bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Torsional Behavior of High‐Strength Concrete Beams with Minimum Reinforcement Ratio
Authors: Joh Changbin , Kwahk Imjong , Lee Jungwoo , Yang In-Hwan , Kim Byung-Suk
Published: January 2019

Although there is a growing trend to use higher strength for concrete and steel in reinforced concrete structures due to the lightness and slenderness of these members together with the simplified arrangement of their reinforcement, there is still the necessity to inspect the reduction of ductility resulting from the gain in strength. Taking into account that this also concerns the design for torsion, this study intends to investigate the regulations related to the torsional minimum reinforcement ratio in view of the minimum ductility requirement with focus on Eurocode 2. To that goal, the relation between the torsional cracking moment and the ductile behavior is discussed for the beam reinforced with the minimum torsional reinforcement ratio to examine the eventual properness of the minimum torsional reinforcement ratio recommended by Eurocode 2. Moreover, a pure torsion test is performed on 18 beams made of 80 MPa concrete reinforced by high‐strength bars with rectangular section and various test variables involving the minimum torsional reinforcement ratio, the transverse‐to‐longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and the total reinforcement ratio. As a result, for the high‐strength concrete beams, the minimum torsional reinforcement ratio recommended by Eurocode 2 was insufficient to prevent the sudden loss of strength after the initiation of the torsional cracking. But with regard to the compatibility torsion of statically indeterminate structure, the adoption of the minimum torsional reinforcement ratio recommended by Eurocode 2 might secure enough deformability under displacement‐controlled mode to allow the redistribution of the torsional moment.
Modeling an Aquifer: Numerical Solution to the Groundwater Flow Equation
Authors: Vázquez-Báez V. , Rubio-Arellano A. , García-Toral D. , Mora I. Rodríguez
Published: January 2019

We present a model of groundwater dynamics under stationary flow and, governed by Darcy’s law of water motion through porous media, we apply it to study a 2D aquifer with water table of constant slope comprised of a homogeneous and isotropic media; the more realistic case of an homogeneous anisotropic soil is also considered. Taking into account some geophysical parameters we develop a computational routine, in the Finite Difference Method, which solves the resulting elliptic partial equation, both in a homogeneous isotropic and in a homogeneous anisotropic media. After calibration of the numerical model, this routine is used to begin a study of the Ayamonte‐Huelva aquifer in Spain, a modest analysis of the system is given, and we compute the average discharge vector as well as its root mean square as a first predictive approximation of the flux in this system, providing us a signal of the location of best exploitation; long term goal is to develop a complete computational tool for the analysis of groundwater dynamics.
Molecular Docking and Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) Studies of Some Newly Synthesized Poly (Azomethine) Esters
Authors: Gul Asghari , Akhter Zareen , Perveen Fouzia , Kalsoom Saima , Ansari Farzana L. , Siddiq Muhammad
Published: January 2019

Molecular docking procedure is well known for the investigation of small molecules; however, for macromolecules, it has attained limited success so far. Thus, in an attempt, a series of poly (azomethine) esters was synthesized in a laboratory, and their model oligomer units were studied by computer-aided computational MOE software package to investigate, specifically, binding modes that could influence their anticancer activities. Poly (azomethine) ester (PAME) was prepared by solution phase polycondensation of a preformed Schiff base (SB) 4-((4-(4-(4-hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenoxy)phenylimino)methyl) phenol with terephthaloyl chloride (TC). Terpolymers (PAMEF, PAMEB, PAMESi, PAMEPr, and PAMEH) were synthesized by the incorporation of various moieties along with TC and SB in the main chain. Structural elucidation was carried out by spectroscopic studies and elemental analysis. Docking procedure, adopted to investigate anticancer activity, showed that material was docked in the same pocket of active site as by anticancer protein complex (PDB code: 1T69). Molecular docking along with the quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) investigations showed groove binding as a preferred mode between the material and double-stranded DNA (PDB ID-1BNA). Binding strength indicated worthy correlation with various physicochemical parameters of the material like hydrophobic surface area (Vsurf),EHOMO,ELUMO,log P, and molar refractivity (MR). Calculated values for the formation constant (Kf) showed good binding strength for polymer-DNA complex. Consequently, the synthesized material is expected to exhibit anticancer activities and could be studied further as anticancer drugs.
A Simultaneous Inversion Problem for the Variable‐Order Time Fractional Differential Equation with Variable Coefficient
Authors: Wang Shengnan , Wang Zhendong , Li Gongsheng , Wang Yingmei
Published: January 2019

This paper deals with an inverse problem of simultaneously determining the space‐dependent diffusion coefficient and the fractional order in the variable‐order time fractional diffusion equation by the measurements at one interior point. Numerical solution to the forward problem is given by the finite difference scheme, and the homotopy regularization algorithm is applied to solve the inverse problem utilizing Legendre polynomials as the basis functions of the approximate space. The inversion solutions with noisy data which give good approximations to the exact solution demonstrate effectiveness of the inversion algorithm for the simultaneous inversion problem.
A Method for the Direct Absolute Measurement of J/ψ Decay with ψ(3686) Data Set
Authors: Yan Fang , Zheng Bo
Published: January 2019

