bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TÜMCEYE KATTIĞI ANLAM BAĞLAMINDA İKİLEMELER
Authors: COŞKUN Cevdet , AYDOĞAN Damla
Published: August 2020

Türkçenin ses ve söyleyiş uyumuna katkılar sağlayan en önemli dil ögelerinden biri de ikilemelerdir. İkilemeler, Türkçenin en eski dönemlerinden bu yana kullanılagelen söz öbekleridir. İkilemeler, Türk Dilinde oldukça fazladır. Bundan dolayıdır ki pek çok edebi eserde de bu söz öbekleri karşımıza sıkça çıkar. Edebiyatımızın önemli yazarlarından olan Yaşar Kemal’in “Üç Anadolu Efsanesi” adlı eserindeki “Köroğlu” öyküsünde de pek çok ikileme ile karşılaşılmaktadır. Köroğlu adlı öyküde ikilemelerin fazla kullanımı, yazarın dilini güçlendirmiş, akıcı ve anlaşılır bir anlatımın oluşmasına katkı sunmuştur. Bu çalışmada, Yaşar Kemal’in “Köroğlu” öyküsündeki ikilemelerin tümceye kattığı anlam ele alınmıştır. Tümcenin anlam kurgusu içerisinde, ikilemelerin tümceye ne gibi katkılarda bulunduğu örnekleriyle belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, Türkçe sözvarlığı içerisinde önemli bir yere sahip olan ikilemeleri Yaşar Kemal’in ne denli başarılı kullanıp kullanamadığı da ortaya konmuştur.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Toxocara apodemi (Nematoda: Ascarididae) from Striped Field Mice, Apodemus agrarius, in Korea
Authors: Kim Hyeon Cheol , Hong Eui Ju , Ryu Si Yun , Park Jinho , Cho Jeong Gon , Yu Do Hyeon , Chae Joon Seok , Choi Kyoung Seong , Park Bae Keun
Published: August 2020

Adult ascarid worms from the field mice, Apodemus agrarius, were observed with a light and scanning electron microscope, and molecularly analized with 18S rRNA gene. In the scanning electron microscope, 3 prominent labia were present in the anterior end of male and female worms, but the interlabia and gubernaculum were absent. Scanning electron micrographs showed cervical alae as vestigial organs that looked like a slightly uplifted superficial sewing stitch. Total 6 pairs of post-cloacal papillae were observed on the tail of the male worms. The tail of female worms was blunt and conical shape with a spine-like structure, mucron. The eggs were sub-globular, coated with the albuminous layer and 73 by 82 μm in average size. The superficial pits of T. apodemi egg (mean 8.6×6.7 μm) are obviously bigger than those of Toxocara spp. The partial sequence of 18S rRNA showed the sequence homology of Toxocara canis (99.6%), Toxocara cati (99.4%), Toxascaris leonina (99.4%), and Toxocara vitulorum (99.2%). Conclusively, it was confirmed that ascarid nematodes, Toxocara apodemi, recovered from striped field mice in Korea are taxonomically conspecific relationship with genus Toxocara and genetic divergence from other Toxocara species.
Echinostoma mekongi n. sp. (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) from Riparian People along the Mekong River in Cambodia
Authors: Cho Jaeeun , Jung Bong-Kwang , Chang Taehee , Sohn Woon-Mok , Sinuon Muth , Chai Jong-Yil
Published: August 2020

Echinostoma mekongi n. sp. (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) is described based on adult flukes collected from humans residing along the Mekong River in Cambodia. Total 256 flukes were collected from the diarrheic stool of 6 echinostome egg positive villagers in Kratie and Takeo Province after praziquantel treatment and purging. Adults of the new species were 9.0-13.1 (av. 11.3) mm in length and 1.3-2.5 (1.9) mm in maximum width and characterized by having a head collar armed with 37 collar spines (dorsal spines arranged in 2 alternative rows), including 5 end group spines. The eggs in feces and worm uterus were 98-132 (117) μm long and 62-90 (75) μm wide. These morphological features closely resembled those of Echinostoma revolutum, E. miyagawai, and several other 37-collar-spined Echinostoma species. However, sequencing of the nuclear ITS (ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2) and 2 mitochondrial genes, cox1 and </>nad1, revealed unique features distinct from E. revolutum and also from other 37-collar-spined Echinostoma group available in GenBank (E. bolschewense, E. caproni, E. cinetorchis, E. deserticum, E. miyagawai, E. nasincovae, E. novaezealandense, E. paraensei, E. paraulum, E. robustum, E. trivolvis, and Echinostoma sp. IG). Thus, we assigned our flukes as a new species, E. mekongi. The new species revealed marked variation in the morphology of testes (globular or lobulated), and smaller head collar, collar spines, oral and ventral suckers, and cirrus sac compared to E. revolutum and E. miyagawai. Epidemiological studies regarding the geographical distribution and its life history, including the source of human infections, remain to be performed.
Structure, Function, and Pharmacology of NMDA Receptor Channels
Authors: VYKLICKY V. , KORINEK M. , SMEJKALOVA T. , BALIK A. , KRAUSOVA B. , KANIAKOVA M. , LICHNEROVA K. , CERNY J. , KRUSEK J. , DITTERT I. , HORAK M. , VYKLICKY L.
Published: August 2020

