight into the mechanisms of Ikaros tumor suppressor function in leukemia. Here we summarize the role of Ikaros in the regulation of the expression of the genes whose function is critical for cellular proliferation, development, and progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Verticillium dahliae VdTHI20, Involved in Pyrimidine Biosynthesis, Is Required for DNA Repair Functions and Pathogenicity
Authors: Qin Tengfei , Hao Wei , Sun Runrun , Li Yuqing , Wang Yuanyuan , Wei Chunyan , Dong Tao , Wu Bingjie , Dong Na , Wang Weipeng , Sun Jialiang , Yang Qiuyue , Zhang Yaxin , Yang Song , Wang Qinglian
Published: February 2020

Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) infects roots and colonizes the vascular vessels of host plants, significantly reducing the economic yield of cotton and other crops. In this study, the protein VdTHI20, which is involved in the thiamine biosynthesis pathway, was characterized by knocking out the corresponding VdTHI20 gene in V. dahliae via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT). The deletion of VdTHI20 resulted in several phenotypic defects in vegetative growth and conidiation and in impaired virulence in tobacco seedlings. We show that VdTHI20 increases the tolerance of V. dahliae to UV damage. The impaired vegetative growth of ΔVdTHI20 mutant strains was restored by complementation with a functional copy of the VdTHI20 gene or by supplementation with additional thiamine. Furthermore, the root infection and colonization of the ΔVdTHI20 mutant strains were suppressed, as indicated by green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelling under microscope observation. When the RNAi constructs of VdTHI20 were used to transform Nicotiana benthamiana, the transgenic lines expressing dsVdTHI20 showed elevated resistance to V. dahliae. Together, these results suggest that VdTHI20 plays a significant role in the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. In addition, the pathogenesis-related gene VdTHI20 exhibits potential for controlling V. dahliae in important crops.
Combination of Gas Plasma and Radiotherapy Has Immunostimulatory Potential and Additive Toxicity in Murine Melanoma Cells in Vitro
Authors: Pasqual-Melo Gabriella , Sagwal Sanjeev Kumar , Freund Eric , Gandhirajan Rajesh Kumar , Frey Benjamin , von Woedtke Thomas , Gaipl Udo , Bekeschus Sander
Published: February 2020

Despite continuous advances in therapy, malignant melanoma is still among the deadliest types of cancer. At the same time, owing to its high plasticity and immunogenicity, melanoma is regarded as a model tumor entity when testing new treatment approaches. Cold physical plasma is a novel anticancer tool that utilizes a plethora of reactive oxygen species (ROS) being deposited on the target cells and tissues. To test whether plasma treatment would enhance the toxicity of an established antitumor therapy, ionizing radiation, we combined both physical treatment modalities targeting B16F10 murine melanoma cell in vitro. Repeated rather than single radiotherapy, in combination with gas plasma-introduced ROS, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in an additive fashion. In tendency, gas plasma treatment sensitized the cells to subsequent radiotherapy rather than the other way around. This was concomitant with increased levels of TNFα, IL6, and GM-CSF in supernatants. Murine JAWS dendritic cells cultured in these supernatants showed an increased expression of cell surface activation markers, such as MHCII and CD83. For PD-L1 and PD-L2, increased expression was observed. Our results are the first to suggest an additive therapeutic effect of gas plasma and radiotherapy, and translational tumor models are needed to develop this concept further.
The Novel Small-molecule Annexin-A1 Mimetic, Compound 17b, Elicits Vasoprotective Actions in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Mice
Authors: Marshall Sarah A , Qin Cheng Xue , Jelinic Maria , O’Sullivan Kelly , Deo Minh , Walsh Jesse , Li Mandy , Parry Laura J , Ritchie Rebecca H. , Leo Chen Huei
Published: February 2020