To take the full advantage of the ψ(3686) data set collected at e+e- collider at τ-charm energy region, a tag method is developed to directly measure the J/ψ meson decay branching fractions absolutely. The J/ψ meson decay can be measured with the J/ψ sample tagged by the two soft charged pions from the decay ψ(3686)→J/ψπ+π-. This method is illustrated by comparing the input and output branching fractions of J/ψ→γη with 106 million inclusive ψ(3686) Monte Carlo samples. The consistent result confirms the validity of the tag method.
Recent Progress of Anomaly Detection
Authors: Xu Xiaodan , Liu Huawen , Yao Minghai
Published: January 2019

Anomaly analysis is of great interest to diverse fields, including data mining and machine learning, and plays a critical role in a wide range of applications, such as medical health, credit card fraud, and intrusion detection. Recently, a significant number of anomaly detection methods with a variety of types have been witnessed. This paper intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing work on anomaly detection, especially for the data with high dimensionalities and mixed types, where identifying anomalous patterns or behaviours is a nontrivial work. Specifically, we first present recent advances in anomaly detection, discussing the pros and cons of the detection methods. Then we conduct extensive experiments on public datasets to evaluate several typical and popular anomaly detection methods. The purpose of this paper is to offer a better understanding of the state‐of‐the‐art techniques of anomaly detection for practitioners. Finally, we conclude by providing some directions for future research.
Fusion of Motif- and Spectrum-Related Features for Improved EEG-Based Emotion Recognition
Authors: Tiwari Abhishek , Falk Tiago H.
Published: January 2019

Emotion recognition is a burgeoning field allowing for more natural human-machine interactions and interfaces. Electroencephalography (EEG) has shown to be a useful modality with which user emotional states can be measured and monitored, particularly primitives such as valence and arousal. In this paper, we propose the use of ordinal pattern analysis, also called motifs, for improved EEG-based emotion recognition. Motifs capture recurring structures in time series and are inherently robust to noise, thus are well suited for the task at hand. Several connectivity, asymmetry, and graph-theoretic features are proposed and extracted from the motifs to be used for affective state recognition. Experiments with a widely used public database are conducted, and results show the proposed features outperforming benchmark spectrum-based features, as well as other more recent nonmotif-based graph-theoretic features and amplitude modulation-based connectivity/asymmetry measures. Feature and score-level fusion suggest complementarity between the proposed and benchmark spectrum-based measures. When combined, the fused models can provide up to 9% improvement relative to benchmark features alone and up to 16% to nonmotif-based graph-theoretic features.
Fast Attitude Maneuver of a Flexible Spacecraft with Passive Vibration Control Using Shunted Piezoelectric Transducers
Authors: Albassam Bassam A.
Published: January 2019

This paper is concerned with designing a bang-bang control input to perform a quick rotational maneuver of a rigid spacecraft hub connected with flexible appendages. The control design is based on only the rigid body mode making it very simple to design and at the same time achieve the quickest maneuver possible. The induced vibrations are suppressed using piezoelectric transducers bonded to the appendages and connected to an electric circuit with the objective of converting the vibrational energy to electrical energy and then dissipating it using passive electric elements, such as a resistance and an inductor. The proposed control design method is applied to a spacecraft containing a rigid hub and flexible appendages. The attitude control torque is produced using either the reaction wheels contained inside the rigid hub or jet thrusters mounted outside it. The control design process starts with deriving the nonlinear partial differential equations of motion for the spacecraft using Hamilton’s principle which accounts for the electromechanical coupling and the presence of resistive or resistive-inductive circuits. To simplify the analysis, the nonlinear ordinary differential equations of motion are then obtained using the assumed mode method. The effectiveness of the control design method is numerically tested on a spacecraft that is required to perform a quick attitude maneuver and, simultaneously, suppress the induced vibrations. The simulations show a quick and accurate maneuver has been achieved combined with very low levels of vibrations resulting from the reduced coupling between flexible and rigid motions as well as the damping added as a result of the passive shunt circuit. Furthermore, the resistance-inductance shunt circuit is shown to be more effective in damping the vibrations than the resistance shunt circuit.
Electrochemical Performance of Ti-Based Commercial Biomaterials
Authors: Porcayo-Palafox E. , Carrera-Chavez S. I. , Casolco S. R. , Porcayo-Calderon J. , Salinas-Bravo V. M.
Published: January 2019