NMDA receptors have received much attention over the last few decades, due to their role in many types of neural plasticity on the one hand, and their involvement in excitotoxicity on the other hand. There is great interest in developing clinically relevant NMDA receptor antagonists that would block excitotoxic NMDA receptor activation, without interfering with NMDA receptor function needed for normal synaptic transmission and plasticity. This review summarizes current understanding of the structure of NMDA receptors and the mechanisms of NMDA receptor activation and modulation, with special attention given to data describing the properties of various types of NMDA receptor inhibition. Our recent analyses point to certain neurosteroids as NMDA receptor inhibitors with desirable properties. Specifically, these compounds show use-dependent but voltage-independent block, that is predicted to preferentially target excessive tonic NMDA receptor activation. Importantly, neurosteroids are also characterized by use-independent unblock, compatible with minimal disruption of normal synaptic transmission. Thus, neurosteroids are a promising class of NMDA receptor modulators that may lead to the development of neuroprotective drugs with optimal therapeutic profiles.
Elevated tenascin-C serum levels in patients with axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Bubová K , Prajzlerová K , Hulejová H , Gregová M , Mintálová K , Hušáková M , Forejtová Š , Filková M , Tomčík M , Vencovský J , Pavelka K , Šenolt L
Published: August 2020

This study aimed to examine serum tenascin C (TNC) in different subsets of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients. Sixty-one patients fulfilling the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria for axSpA and 20 healthy subjects (HS) were included in study. Based on imaging, patients were classified as non-radiographic (n=16) and radiographic (n=45) axSpA. TNC serum levels were determined by ELISA. Disease-related factors including the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were determined. TNC levels were elevated in axSpA patients [535.3 (457.7–677.2) ng/ml] compared to HS [432.1 (329.1–565.9) ng/ml, p=0.007]. Dividing axSpA into radiographic and non-radiographic subsets, the difference in TNC was observed between the radiographic subset and HS [535.3 (434.5–677.2) vs. 432.1 (329.1–565.9) ng/ml, p=0.022]. TNC levels did not correlate with disease activity measures (serum CRP or BASDAI). Nevertheless, the weak correlation of TNC levels with different disease stages (r=0.25, p=0.025) was found, with the highest levels in patients with syndesmophytes. TNC levels are elevated across various subsets of axSpA, and although not related to systemic disease activity, TNC levels might reflect chronic structural spinal changes in axSpA patients. However, its specific role in bone metabolism should be elucidated in further studies.
Investigation of the properties and effects of salvia officinalis l. on the viability, steroidogenesis and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production in TM3 leydig cells in vitro
Authors: Jambor T , Arvay J , Ivanisova E , Tvrda E , Kovacik A , Greifova H , Lukac N
Published: August 2020

The aim of our study was to reveal the in vitro effects of Salvia officinalis L. (37.5, 75, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 600 µg/ml) extract on the TM3 Leydig cell viability, membrane integrity, steroidogenesis and reactive oxygen species production after 24 h and 48 h cultivation. For the present study, the extract prepared from Salvia officinalis L. leaves was analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for selected flavonoids and phenolic acids followed by a determination of its free radicals scavenging activity (DPPH). Furthermore, Leydig cell viability was assessed by the mitochondrial toxicity assay (MTT), while the membrane integrity was evaluated by 5- carboxyfluorescein diacetate-acetoxymethyl ester (5-CFDA-AM). The level of steroid hormones was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from the culture media, while the superoxide radical generation was measured by the nitroblue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) assay. The results show that experimental concentrations did not damage the cell membrane integrity and viability when present at below 300 µg/ml, it was only at 600 µg/ml that a significant (P<0.05) cell viability decline was observed after a 48 h cultivation. A significant (P<0.05) stimulation of testosterone secretion was recorded at 250 µg/ml for 24 h, while the prolonged cultivation time significantly (P<0.05) increased the testosterone and progesterone production at 150, 200, 250 and 300 µg/ml. Furthermore, none of the selected doses exhibited significant ROS-promoting effects however, the highest dose of Salvia initiated the free radical scavenging activity in cultured mice Leydig cells.
The effect of resorcinol on bovine spermatozoa parameters in vitro
Authors: Massányi M , Halo M , Strapáková L , Slanina T , Ivanič P , Strapáková E , Strapák P , Halo M , Greń A , Formicki G , Massányi P
Published: August 2020