The formyl peptide receptor (FPR) family are a group of G-protein coupled receptors that play an important role in the regulation of inflammatory processes. It is well-established that activation of FPRs can have cardioprotective properties. Recently, more stable small-molecule FPR1/2 agonists have been described, including both Compound 17b (Cmpd17b) and Compound 43 (Cmpd43). Both agonists activate a range of signals downstream of FPR1/2 activation in human-engineered FPR-expressing cells, including ERK1/2 and Akt. Importantly, Cmpd17b (but not Cmpd43) favours bias away from intracellular Ca2+ mobilisation in this context, which has been associated with greater cardioprotection in response to Cmpd17b over Cmpd43. However, it is unknown whether these FPR agonists impact vascular physiology and/or elicit vasoprotective effects in the context of diabetes. First, we localized FPR1 and FPR2 receptors predominantly in vascular smooth muscle cells in the aortae of male C57BL/6 mice. We then analysed the vascular effects of Cmpd17b and Cmpd43 on the aorta using wire-myography. Cmpd17b but not Cmpd43 evoked a concentration-dependent relaxation of the mouse aorta. Removal of the endothelium or blockade of endothelium-derived relaxing factors using pharmacological inhibitors had no effect on Cmpd17b-evoked relaxation, demonstrating that its direct vasodilator actions were endothelium-independent. In aortae primed with elevated K+ concentration, increasing concentrations of CaCl2 evoked concentration-dependent contraction that is abolished by Cmpd17b, suggesting the involvement of the inhibition of Ca2+ mobilisation via voltage-gated calcium channels. Treatment with Cmpd17b for eight weeks reversed endothelial dysfunction in STZ-induced diabetic aorta through the upregulation of vasodilator prostanoids. Our data indicate that Cmpd17b is a direct endothelium-independent vasodilator, and a vasoprotective molecule in the context of diabetes.
A Novel Clipping-Based Method to Reduce Peak-To-Average Power Ratio of OFDM Signals
Authors: Tang Bo , Qin Kaiyu , Chen Changwei , Cao Yong
Published: February 2020

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a widely used technology for wireless broadband communications. However, it also suffers from some drawbacks. One of the critical limitations is the problem of high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), which causes distortions of some nonlinear components such as power amplifiers. A number of techniques have been proposed to reduce the PAPR of OFDM signals, among which the clipping-based methods have gained a lot of attention due to the effective PAPR reduction and simplicity of implementation. This paper proposes a novel clipping-based method to reduce the PAPR of OFDM signals. Based on the recently proposed clipping noise compression (CNC) method, the proposed scheme introduces a preset normalization factor to replace the calculation of average amplitude of clipping noise in the original CNC method during compression processing. Comparative simulations were carried out, and the results exhibit that the proposed method achieves better bit-error-ratio performance with equal level of PAPR reduction compared to the original CNC method.
Optimization of Hybrid Sol-Gel Coating for Dropwise Condensation of Pure Steam
Authors: Parin Riccardo , Rigon Michele , Bortolin Stefano , Martucci Alessandro , Del Col Davide
Published: February 2020

We developed hybrid organic–inorganic sol–gel silica coatings with good durability in harsh environment (high temperatures, high vapor velocities) and with slightly hydrophobic behavior, sufficient to promote dropwise condensation (DWC) of pure steam. DWC is a very promising mechanism in new trends of thermal management and power generation systems to enhance the heat transfer during condensation as compared to film-wise condensation (FWC). The sol–gel coatings have been prepared from methyl triethoxy silane (MTES) and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) and deposited on an aluminum substrate. The coatings were optimized in terms of precursor ratio and annealing temperature highlighting potentials and limits of such mixtures. A comprehensive surface characterization before and after saturated steam condensation tests has been performed and related to the thermal measurements for evaluating the heat transfer augmentation as compared to FWC obtained on untreated aluminum surfaces. The results showed that the developed hybrid organic-inorganic sol–gel silica coatings are promising DWC promoters.
Influence of Mg, Cu, and Ni Dopants on Amorphous TiO2 Thin Films Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Kavaliunas Vytautas , Krugly Edvinas , Sriubas Mantas , Mimura Hidenori , Laukaitis Giedrius , Hatanaka Yoshinori
Published: February 2020