In order to determine the electrochemical behavior against the corrosion of different commercial biomaterials, in this study the results of the evaluation of different titanium implants are reported. The commercial implants evaluated were purchased randomly with different suppliers. The different biomaterials were subjected to studies of potentiodynamic polarization curves, open circuit potential measurements, linear polarization resistance measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements in a 0.9% NaCl solution. The results showed that the chemical composition of the biomaterials corresponds to commercially pure Ti or to the alloy Ti6Al4V. In addition, although all the biomaterials showed a high resistance to corrosion, notable differences were observed in their performance. These differences were associated with the thermomechanical processes during the manufacture of the biomaterial, which affected its microstructure.
A Novel Neighborhood-Based Computational Model for Potential MiRNA-Disease Association Prediction
Authors: Liu Yang , Li Xueyong , Feng Xiang , Wang Lei
Published: January 2019

In recent years, more and more studies have shown that miRNAs can affect a variety of biological processes. It is important for disease prevention, treatment, diagnosis, and prognosis to study the relationships between human diseases and miRNAs. However, traditional experimental methods are time-consuming and labour-intensive. Hence, in this paper, a novel neighborhood-based computational model called NBMDA is proposed for predicting potential miRNA-disease associations. Due to the fact that known miRNA-disease associations are very rare and many diseases (or miRNAs) are associated with only one or a few miRNAs (or diseases), in NBMDA, the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) method is utilized as a recommendation algorithm based on known miRNA-disease associations, miRNA functional similarity, disease semantic similarity, and Gaussian interaction profile kernel similarity for miRNAs and diseases to improve its prediction accuracy. And simulation results demonstrate that NBMDA can effectively infer miRNA-disease associations with higher accuracy compared with previous state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, independent case studies of esophageal neoplasms, breast neoplasms and colon neoplasms are further implemented, and as a result, there are 47, 48, and 48 out of the top 50 predicted miRNAs having been successfully confirmed by the previously published literatures, which also indicates that NBMDA can be utilized as a powerful tool to study the relationships between miRNAs and diseases.
Improving Functional Properties of Cassava Starch-Based Films by Incorporating Xanthan, Gellan, or Pullulan Gums
Authors: Sapper Mayra , Talens Pau , Chiralt Amparo
Published: January 2019

The effect of the partial substitution of cassava starch in edible films for 10 and 20 wt% of gellan, xanthan, or pullulan gums was analysed in films obtained by casting. The tensile properties, barrier capacity to water vapour, and oxygen and water sorption isotherms of the samples were analysed. The blend of starch with gellan gum was effective to reduce the moisture sorption capacity of starch films while reducing water vapour permeability, enhancing the film strength and resistance to break and preserving films against starch retrogradation throughout the storage time. Xanthan gum improved the tensile behaviour of the starch films, but did not reduce their water sorption capacity and water vapour permeability. Pullulan did not notably improve the functional properties of the starch films. Gellan gum at 10 and 20 wt% in the blend could be used to obtain starch films with more adequate properties for food packaging purposes.
Experiences of Transforming a Complex Nephrologic Care and Research Database into i2b2 Using the IDRT Tools
Authors: Maier Christian , Christoph Jan , Schmidt Danilo , Ganslandt Thomas , Prokosch H. U. , Kraus Stefan , Sedlmayr Martin
Published: January 2019

The secondary use of data from electronic medical records has become an important factor to determine and to identify various causes of disease. For this reason, applications like informatics for integrating biology and the bedside (i2b2) offer a GUI-based front end to select patient cohorts. To make use of those tools, however, clinical data need to be extracted from the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and integrated into the data schema of i2b2. We used TBase, a documentation system for nephrologic transplantations, as a source system and applied the Integrated Data Repository Toolkit (IDRT) for the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) process to load the data into i2b2. Since i2b2 uses an entity-attribute-value (EAV) schema, which is a fundamentally different way of modeling data in comparison to a standard relational schema in TBase, we evaluated if (a) the data relationship of the source system entities can still be represented in the i2b2 schema and if (b) the IDRT is a suitable solution for loading the data of a comprehensive data schema like TBase into i2b2. For that reason, we identified entities in the TBase data schema which were relevant for answering questions on cohort identification. By doing so, we found out that the entities had different structures that needed to be handled differently for the ETL process. Furthermore, the use of IDRT revealed shortcomings with regard to large input data and specific data structures that are part of most modern EHR systems. However, this project also showed that our way of modeling the TBase data in i2b2 has been proven to be successful in terms of answering the most common questions of clinicians on cohort identification.
Combined Diagnostic Efficacy of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), and Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) as Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation in the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Stojkovic Lalosevic Milica , Pavlovic Markovic Aleksandra , Stankovic Sanja , Stojkovic Mirjana , Dimitrijevic Ivan , Radoman Vujacic Irena , Lalic Daria , Milovanovic Tamara , Dumic Igor , Krivokapic Zoran
Published: January 2019