The goal of this study was to observe the effect of resorcinol on motility, viability and morphology of bovine spermatozoa. The semen was used from six randomly chosen breeding bulls. Ejaculate was diluted by different solutions of resorcinol in 1:40 ratio. Samples were divided into 7 groups with different concentrations of resorcinol (Control, RES1 – 4 mg/ml, RES2 – 2 mg/ml, RES3 – 1 mg/ml, RES4 – 0.5 mg/ml, RES5 – 0.25 mg/ml and RES6 – 0.125 mg/ml). Motility of spermatozoa was detected using CASA method at temperature of 37 °C in time periods 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 hours from the start of the experiment. Significant motility differences between all groups except control and RES6 with difference of 5.58 %, as well as between RES1 and RES2 groups with difference of 2.17 % were found. Progressive motility had the same significant differences. Spermatozoa viability (MTT test) decreased compared to control in all experimental groups during the entire duration of experiment. Observing morphologically changed spermatozoa, no significant changes were observed and a higher percentage of spermatozoa with separated flagellum in all experimental resorcinol groups compared to control were detected. Also, increased number of spermatozoa with broken flagellum, acrosomal changes and other morphological forms in the group with the highest concentration of resorcinol (RES1) were found. Results of our study clearly show negative effects on motility parameters of spermatozoa which depend on concentration, cultivation temperature and time period.
SISTEM PAKAR BAWANG DAYAK SEBAGAI OBAT ALTERNATIF
Authors: Widians Joan Angelina , Puspitasari Novianti , Kurniawan Tri Basuki
Published: August 2020

The medicinal plants that have been developed especially in East Kalimantan is the dayak onion (Eleutherine palmifolia (L.) Merr). The Dayak onion herb has long been used by the Dayak tribe as an alternative medicine.  Information of  the possibility of people affected by the disease and how to process Dayak onion ingredients , an expert system needs to build that is able to diagnose the disease and how to process Dayak onion ingredients. The result of this research is an expert system with Certainty Factor that helps the general public in early diagnosis of  ten diseases and provides alternative treatment solutions and ways of Dayak onion as an alternative medicine.
A historical characterisation of American and Brazilian cultures based on lexical representations
Authors: Sardinha Tony Berber
Published: August 2020

The goal of this study is to detect the historical distribution of representations of the United States and Brazil formed around the use of the nationality adjectives American and Brazilian. To achieve this goal, the study used a pre-existing multi-dimensional analysis of representations based on bigrams from the half-a-trillion-word Google Books bigram dataset of English writing ( Berber Sardinha, 2019 ), which provided the major representations of both cultures. The method was based on the text type approach developed by Biber (1989) , which uses cluster analysis to identify the groupings of texts (in this case, the years in which the bigrams occurred) that share similar linguistic characteristics (here, mutual bigrams). The results showed nine major clusters for the US and eight for Brazil. The clusters were interpreted historically and ordered by time to outline the predominant representations of each country over the 200 years’ worth of data analysed.
Political Legitimacy and Worldwide Terrorist Attacks, 1970-2017
Authors: Schwarzenbach Anina , LaFree Gary
Published: August 2020

The classic work by Max Weber argued for the impact of political legitimacy on reducing conflict and violence within states. Based on Weber and more recent theorists we argue that governments whose legitimacy is undermined are more vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Using data on worldwide terrorist attacks from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) and measures of good governance from the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem), we find considerable (but not total) support for the impact of legitimacy on terrorist attacks. We perform fixed-effects negative binomial regressions of domestic terrorist attacks covering 131 countries from 1970-2017 to test the impact of four political legitimacy measures: accountability, efficiency, procedural and distributive fairness. Controlling for common economic, political and demographic measures, we find that from all legitimacy measures, accountability has the most robust influence: rates of domestic terrorist attacks are highest when governments are transitioning from highly unaccountable to highly accountable systems.
It Is Complicated: Learning and Teaching Is Not About “Learning Styles”
Authors: Lawrence Breanna C. , Ntelioglou Burcu Yaman , Milford Todd
Published: August 2020

Learning styles is perhaps one of the most widespread and believed myths in education. The idea is based on the claim that all students can be classified according to their particular learning style, and that they learn best when teachers match instruction to the preferred style of the student. This popular theory has been proven false by many learning scientists. Learning styles theory reduces sophisticated and complex processes like teaching and learning into overly simple categories and labels students in ways that can limit their potential. Studies performed by scientists who study the brain and education have found that learning and teaching are much more complicated than simply matching teaching to a student’s learning style.
Ammonia Emissions from a Western Open-Lot Dairy
Authors: Grant Richard H. , Boehm Matthew T. , Hagevoort G. Robert
Published: August 2020

Manure on dairies is the second largest agricultural source of ammonia emissions. Ammonia (NH3) emissions were measured at a 3400-cow open-lot dairy in Texas using a backward Lagrangian Stochastic model in combination with measurements from long-path tunable diode lasers and on-site sonic anemometers. Measurements were made for multiple weeks at a time for most seasons over two years. Both 30-min and daily average emissions were influenced by air temperature consistent with a van ’t Hoff equation. Emissions were also linearly related to saturation vapor density deficit. The influence of temperature on NH3 solubility, expressed by the van ’t Hoff temperature correction function, decreased as the water vapor deficit increased. The mean annual daily NH3 emissions at the farm was estimated at 82 g NH3 d−1 per animal (105 g NH3 AU−1 d−1, 1 AU = 500 kg) with mean emission during the summer of 124 g NH3 d−1 per animal (159 g NH3 AU−1 d−1). A distinct diurnal pattern in NH3 emissions was consistent with diurnal patterns in wind speed, saturation vapor density deficit and air temperature. The mean daytime emissions were twice the mean nighttime emissions. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the frequency of high emission days during the summer.
Uncertainty in the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality in Hong Kong, China
Authors: Huang Yuhan , Zhou John , Yu Yang , Mok Wai-chuen , Lee Casey , Yam Yat-shing
Published: August 2020