The present study investigates Mg (0 ÷ 17.5 wt %), Cu (0 ÷ 21 wt %) and Ni (0 ÷ 20.2 wt %) dopants (M-doped) influence on photocatalytic activity of amorphous TiO2 thin films. Magnetron sputtering was used for the deposition of M-doped TiO2 thin films. According to SEM/EDS surface analysis, the magnetron sputtering technique allows making M-doped TiO2 thin films with high uniformity and high dopant dispersion. Photocatalysis efficiency analysis was set in oxalic acid under UV irradiation. In accordance with the TOC (total organic carbon) measurements followed by the apparent rate constant (kapp) results, the dopants’ concentration peak value was dopant-dependent; for Mg/TiO2, it is 0.9% (kapp—0.01866 cm−1), for Cu/TiO2, it is 0.6% (kapp—0.02221 cm−1), and for Ni/TiO2, it is 0.5% (kapp—0.01317 cm−1). The obtained results clearly state that a concentration of dopants in TiO2 between 0.1% and 0.9% results in optimal photocatalytic activity.
Effect of Steel Plates on Estimation of the Compressive Strength of Concrete via Ultrasonic Testing
Authors: Rhim Hong Chul , Kim Dae You , Cho Chang Shik , Kim Do Hyun
Published: February 2020

The presence of embedded steel affects the estimates obtained for the compressive strength of concrete during ultrasonic testing, as it increases the ultrasonic wave velocity. Thus, if the presence of steel in concrete is inevitable, then a correction factor is required for an accurate estimation of the concrete strength. While previous studies focused on the effect of steel reinforcing bars on the speed of ultrasonic waves in concrete, this work expands on the significance of embedded steel from steel bars to include steel plates. The wave velocity was measured for varying dimensions of embedded steel plates from 15 mm to 150 mm using 54-kHz ultrasonic testing equipment. Through experiments, the effect of steel plates on the ultrasonic testing of concrete was quantified to derive proper correction factors. It was found that the thickness, depth, and height of the steel plates significantly affected the test results. These findings can be applied to ultrasonic testing to estimate the compressive strength of concrete consisting of a significant volume of steel, such as in steel-reinforced concrete structures.
Study on Recycling of Steel Slags Used as Coarse and Fine Aggregates in Induction Healing Asphalt Concretes
Authors: Xu Haiqin , Wu Shaopeng , Li Hechuan , Zhao Yuechao , Lv Yang
Published: February 2020

Steel slag, a by-product of steelmaking, imposes lots of negative impacts on the environment. For alleviating negative impacts, more and more experiments have been carried out to explore the application possibility of steel slag. The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of steel slag being applied in induction healing asphalt concretes to replace coarse and fine aggregate. Surface texture and pore sizes of steel slag were firstly tested, and then steel slag and basalt asphalt mixtures modified with steel fibers were prepared. Moisture susceptibility, dynamic stability, mechanical property, thermal property, induction heating speed, natural cooling speed and healing property of the asphalt mixtures were evaluated. Results showed that steel slags had more obvious holes in the surface while the surface area is much larger than that of basalt. Furthermore, steel fibers and steel slag both have dynamic stability, and steel fibers contribute to increased moisture resistance while steel slag is not. Steel slag asphalt concrete showed better mechanical property and better capacity to store heating. Steel slag asphalt mixtures had a similar heating speed to basalt asphalt mixtures but a significantly slower cooling rate. Finally, the induction healing test and CT scanning test demonstrated that steel slag asphalt mixtures had a similar healing ability to basalt asphalt mixtures. It can be concluded that steel slags have the potential to replace the natural aggregates to be applied in induction heating self-healing asphalt concretes.
Hot Deformation Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of PM Ti43Al9V0.3Y with Fine Equiaxed γ and B2 Grain Microstructure
Authors: Zhang Dongdong , Chen Yuyong , Zhang Guoqing , Liu Na , Kong Fantao , Tian Jing , Sun Jianfei
Published: February 2020

The hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of powder metallurgy (PM) Ti43Al9V0.3Y alloy with fine equiaxed γ and B2 grains were investigated using uniaxial hot compression. Its stress exponent and activation energy were 2.78 and 295.86 kJ/mol, respectively. The efficiency of power dissipation and instability parameters were evaluated, and processing maps at 50% and 80% strains were developed. It is demonstrated that the microstructure evolution was dependent on the temperature, strain, and strain rate. Both temperature and strain increases led to a decrease in the γ phase. Moreover, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and grain boundary slip both played important roles in deformation. Reasonable parameters for secondary hot working included temperatures above 1100 °C but below 1200 °C with a strain rate of less than 1 s−1 at 80% strain. Suitable hot working parameters at 50% strain were 1150–1200 °C/≤1 s−1 and 1000–1200 °C/≤0.05 s−1.