Background. Systemic inflammation in colorectal cancer (CRC) may be reflected by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV). This study was designed to investigate the efficiency of preoperative NLR, PLR, and MVP as a tool for the assessment of tumor characteristics in newly diagnosed patients with CRC. Patients and Methods. For 300 patients and 300 healthy volunteers, complete blood counts with automated differential counts were performed. The NLR was calculated by dividing the absolute neutrophil count by the absolute lymphocyte count; PLR was calculated by dividing the absolute platelet count by the absolute lymphocyte count. The diagnostic performance of NLR, PLR, and MVP was estimated by ROC curve. Results. ROC curve analysis showed high diagnostic efficacy of NLR and PLR in CRC patients with cut-off values of 2.15 (AUC=0.790, 95% CI 0.736-0.884, Se=74.1%, and Sp=73%) and 123 (AUC=0.846, 95% CI 0.801-0.891, Se=73.5%, and Sp=80%) compared to healthy controls, respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of three combined markers was superior compared with individual markers (AUC=0.904, 95% CI 0.812-0.989, Se=96%, and Sp=70%). Conclusion. NRL, PLR, and MPV may be useful markers in diagnostic and early recognition of different stages of CRC; additionally combined all together have stronger diagnostic efficacy.
Behavior of PMMA Denture Base Materials Containing Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: A Literature Review
Authors: Gad Mohammed M. , Abualsaud Reem
Published: January 2019

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NP) have gained interest in the dental field because of their multiple uses in addition to their antimicrobial effect. One of the applications in dentistry involves the incorporation into poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin. However, there is a lack of evidence on their effects on the behavior of the resulting nanocomposite. Therefore, the present review aims to screen literatures for data related to PMMA/TiO2nanocomposite to figure out the properties of TiO2nanoparticles, methods of addition, interaction with PMMA resin matrix, and finally the addition effects on the properties of introduced nanocomposite and evidence on its clinical performance. Regardless of the latest research progress of PMMA/TiO2nanocomposite, the questionable properties of final nanocomposite and the lack of long-term clinical evidence addressing their performance restrict their wide clinical use. A conclusive connection between nanoparticle size or addition method and nanocomposite properties could not be established.
Omnidirectional 3D Point Clouds Using Dual Kinect Sensors
Authors: Yun Seokmin , Choi Jaewon , Won Chee Sun
Published: January 2019

This paper proposes a registration method for two sets of point clouds obtained from dual Kinect V2 sensors, which are facing each other to capture omnidirectional 3D data of the objects located in between the two sensors. Our approach aims at achieving a handy registration without the calibration-assisting devices such as the checker board. Therefore, it is suitable in portable camera setting environments with frequent relocations. The basic idea of the proposed registration method is to exploit the skeleton information of the human body provided by the two Kinect V2 sensors. That is, a set of correspondence pairs in skeleton joints of human body detected by Kinect V2 sensors is used to determine the calibration matrices, then Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm is adopted for finely tuning the calibration parameters. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by constructing 3D point clouds for human bodies and by making geometric measurements for cylindrical testing objects.
Effects of Opened and Closed Spillway Operations of a Large Tropical Hydroelectric Dam on the Water Quality of the Downstream River
Authors: Wera Fiona-Annilow , Ling Teck-Yee , Nyanti Lee , Sim Siong-Fong , Grinang Jongkar
Published: January 2019

Water quality downstream of a hydroelectric dam is potentially affected by dam operations and other land uses in the river basin. Previous short-distance studies below the large Bakun Dam indicated poorer water quality during closed spillway. However, the extent of the impact is still unknown. Such knowledge is essential for mitigating the impact of the dam. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the water quality up to a distance of 210 km under two spillway operations, namely, closed and opened spillways, and also to determine the changes in water quality from the predam condition. Physicochemical parameters were measured at 15 stations along the Rajang River. Results of this preliminary study indicated that there were significant differences in eight out of nine water quality parameters between opened and closed spillway operations with opened spillway showing better water quality. During closed spillway, as we approached the dam, there was an increasing acidity and a decreasing oxygen content. Furthermore, as the water flows downstream, the unhealthy DO level (<5 mg/L) extended up to 165 km and the linear model showed an increasing DO rate of 0.09 mg/L per km. With opened spillway, DO decreased exponentially from 9.74 mg/L towards the downstream direction to 7.67 mg/L. The increasing turbidity and TSS in the downstream direction indicate contributions from erosion due to other land uses. The river is polluted with organics as indicated by COD of Class IV or V with sources from the dam and the activities in the river basin. Compared to the predam condition, the regulated river is less turbid but warmer and higher in ammonia. Closed spillway led to lower DO and acidic water. However, opened spillway water pH and DO were similar to those in the predam condition. Thus, it is recommended that DO be consistently high enough for the health of sensitive aquatic organisms downstream.
Effects of Laser Acupuncture on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness of the Biceps Brachii Muscle: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Chang Wen-Dien , Wu Jih-Huah , Chang Nai-Jen , Lee Chia-Lun , Chen Shuya
Published: January 2019