Strict social distancing rules are being implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in many cities globally, causing a sudden and extreme change in the transport activities. This offers a unique opportunity to assess the effect of anthropogenic activities on air quality and provides a valuable reference to the policymakers in developing air quality control measures and projecting their effectiveness. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the roadside and ambient air quality in Hong Kong, China, by comparing the air quality monitoring data collected in January–April 2020 with those in 2017–2019. The results showed that the roadside and ambient NO2, PM10, PM2.5, CO and SO2 were generally reduced in 2020 when comparing with the historical data in 2017–2019, while O3 was increased. However, the reductions during COVID-19 period (i.e., February–April) were not always higher than that during pre-COVID-19 period (i.e., January). In addition, there were large seasonal variations in the monthly mean pollutant concentrations in every year. This study implies that one air pollution control measure may not generate obvious immediate improvements in the air quality monitoring data and its effectiveness should be evaluated carefully to eliminate the effect of seasonal variations.
Challenges and Opportunities in Clinical Applications of Blood-Based Proteomics in Cancer
Authors: Bhawal Ruchika , Oberg Ann L. , Zhang Sheng , Kohli Manish
Published: August 2020

Blood is a readily accessible biofluid containing a plethora of important proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites that can be used as clinical diagnostic tools in diseases, including cancer. Like the on-going efforts for cancer biomarker discovery using the liquid biopsy detection of circulating cell-free and cell-based tumor nucleic acids, the circulatory proteome has been underexplored for clinical cancer biomarker applications. A comprehensive proteome analysis of human serum/plasma with high-quality data and compelling interpretation can potentially provide opportunities for understanding disease mechanisms, although several challenges will have to be met. Serum/plasma proteome biomarkers are present in very low abundance, and there is high complexity involved due to the heterogeneity of cancers, for which there is a compelling need to develop sensitive and specific proteomic technologies and analytical platforms. To date, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based quantitative proteomics has been a dominant analytical workflow to discover new potential cancer biomarkers in serum/plasma. This review will summarize the opportunities of serum proteomics for clinical applications; the challenges in the discovery of novel biomarkers in serum/plasma; and current proteomic strategies in cancer research for the application of serum/plasma proteomics for clinical prognostic, predictive, and diagnostic applications, as well as for monitoring minimal residual disease after treatments. We will highlight some of the recent advances in MS-based proteomics technologies with appropriate sample collection, processing uniformity, study design, and data analysis, focusing on how these integrated workflows can identify novel potential cancer biomarkers for clinical applications.
Addition of Radiotherapy to Immunotherapy: Effects on Outcome of Different Subgroups Using a Propensity Score Matching
Authors: Trommer Maike , Kinsky Jaika , Adams Anne , Hellmich Martin , Schlaak Max , von Bergwelt-Baildon Michael , Celik Eren , Rosenbrock Johannes , Morgenthaler Janis , Herter Jan M. , Linde Philipp , Mauch Cornelia , Theurich Sebastian , Marnitz Simone , Baues Christian
Published: August 2020

Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) has been established as successful modality in cancer treatment. Combination concepts are used to optimize treatment outcome, but may also induce higher toxicity rates than monotherapy. Several rationales support the combination of radiotherapy (RT) with ICI as radioimmunotherapy (RIT), but it is still unknown in which clinical situation RIT would be most beneficial. Therefore, we have conducted a retrospective matched-pair analysis of 201 patients with advanced-stage cancers and formed two groups treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors only (PD1i) or in combination with local RT (RIT) at our center between 2013 and 2017. We collected baseline characteristics, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) status, mutational status, PD-1 inhibitor and RT treatment details, and side effects according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v.5.0. Patients received pembrolizumab (n = 93) or nivolumab (n = 108), 153 with additional RT. For overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), there was no significant difference between both groups. After propensity score matching (PSM), we analyzed 96 patients, 67 with additional and 29 without RT. We matched for different covariates that could have a possible influence on the treatment outcome. The RIT group displayed a trend towards a longer OS until the PD1i group reached a survival plateau. PD-L1-positive patients, smokers, patients with a BMI ≤ 25, and patients without malignant melanoma showed a longer OS when treated with RIT. Our data show that some subgroups may benefit more from RIT than others. Suitable biomarkers as well as the optimal timing and dosage must be established in order to achieve the best effect on cancer treatment outcome.
Cross-Species Proteomics Identifies CAPG and SBP1 as Crucial Invasiveness Biomarkers in Rat and Human Malignant Mesothelioma
Authors: Nader Joëlle S. , Boissard Alice , Henry Cécile , Valo Isabelle , Verrièle Véronique , Grégoire Marc , Coqueret Olivier , Guette Catherine , Pouliquen Daniel L.
Published: August 2020