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of laser acupuncture on improvement of recovery and muscle performance in delayed muscle soreness (DOMS) when applied before exercise. Methods. This randomized, blinded, and controlled study included healthy participants (n = 40) who were randomized into laser acupuncture and placebo groups. Laser acupuncture was applied to the Tianquan (PC2) and Chihtseh acupoints (LU5) at a dose of 36 J and energy density of 9.7 J/cm2 before inducing DOMS. The placebo group received sham laser acupuncture with no laser output. Visual analog scale (VAS), proprioception, pressure pain threshold (PPT), arm circumference, and muscle strength were observed at the baseline and 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after induction of DOMS. Results. Significant changes in the VAS (F4,  43.96 = 31.47; p = 0.001), PPT (F4,  1.35 = 35.07; p = 0.001), normalized arm circumference (F4,  0.001 = 3.87; p = 0.005), and normalized muscle strength (F4,  0.31 = 24.99; p = 0.001) were observed within the groups over time (p < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). Normalized arm circumference was significantly different between the two groups at 48 and 72 h after induction of DOMS (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Photobiomodulation therapy on Tianquan (PC2) and Chihtseh acupoints (LU5) before the exercise did not significantly decrease DOMS and increase muscle performance. Laser acupuncture as a supplemental therapy seemed to have no effect on DOMS prevention.
Cold Physical Plasma Modulates p53 and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling in Keratinocytes
Authors: Schmidt Anke , Bekeschus Sander , Jarick Katja , Hasse Sybille , von Woedtke Thomas , Wende Kristian
Published: January 2019

Small reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) driven signaling plays a significant role in wound healing processes by controlling cell functionality and wound phase transitions. The application of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP), a partially ionized gas expelling a variety of ROS and RNS, was shown to be effective in chronic wound management and contrastingly also in malignant diseases. The underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood but redox signaling events are involved. As a central player, the cellular tumor antigen p53 governs regulatory networks controlling proliferation, death, or metabolism, all of which are grossly modulated by anti- and prooxidant signals. Using a human skin cell model, a transient phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of p53, preceded by the phosphorylation of upstream serine- (ATM) and serine/threonine-protein kinase (ATR), was detected after CAP treatment. Results indicate that ATM acts as a direct redox sensor without relevant contribution of phosphorylation of the histone A2X, a marker of DNA damage. Downstream events are the activation of checkpoint kinases Chk1/2 and several mitogen-activated (MAP) kinases. Subsequently, the expression of MAP kinase signaling effectors (e.g., heat shock protein Hsp27), epithelium derived growth factors, and cytokines (Interleukins 6 + 8) was increased. A number of p53 downstream effectors pointed at a decrease of cell growth due to DNA repair processes. In summary, CAP treatment led to an activation of cell repair and defense mechanisms including a modulation of paracrine inflammatory signals emphasizing the role of prooxidant species in CAP-related cell signaling.
Visuoperceptual Impairment in Children with NF1: From Early Visual Processing to Procedural Strategies
Authors: Bulgheroni Sara , Taddei Matilde , Saletti Veronica , Esposito Silvia , Micheli Roberto , Riva Daria
Published: January 2019

Visual-spatial impairment has long been considered a hallmark feature of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). No study investigating the cognitive and neuropsychological profile of NF1 used the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) task as the primary measure of visual-perceptual abilities taking into consideration all functions involved including the strategic processing style. We compared 18 children with NF1, 17 siblings (S), and 18 typically developing children (TD) at intelligence scale and RCFT copy, recall, and recognition trials; we also evaluated the copy strategy as a measure of a visual-processing style. Children with NF1 had normal total IQ, with cognitive weaknesses in the perceptual organization and working memory in line with the existing literature. At the RCFT copy, immediate and delay recall scores are significantly lower in NF1 than S and TD, while recognition is in the normal range in all groups. Copy style was poor and less efficient in children with NF1 and correlated to copy and recall ability, but the effect of the group in the RCFT copy and recall remained significantly controlling for strategic approach. The present study confirms visuospatial impairment in children with NF1, due to a deficit in perceptual analysis of shape and their spatial features, in visuomotor integration efficiency and strategies, in recall memory, while recognition memory is preserved. A more configural/holistic style may facilitate both the visual-perceptual and visuomotor ability and the recall process. Visuoperceptual impairment in NF1 seems to be a unified process from early visual processing to higher order functions (planning, strategy, and executive functioning).
Comparative AAV-eGFP Transgene Expression Using Vector Serotypes 1–9, 7m8, and 8b in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, RPEs, and Human and Rat Cortical Neurons
Authors: Duong Thu T. , Lim James , Vasireddy Vidyullatha , Papp Tyler , Nguyen Hung , Leo Lanfranco , Pan Jieyan , Zhou Shangzhen , Chen H. Isaac , Bennett Jean , Mills Jason A.
Published: January 2019