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) still represents a devastating disease that is often detected too late, while the current effect of therapies on patient outcomes remains unsatisfactory. Invasiveness biomarkers may contribute to improving early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment for patients, a task that could benefit from the development of high-throughput proteomics. To limit potential sources of bias when identifying such biomarkers, we conducted cross-species proteomic analyzes on three different MM sources. Data were collected firstly from two human MM cell lines, secondly from rat MM tumors of increasing invasiveness grown in immunocompetent rats and human MM tumors grown in immunodeficient mice, and thirdly from paraffin-embedded sections of patient MM tumors of the epithelioid and sarcomatoid subtypes. Our investigations identified three major invasiveness biomarkers common to the three tumor sources, CAPG, FABP4, and LAMB2, and an additional set of 25 candidate biomarkers shared by rat and patient tumors. Comparing the data to proteomic analyzes of preneoplastic and neoplastic rat mesothelial cell lines revealed the additional role of SBP1 in the carcinogenic process. These observations could provide new opportunities to identify highly vulnerable MM patients with poor survival outcomes, thereby improving the success of current and future therapeutic strategies.
Oncogenic Orphan Nuclear Receptor NR4A3 Interacts and Cooperates with MYB in Acinic Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lee David Y. , Brayer Kathryn J. , Mitani Yoshitsugu , Burns Eric A. , Rao Pulivarthi H. , Bell Diana , Williams Michelle D. , Ferrarotto Renata , Pytynia Kristen B. , El-Naggar Adel K. , Ness Scott A.
Published: August 2020

Acinic cell carcinoma (AcCC) is a morphologically distinctive salivary gland malignancy often associated with chromosome rearrangements leading to overexpression of the NR4A3 transcription factor. However, little is known about how NR4A3 contributes to AcCC biology. Detailed RNA-sequencing of 21 archived AcCC samples revealed fusion reads arising from recurrent t(4;9), t(9;12), t(8;9) or t(2;4) chromosomal translocations, which positioned highly active enhancers adjacent to the promoter of the NR4A3 gene or the closely related NR4A2 gene, resulting in their aberrant overexpression. Transcriptome analyses revealed several distinct subgroups of AcCC tumors, including a subgroup that overexpressed both NR4A3 and MSANTD3. A poor survival subset of the tumors with high-grade transformation expressed NR4A3 and POMC as well as MYB, an oncogene that is the major driver in a different type of salivary gland tumor, adenoid cystic carcinoma. The combination of NR4A3 and MYB showed cooperativity in regulating a distinct set of genes. In addition, the ligand binding domain of NR4A3 directly bound the Myb DNA binding domain. Transformation assays indicated that, while overexpressed NR4A3 was sufficient to generate transformed colonies, the combination of NR4A3 plus Myb was more potent, leading to anchorage-independent growth and increased cellular invasiveness. The results confirm that NR4A3 and NR4A2 are the main driver genes of AcCC and suggest that concurrent overexpression of NR4A3 and MYB defines a subset of AcCC patients with high-grade transformation that display exceptionally poor outcome.
Lysosome as a Central Hub for Rewiring PH Homeostasis in Tumors
Authors: Chen Ran , Jäättelä Marja , Liu Bin
Published: August 2020

Cancer cells generate large quantities of cytoplasmic protons as byproducts of aberrantly activated aerobic glycolysis and lactate fermentation. To avoid potentially detrimental acidification of the intracellular milieu, cancer cells activate multiple acid-removal pathways that promote cytosolic alkalization and extracellular acidification. Accumulating evidence suggests that in addition to the well-characterized ion pumps and exchangers in the plasma membrane, cancer cell lysosomes are also reprogrammed for this purpose. On the one hand, the increased expression and activity of the vacuolar-type H+−ATPase (V-ATPase) on the lysosomal limiting membrane combined with the larger volume of the lysosomal compartment increases the lysosomal proton storage capacity substantially. On the other hand, enhanced lysosome exocytosis enables the efficient release of lysosomal protons to the extracellular space. Together, these two steps dynamically drive proton flow from the cytosol to extracellular space. In this perspective, we provide mechanistic insight into how lysosomes contribute to the rewiring of pH homeostasis in cancer cells.
Interaction of the Hippo Pathway and Phosphatases in Tumorigenesis
Authors: Sarmasti Emami Sahar , Zhang Derek , Yang Xiaolong
Published: August 2020

The Hippo pathway is an emerging tumor suppressor signaling pathway involved in a wide range of cellular processes. Dysregulation of different components of the Hippo signaling pathway is associated with a number of diseases including cancer. Therefore, identification of the Hippo pathway regulators and the underlying mechanism of its regulation may be useful to uncover new therapeutics for cancer therapy. The Hippo signaling pathway includes a set of kinases that phosphorylate different proteins in order to phosphorylate and inactivate its main downstream effectors, YAP and TAZ. Thus, modulating phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the Hippo components by kinases and phosphatases play critical roles in the regulation of the signaling pathway. While information regarding kinase regulation of the Hippo pathway is abundant, the role of phosphatases in regulating this pathway is just beginning to be understood. In this review, we summarize the most recent reports on the interaction of phosphatases and the Hippo pathway in tumorigenesis. We have also introduced challenges in clarifying the role of phosphatases in the Hippo pathway and future direction of crosstalk between phosphatases and the Hippo pathway.
Correction: Serrano, R.; Wesch, D.; Kabelitz, D. Activation of Human γδ T Cells: Modulation by Toll-Like Receptor 8 Ligands and Role of Monocytes. Cells 2020, 9, 713
Authors: Serrano Ruben , Wesch Daniela , Kabelitz Dieter
Published: August 2020

The authors wish to make the following changes to their paper [...]
Performance Optimization of Original Aluminum Ash Coating
Authors: Ni Hongjun , Zhang Jiaqiao , Lv Shuaishuai , Gu Tao , Wang Xingxing
Published: August 2020

Aluminum ash is a kind of industrial solid waste. Original aluminum ash (OAA) can be prepared into original aluminum ash spray powder (OAASP) through hydrolysis treatment, and the original aluminum ash coating (OAAC) can be prepared on the surface of the substrate by plasma spraying. In order to optimize the performance of the OAAC, the OAASP was screened to select the appropriate particle size to improve the flowability of the powder. Then, the influence of the alumina content on coating performance was studied through comparative experiments. The micro morphology of the coating was analyzed, and the performance parameters of the coating were tested. The results show that the spray powder with a particle size of 120–150 mesh accounts for the largest proportion of OAASP, and its flowability is better than that of unsieved OAASP, which is suitable for coating preparation. The performance of the coating can be improved by adding high-purity alumina. When the Al2O3 addition is 50%, the porosity of the coating is 0.131%, the adhesive strength is 17.12 MPa, the microhardness is 713.36 HV, and the abrasion rate 10.31 mg/min. Compared with the coating without Al2O3, the porosity is decreased by 19.63%, the adhesive strength is increased by 5.35%, the microhardness is increased by 17.61%, and the abrasion rate is decreased by 19.83%. There are regions with different brightness on the surface of the coating with Al2O3. After semiquantitative analysis, the main phase in the bright region is Al2O3, and the main phases in the dark and gray regions are Al2O3, SiO2, and Fe3O4. The performance of the OAAC can be optimized by improving the flowability of the sprayed powder and increasing the alumina content.
Mutual Information as a Performance Measure for Binary Predictors Characterized by Both ROC Curve and PROC Curve Analysis
Authors: Hughes Gareth , Kopetzky Jennifer , McRoberts Neil
Published: August 2020

The predictive receiver operating characteristic (PROC) curve differs from the more well-known receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in that it provides a basis for the evaluation of binary diagnostic tests using metrics defined conditionally on the outcome of the test rather than metrics defined conditionally on the actual disease status. Application of PROC curve analysis may be hindered by the complex graphical patterns that are sometimes generated. Here we present an information theoretic analysis that allows concurrent evaluation of PROC curves and ROC curves together in a simple graphical format. The analysis is based on the observation that mutual information may be viewed both as a function of ROC curve summary statistics (sensitivity and specificity) and prevalence, and as a function of predictive values and prevalence. Mutual information calculated from a 2 × 2 prediction-realization table for a specified risk score threshold on an ROC curve is the same as the mutual information calculated at the same risk score threshold on a corresponding PROC curve. Thus, for a given value of prevalence, the risk score threshold that maximizes mutual information is the same on both the ROC curve and the corresponding PROC curve. Phytopathologists and clinicians who have previously relied solely on ROC curve summary statistics when formulating risk thresholds for application in practical agricultural or clinical decision-making contexts are thus presented with a methodology that brings predictive values within the scope of that formulation.
Integrating Social Emotional Learning Strategies in Higher Education
Authors: Elmi Chiara
Published: August 2020

Social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies develop skills linked to cognitive development, encourage student focus and motivation, improve relationships between students and teachers, and increase student confidence and success. More attention should be paid to students’ emotions in higher education to enhance students’ engagement in the classroom and improve social awareness (i.e., respecting others, understanding other perspectives, providing help to those who need it), motivation, and academic achievement. This article focuses on the implementation of practices that promote SEL in higher education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. The paper aims to assess the academic and behavioral-related outcomes of applying SEL in mineralogy, an Earth science introductory course in a four-year university. The results of the present paper reveal that instructional practices supporting SEL are suited for engaging and stimulating learners’ multiple intelligences. The observed student course assessment performance suggests that integrating SEL may be a viable strategy for promoting student interest in science, building stress resilience, and creating more positive engagement with students. The instructional practices reported in this paper could support science instructors in designing teaching methods that promote self-management and social awareness to increase students’ academic outcomes.
Sugars Production from Municipal Forestry and Greening Wastes Pretreated by an Integrated Steam Explosion-Based Process
Authors: Negro Maria José , Álvarez Cristina , Doménech Pablo , Iglesias Raquel , Ballesteros Ignacio
Published: August 2020

Increasing awareness of resource sustainability and waste management has led to the search for solutions while promoting circular economy principles. Among all kinds of lignocellulosic biomass available, one with growing interest is municipal forestry and greening waste (MFGW). MFGW makes up an important part of waste streams of municipal solid waste and is a potential feedstock for biological conversion in a lignocellulosic biorefinery. This work studied the fermentable sugars production from MFGW after steam explosion (SE) pretreatment combined with other pretreatments such as dilute acid, organosolv, and metal salts. A range of pretreatment conditions was evaluated according to different parameters: sugars recovery, degradation product generation, and enzymatic hydrolysis yield. At selected pretreatment conditions (diluted acid plus SE, 195 °C, 10 min, and 60 mg H2SO4/g MFGW), 77% of potential sugars content in MFGW was obtained. The effect of solids loading and enzyme dose on glucose release and glucose yield on enzymatic hydrolysis were also determined. Up to 70% of the main sugars in the MFGW were recovered for the coupled pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis (45 FPU/g glucan enzyme loading and 20% dry matter solid consistency), resulting in 80 g/L glucose that could be further utilized for ethanol production.
Investigation and Mitigation of Temporary Overvoltage Caused by De-Energization on an Offshore Wind Farm
Authors: Akinrinde Ajibola , Swanson Andrew , Davidson Innocent
Published: August 2020