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV), produced from a nonpathogenic parvovirus, has become an increasing popular vector for gene therapy applications in human clinical trials. However, transduction and transgene expression of rAAVs can differ acrossin vitroand ex vivo cellular transduction strategies. This study compared 11 rAAV serotypes, carrying one reporter transgene cassette containing a cytomegalovirus immediate-early enhancer (eCMV) and chicken beta actin (CBA) promoter driving the expression of an enhanced green-fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene, which was transduced into four different cell types: human iPSC, iPSC-derived RPE, iPSC-derived cortical, and dissociated embryonic day 18 rat cortical neurons. Each cell type was exposed to three multiplicity of infections (MOI: 1E4, 1E5, and 1E6 vg/cell). After 24, 48, 72, and 96 h posttransduction, GFP-expressing cells were examined and compared across dosage, time, and cell type. Retinal pigmented epithelium showed highest AAV-eGFP expression and iPSC cortical the lowest. At an MOI of 1E6 vg/cell, all serotypes show measurable levels of AAV-eGFP expression; moreover, AAV7m8 and AAV6 perform best across MOI and cell type. We conclude that serotype tropism is not only capsid dependent but also cell type plays a significant role in transgene expression dynamics.
Electroacupuncture for Women with Chronic Severe Functional Constipation: Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Zhou Jing , Liu Yan , Zhou Kehua , Liu Baoyan , Su Tongsheng , Wang Weiming , Liu Zhishun
Published: January 2019

Background. Acupuncture has been found to be effective for treating chronic constipation. Objective. The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in the subgroup of women with chronic severe functional constipation. Methods. This is a subgroup analysis of the multicenter, randomized, sham-acupuncture (SA) controlled trial. The efficacy of 822 (76%) female patients of the 1075 randomized patients with chronic severe functional constipation was evaluated. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 28 sessions of EA or SA over 8 weeks with 12 weeks’ follow-up. This study focused on sustained complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) responders over the 8-week treatment. Results. The primary outcome which was percentage of the sustained CSBMs responders for the subset of women with severe constipation was significantly higher in the EA group (24.3%) than in the SA group (8.1%) with difference of 13.1% (95%CI, 6.5% to 19.7%; P<0.001). As for the secondary outcomes, responders for ≥9 of 12 weeks of follow-up were higher in the EA group than in the SA group. Additionally, EA had significantly better improvement in mean weekly CSBMs, mean weekly spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs), and mean score changes of stool consistency and straining as well as quality of life of patients. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) related to acupuncture was rare and no statistical significance was found between two groups. Conclusion. EA improved the spontaneity and the completeness of the bowel movement of women with severe functional constipation during 8-week treatment and the effect sustained for 12 weeks after stopping treatment.
Terminalia tomentosa Bark Ameliorates Inflammation and Arthritis in Carrageenan Induced Inflammatory Model and Freund’s Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis Model in Rats
Authors: Jitta Srinivasa Reddy , Daram Prasanthi , Gourishetti Karthik , Misra C. S. , Polu Picheswara Rao , Shah Abhishek , Shreedhara C. S. , Nampoothiri Madhavan , Lobo Richard
Published: January 2019

Terminalia tomentosa bark belongs to the family Combretaceae. The plant bark is astringent and useful in the treatment of ulcers, vata, fractures, hemorrhages, bronchitis, and diarrhea. Phytochemical investigation of T. tomentosa bark confirms the presence of flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins. The plant has not been investigated for its anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity. The present study was undertaken to explore its possible anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity. Anti-inflammatory activity of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of the bark was assessed by in vivo methods. In vivo antiarthritic potential of the extracts was evaluated by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis in Wistar rats. Our findings showed that the alcoholic and aqueous extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory activity at 500 mg/kg oral dose in carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and carrageenan-induced air pouch inflammation models. We also found alcoholic as well as aqueous extracts of the bark restored the altered blood and serum parameters caused by the Complete Freund’s Adjuvant-induced arthritis in Wistar rats. This study shows that the T. tomentosa bark extracts possess anti-inflammatory activity and have pronounced effects on adjuvant arthritis also. Future studies are necessary to provide deeper insight into the exact mechanism of the action of anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity of T. tomentosa.
Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Bioactive Compounds on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Li Rongzi , Zhang Yuxian , Rasool Suhail , Geetha Thangiah , Babu Jeganathan Ramesh
Published: January 2019

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complicated metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder characterized by a chronic loss of cognitive and behavioral function. Considering the shared characteristics of both diseases, common therapeutic and preventive agents may be effective. Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, vitamins, and carotenoids found in vegetables and fruits can have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These effects make them suitable candidates for the prevention or treatment of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Increasing evidence from cell or animal models suggest that bioactive compounds may have direct effects on decreasing hyperglycemia, enhancing insulin secretion, and preventing formation of amyloid plaques. The possible underlying molecular mechanisms are described in this review. More studies are needed to establish the clinical effects of bioactive compounds.
Application of Compressive Sensing in Solving Monostatic Scattering Problems
Authors: Chai Shui-Rong , Guo Li-Xin , Li Long
Published: January 2019

In this paper, a new CS-FMM method that conjugates compressive sensing (CS) with the fast multipole method (FMM) is proposed and validated to efficiently solve monostatic scattering from an arbitrary conducting target. The far zone scattered fields are viewed as the signal of interest. CS is introduced to reduce the number of computations. A new set of incident sources has been generated according to CS. By solving the matrix equations under the new set of incident sources and calculating the related far zone scattered fields, the measurements of the aforementioned signal can be derived. Then, the CS inversion is employed to reconstruct the desired monostatic far zone scattered fields by finding the smallest possible ℓ1 norm solution. Monostatic radar cross section (RCS) from several conducting targets is studied by CS-FMM and by the traditional FMM. And the results are compared with each other to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.
Study on the Pressure Characteristics of Shock Wave Propagating across Multilayer Structures during Underwater Explosion
Authors: Meng Zi-Fei , Cao Xue-Yan , Ming Fu-Ren , Zhang A-Man , Wang Bin
Published: January 2019

The propagation of the shock wave across multilayer structures during underwater explosion is a very complex physical phenomenon, involving violent fluid‐structure interaction (FSI) problems. In this paper, the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method in AUTODYN is used to simulate the process of shock wave propagation and solve FSI problems. Firstly, the governing equation and the treatment of fluid and structure interface of the CEL method are briefly reviewed. Afterwards, two underwater explosion numerical models are established, and the results are compared with the empirical formula and experimental data, respectively, to verify the reliability of numerical solutions. The results obtained by this method show good agreements with those of the empirical formula and experiment. Furthermore, the model of the multilayer structures composed of two hemispherical shells and the fluid filled between the shells subjected to underwater explosion is established, and the pressure characteristics of the shock wave propagating across the multilayer structures are analyzed regarding the wave reflection and transmission. Finally, the effects of the shell thickness and the filled fluid type among the multilayer structures on the wave reflection and transmission are studied.
Clinical Usefulness of Bioavailable Vitamin D and Impact of GC Genotyping on the Determination of Bioavailable Vitamin D in a Korean Population
Authors: Kim Hyun-Young , Kim Jin Hyun , Jung Myeong Hee , Cho In Ae , Kim Youngjin , Cho Min-Chul
Published: January 2019

Background. Bioavailable 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) has been suggested for the accurate determination of vitamin D status. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of bioavailable 25(OH)D in assessing vitamin D status when vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) was significantly altered by pregnancy and liver cirrhosis (LC). The role of genotyping of GC, a gene encoding VDBP, in the determination of bioavailable 25(OH)D concentration in a Korean population was also evaluated. Methods. This prospective study enrolled a total of 136 subjects (53 healthy controls, 45 patients with LC, and 38 pregnant women) from 2017 to 2018. The concentrations of total 25(OH)D and VDBP were measured, and bioavailable 25(OH)D concentrations were calculated. GC genotyping was performed to determine rs4588 and rs7041 polymorphisms. Clinical and laboratory data were compared among the three groups of subjects. Results. Median VDBP and total 25(OH)D concentrations were 165.2 μg/ml and 18.5 ng/ml in healthy controls, 76.9 μg/ml and 10.5 ng/ml in patients with LC, and 368.9 μg/ml and 17.7 ng/ml in pregnant women, respectively. Compared with controls, patients diagnosed with LC had significantly lower VDBP and total 25(OH)D concentrations (all P<0.001) while pregnant women had significantly higher VDBP concentrations (P<0.001). Although total 25(OH)D concentrations in pregnant women were similar to those in controls (P=0.394), their bioavailable 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly lower (1.2 vs. 3.0 ng/ml; P<0.001). Among all the three groups combined, the genotype-specific bioavailable 25(OH)D and the genotype-independent bioavailable 25(OH)D concentrations did not differ significantly (P=0.299). Conclusions. Our study has demonstrated that bioavailable 25(OH)D concentration reflects vitamin D status more accurately than the total 25(OH)D concentration, especially in pregnant women. In addition, GC genotyping did not significantly affect bioavailable 25(OH)D concentration. Therefore, if VDBP concentration is significantly altered, the measurement of bioavailable 25(OH)D concentration might facilitate the accurate determination of vitamin D status. However, GC genotyping might be unnecessary.
Theoretical Investigation of the Structural, Spectroscopic, Electronic, and Pharmacological Properties of 4-Nerolidylcathecol, an Important Bioactive Molecule
Authors: Costa Renyer A. , Junior Earle Silva A. , Bezerra Jaqueline de A. , Mar Josiana Moreira , Lima Emerson S. , Pinheiro Maria Lucia B. , Mendonça Diego V. C. , Lopes Guilherme Braule P. , Branches Adjane Dalvana S. , Oliveira Kelson M. T.
Published: January 2019