The Ferranti effect could cause a rise in voltage along the cables on a wind farm if the circuit breakers at the receiving ends are switched off. Ferroresonance could also occur due to stuck pole(s) of the circuit breaker during de-energization. This paper reports on the temporary overvoltage (TOV) arising from the de-energization of the circuit breaker connecting the wind turbine to the feeder, the feeder breaker connecting an array of wind turbines to the point of common coupling (PCC), and the opening of the circuit breaker connecting the onshore to the offshore substation. Ferroresonance was characterized using a phase plane diagram and Poincaré map and was identified to be chaotic. The effect of the nonlinear characteristic of the wind transformer core on the ferroresonant overvoltage was examined and increased with the steepness of slope of the transformer curve. A damping resistor, shunt reactor and surge arrester were used to mitigate the overvoltage experienced during the ferroresonant event. The damping resistor was able to reduce the overvoltage to 1.24 P.U. and damped the ferroresonance from chaotic to fundamental mode.
Breakdown at Multiple Protrusions in SF6 and CO2
Authors: Feet Odd Christian , Seeger Martin , Over Daniel , Niayesh Kaveh , Mauseth Frank
Published: August 2020

The electric breakdown at single and multiple protrusions in SF6 and CO2 is investigated at 0.4 and 0.6 MPa, respectively. Additionally, the breakdown fields at rough surfaces of two different areas were determined. From the measurements, breakdown probability distributions for single protrusions were determined and fitted by Weibull distributions. This allowed the determination of statistical enlargement laws for the 50% breakdown probability fields E50. Such enlargement laws describe, for example, the scaling of breakdown field with electrode area or number of protrusions. The predictions were compared to the experimental data, and both agreement and discrepancies were observed depending on polarity and number of protrusions and gas. Discharge predictions including first electron, streamer inception and crossing, as well as leader propagation, gave further insight to this. It was found that predictions from enlargement laws based on statistical processes may not describe the measured breakdown fields well and that relevant physical breakdown criteria must also be considered.
Assessing Wood Waste by Timber Industry as a Contributing Factor to Deforestation in Ghana
Authors: Asamoah Obed , Kuittinen Suvi , Abrefa Danquah Jones , Quartey Ebo Tawiah , Bamwesigye Dastan , Mario Boateng Charles , Pappinen Ari
Published: August 2020

This study assesses the wood waste generation, its management practices, and its effects on the forests in Ghana. The rate of logging in Ghana has increased and this can be attributed to the increase in the establishment of Sawmilling companies in the country. Increased in the installation of sawmilling companies has increased the sawn timber production. The use of outmoded milling machines has led to an increase in waste generation. An increase in production has led to an increase in the annual allowable cut in the country, which has overrun the limit of sustainable forestry. A qualitative research method was employed for the research work. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to the study to solicit the views of the wood industries about wood waste generation and its management practices. The study population comprised of 50 sawmilling companies. From the data collected, it was observed that most of the timber production companies do not know how to manage the waste generated and the waste is left un-utilized. In general 80% of the timber production companies responded that they have an idea of wood waste management but do not have the technical know-how to manage the waste. It was observed that 80% of the timber production companies do not manage the waste they generate during their operations. Wood shavings, sawdust, wood slabs, offcuts, branches, and others are left un-utilized. From the observations made in the visited sawmills, chunks of waste are generated on the site. The fact that the wood which is un-utilized (waste) and the wood, which is utilized as sold products, are equal in cost to the company which highlights the poor material and cost-efficiency. Wood industry materials and cost efficiency, together with waste management practices and their contribution to deforestation in the country, are discussed.
CIAA-RepDroid: A Fine-Grained and Probabilistic Reputation Scheme for Android Apps Based on Sentiment Analysis of Reviews
Authors: Tchakounté Franklin , Yera Pagor Athanase Esdras , Kamgang Jean Claude , Atemkeng Marcellin
Published: August 2020