4-Nerolidylcatechol (4NRC), a secondary metabolite described as a potent antioxidant that presents anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, analgesic, and cytotoxic properties, has been receiving prominence in the catechol class. In this work, a theoretical DFT study of the vibrational, structural, and quantum properties of 4-nerolidylcatechol (4NRC) using the B3LYP/6-311G (2d,p) level is presented. The theoretical molecular geometry data were compared with the X-ray data of a similar molecule in the associated literature and a conformational study is presented, with the aim of providing a good comprehension of the 4NRC structural arrangement and stability. Also, HOMO-LUMO energy gap and natural bond orbitals (NBOs) were performed and discussed. The calculated UV spectrum showed similarity to the experimentally obtained data, with transitions assigned. The comparative IR studies revealed that intermolecular hydrogen bonds that stabilize dimeric forms are plausible and also allowed the assignment of several characteristic vibrations. Molecular docking calculations with DNA topoisomerase I-DNA complex (TOPO-I), glyceraldehyde 3-phospate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), andPlasmodium falciparumlactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH) showed binding free energies of −6.3, −6.5, and −7.6 kcal/mol, respectively, which indicates that 4NRC is a good competitive inhibitor for these enzymes.
Energy Consumption Analysis of Frozen Sandy Soil and an Improved Double Yield Surface Elastoplastic Model considering the Particle Breakage
Authors: He Junlin , Zhu Zhanyuan , Luo Fei , Zhang Yuanze , Zou Zuyin
Published: January 2019

The stress‐strain relationship of frozen soil is a hot research topic in the field of frozen soil mechanics. In order to study the effect of particle crushing on the stress‐strain relationship, a series of triaxial compression tests for frozen sandy soil are performed under confining pressures from 1 to 8 MPa at the temperatures of −3 and −5°C, and the energy consumption caused by particle breakage is analyzed during the triaxial shear process based on the energy principle. It is found that the energy consumption caused by the particle breakage presents a hyperbolic trend with axial strain. In view of the obvious advantages of the double yield surface elastoplastic model in describing soil dilatancy, stress path effect, and stress history influence, a modified double yield surface elastoplastic model for frozen sandy soil is proposed based on the energy principle. The validity of the model is verified by comparing its modeling results with test results. As a result, it is found that the stress‐strain curves predicted by this model agree well with the corresponding experimental results under different confining pressures and temperatures.
Development of a Web Application for Historical Building Management through BIM Technology
Authors: Rodrigues F. , Teixeira J. , Matos R. , Rodrigues H.
Published: January 2019

Nowadays the built heritage has been recognized as one of the main sectors that can support the economic and sustainable development of countries. In the last years, the built heritage has been subject to several levels of interventions, being now clear its need for a proper maintenance and conservation management. However, in several cases, the maintenance faces lack of building records, which makes the maintenance a harsh, long, and expensive process. Therefore, there is an opportunity and need to apply new technologies, like Building Information Modelling (BIM), as supporting tool to the management of historical heritage. By so, the aim of this work was the development of a management system to be used as a supporting tool to the maintenance and conservation of the existent buildings, in historical context, facilitating to the interested parties the automated and digitized information needed to carry out the most varied tasks, with the particularity to be directly connected to the 3D‐BIM model of the building. But in order to test the developed system (its applicability and functionality), it was in an early phase, applied to a pilot project with the significant heritage value. This work follows a development methodology applied to the case study and had different phases: (1) the case study was modelled in Autodesk Revit software, in whose model was inserted all the parametric information and associated metadata; (2) then, a support database of the management system was developed in Microsoft SQL Server, which will support all the information exported from the BIM model; (3) a web application was developed in C# through Visual Studio 2015, which works through and application programming interface (API) allowing the communication between the web application and the BIM model, allowing not only the interaction with the parametric information of this one, but also, a persistent access to a data management system (drawings, inspection reports, specifications, etc.) that has been created. The development of the management system and its application to the case study allows us to show its potential as a tool for the historical heritage management, contributing to its permanent and constantly updated management and cross off the fragmentation and loss of information therefore reducing the consequent investment in data collection.
Circulating Tumor DNA in Advanced Anal Cancer: A Blood Biomarker Goes Viral
Authors: Morris Van K.
Published: January 2019

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a blood-based biomarker for mutation detection is an exciting, highly sensitive approach in the clinical management of oncology patients. In human papillomavirus–associated malignancies like anal cancer, a viral-specific probe can be utilized for ctDNA detection in the majority of patients to predict clinical outcomes.

See related article by Bernard-Tessier et al., p. 2109