To keep its business reliable, Google is concerned to ensure the quality of apps on the store. One crucial aspect concerning quality is security. Security is achieved through Google Play protect and anti-malware solutions. However, they are not totally efficient since they rely on application features and application execution threads. Google provides additional elements to enable consumers to collectively evaluate applications providing their experiences via reviews or showing their satisfaction through rating. The latter is more informal and hides details of rating whereas the former is textually expressive but requires further processing to understand opinions behind it. Literature lacks approaches which mine reviews through sentiment analysis to extract useful information to improve the security aspects of provided applications. This work goes in this direction and in a fine-grained way, investigates in terms of confidentiality, integrity, availability, and authentication (CIAA). While assuming that reviews are reliable and not fake, the proposed approach determines review polarities based on CIAA-related keywords. We rely on the popular classifier Naive Bayes to classify reviews into positive, negative, and neutral sentiment. We then provide an aggregation model to fusion different polarities to obtain application global and CIAA reputations. Quantitative experiments have been conducted on 13 applications including e-banking, live messaging and anti-malware apps with a total of 1050 security-related reviews and 7,835,322 functionality-related reviews. Results show that 23% of applications (03 apps) have a reputation greater than 0.5 with an accent on integrity, authentication, and availability, while the remaining 77% has a polarity under 0.5. Developers should make a lot of effort in security while developing codes and that more efforts should be made to improve confidentiality reputation. Results also show that applications with good functionality-related reputation generally offer a bad security-related reputation. This situation means that even if the number of security reviews is low, it does not mean that the security aspect is not a consumer preoccupation. Unlike, developers put much more time to test whether applications work without errors even if they include possible security vulnerabilities. A quantitative comparison against well-known rating systems reveals the effectiveness and robustness of CIAA-RepDroid to repute apps in terms of security. CIAA-RepDroid can be associated with existing rating solutions to recommend developers exact CIAA aspects to improve within source codes.
Photodynamic Activity of Tribenzoporphyrazines with Bulky Periphery against Wound Bacteria
Authors: Stolarska Magdalena , Glowacka-Sobotta Arleta , Mlynarczyk Dariusz T. , Dlugaszewska Jolanta , Goslinski Tomasz , Mielcarek Jadwiga , Sobotta Lukasz
Published: August 2020

Magnesium(II) tribenzoporphyrazines with phenoxybutylsulfanyl substituents were evaluated as photosensitizers in terms of their optical properties against wound bacteria. In the UV-vis spectra of analyzed tribenzoporphyrazines, typical absorption ranges were found. However, the emission properties were very weak, with fluorescence quantum yields in the range of only 0.002–0.051. What is important, they revealed moderate abilities to form singlet oxygen with the quantum yields up to 0.27. Under irradiation, the macrocycles decomposed via photobleaching mechanism with the quantum yields up to 8.64 × 10−5. The photokilling potential of tribenzoporphyrazines was assessed against Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, as well as various strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-sensitive and-resistant bacteria. Both evaluated photosensitizers revealed high photodynamic potential against studied bacteria (>3 logs). S.aureus growth was reduced by over 5.9 log, methicillin-resistant S. aureus by 5.1 log, S.epidermidis by over 5.7 log, and S. pyogenes by over 4.7 log.
Characteristics of a Series of Three Bacteriophages Infecting Salmonella enterica Strains
Authors: Kosznik-Kwaśnicka Katarzyna , Ciemińska Karolina , Grabski Michał , Grabowski Łukasz , Górniak Marcin , Jurczak-Kurek Agata , Węgrzyn Grzegorz , Węgrzyn Alicja
Published: August 2020

Molecular and functional characterization of a series of three bacteriophages, vB_SenM-1, vB_SenM-2, and vB_SenS-3, infecting various Salmonella enterica serovars and strains is presented. All these phages were able to develop lytically while not forming prophages. Moreover, they were able to survive at pH 3. The phages revealed different host ranges within serovars and strains of S. enterica, different adsorption rates on host cells, and different lytic growth kinetics at various temperatures (in the range of 25 to 42 °C). They efficiently reduced the number of cells in the bacterial biofilm and decreased the biofilm mass. Whole genome sequences of these phages have been determined and analyzed, including their phylogenetic relationships. In conclusion, we have demonstrated detailed characterization of a series of three bacteriophages, vB_SenM-1, vB_SenM-2, and vB_SenS-3, which reveal favorable features in light of their potential use in phage therapy of humans and animals, as well as for food protection purposes.
Effect of Gelation Temperature on the Molecular Structure and Physicochemical Properties of the Curdlan Matrix: Spectroscopic and Microscopic Analyses
Authors: Gieroba Barbara , Sroka-Bartnicka Anna , Kazimierczak Paulina , Kalisz Grzegorz , Pieta Izabela S. , Nowakowski Robert , Pisarek Marcin , Przekora Agata
Published: August 2020

In order to determine the effect of different gelation temperatures (80 °C and 90 °C) on the structural arrangements in 1,3-β-d-glucan (curdlan) matrices, spectroscopic and microscopic approaches were chosen. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy are well-established techniques that enable the identification of functional groups in organic molecules based on their vibration modes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a quantitative analytical method utilized in the surface study, which provided information about the elemental and chemical composition with high surface sensitivity. Contact angle goniometer was applied to evaluate surface wettability and surface free energy of the matrices. In turn, the surface topography characterization was obtained with the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Described techniques may facilitate the optimization, modification, and design of manufacturing processes (such as the temperature of gelation in the case of the studied 1,3-β-d-glucan) of the organic polysaccharide matrices so as to obtain biomaterials with desired characteristics and wide range of biomedical applications, e.g., entrapment of drugs or production of biomaterials for tissue regeneration. This study shows that the 1,3-β-d-glucan polymer sample gelled at 80 °C has a distinctly different structure than the matrix gelled at 90 °C.