bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sequence Decoding of 1D to 2D Self‐Assembling Cyclic Peptides
Authors: Díaz Sandra , Insua Ignacio , Bhak Ghibom , Montenegro Javier 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe inherent ability of peptides to self‐assemble with directional and rationally predictable interactions has fostered a plethora of synthetic two‐dimensional (2D) supramolecular biomaterials. However, the design of peptides with hierarchical assembly in different dimensions across mesoscopic lengths remains a challenging task. We here describe the structural exploration of a d/l‐alternating cyclic octapeptide capable of assembling one‐dimensional (1D) nanotubes in water, which subsequently pack laterally to form giant 2D nanosheets up to 500 μm long with a constant 3.2 nm thickness. Specific amino acid mutations allowed the mapping of structure–assembly relationships that determine 2D self‐assembly. Nine peptide modifications were studied, revealing key features in the peptide sequence that nanosheets tolerated, while a total of three peptide variants included modifications that compromised their 2D arrangement. These lessons will serve as guide and inspiration for new 2D supramolecular peptide designs.
Supramolecular Chemistry of Titanium Oxide Clusters
Authors: Liu Caiyun , Wang Yifeng 
Published: August 2020

AbstractTitanium oxide clusters (TOCs) have been emerging as a new type of inorganic molecular entities of supramolecular chemistry. Herein, a perspective on the structures and functionalities of TOCs over the past three decades is given and the paramount roles of TOCs in serving supramolecular chemistry are demonstrated. Four types of supramolecular assemblies based on TOCs are reviewed, namely, TOC hosts for ion inclusion, mechanically interlocked molecular systems built from cyclic TOCs, reactivities of surface sites toward ligand exchange, and hierarchical structures of TOCs. The principles and advantages of TOCs toward each application are fully discussed, along with structural analyses. Following this path, more functional TOC‐based supramolecular systems may be designed and synthesized in the future, which, in turn, will certainly enhance research into both supramolecular and coordination chemistry of titanium.
COST Action 620 Approach: Application to a Karst Aquifer, SE Mexico
Authors: González‐Herrera Roger , Albornoz‐Euán BethSua , Sánchez‐Pinto Ismael , Zetina‐Moguel Carlos 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe EU Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action 620 Group approach is applied to evaluate the risk of groundwater contamination of a karstic aquifer located southeast of Mexico, to get information of potentially threatened areas. Subsurface contaminant loads, the aquifer vulnerability, as well as, the interaction between them are considered to define the aquifer risk to contamination. The hazard and risk indexes are calculated from an inventory of contaminant sources, creating their maps using geographic information system. Under the COST 620 approach, any method can be used to analyze aquifer vulnerability to contamination and new ones can be developed. This allows to model the karst groundwater vulnerability to contamination in the study area, applying a modified version of the DRASTIC method, where considerations are given to hydraulic conductivity and land use, as parameters in the model. The results indicate a more conservative differentiation when compared to similar studies carried out in the study area with the moderate vulnerability class occupying the greatest extent. Areas of high hazard and risk are in the main urban areas.
Photoreceptors in skate are arranged to allow for a broad horizontal field of view
Authors: Mäthger Lydia M , Zhao Kevin , Herbst Lena 
Published: August 2020

AbstractStudying retinal specializations offers insights into eye functionality and visual ecology. Using light microscopic techniques, including retinal whole‐mounts, we investigated photoreceptor densities in the retina of the skate Leucoraja erinacea. We show that photoreceptors are not sized or oriented in the same way, and that they are not evenly distributed across the retina. There was a dorsally located horizontal visual streak with increased photoreceptor density, with additional local maxima in which densities were highest. Photoreceptors were longest and thinnest inside this visual streak, becoming shorter and thicker toward the periphery and toward the ventral retina. Furthermore, in the peripheral retinal parts, photoreceptors (particularly the outer segments) were noticeably tilted with respect to the retinal long axis. In order to understand how photoreceptors are tilted inside the eye, we used computerized tomography (CT) and micro‐CT, to obtain geometrical dimensions of the whole skate eye. These CT/micro‐CT data provided us with the outlines of the skate eye and the location of the retina and this enabled us to reconstruct how photoreceptors tilt in an intact eye. Findings were analyzed relative to previously published ganglion cell distributions in this species, showing a posteriorly located retinal area with photoreceptor: ganglion cell convergence as low as 39:1. Some peripheral areas showed ratios as high as 391:1. We frame our findings in terms of the animal's anatomy: body and eye shape, specifically the location of the tapetum, as well as the visual demands associated with lifestyle and habitat type. A speculative function in polarization sensitivity is discussed.
Rear‐edge, low‐diversity, and haplotypic uniformity in cold‐adapted Bupleurum euphorbioides interglacial refugia populations
Authors: Cho Won‐Bum , So Soonku , Han Eun‐Kyeong , Myeong Hyeon‐Ho , Park Jong‐Soo , Hwang Seung‐Hyun , Kim Joo‐Hwan , Lee Jung‐Hyun 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe high genetic diversity of rear‐edge refugia populations is predicted to have resulted from species repeatedly migrating to low latitudes during glacial periods over the course of Quaternary climate change. However, several recent empirical studies of cold‐tolerant plants revealed the opposite pattern. We investigated whether current habitats of the cold‐adapted and range‐restricted Bupleurum euphorbioides in the Baekdudaegan, South Korea, and North Korea could be interglacial refugia, and documented how their rear‐edge populations differ genetically from those of typical temperate species. Phylogeographic analysis and ecological niche modeling (ENM) were used. The genetic structure was analyzed using microsatellite markers and chloroplast DNA sequences. The congener B. longiradiatum was included as a typical temperate plant species. Despite having almost identical life history traits, these congeneric species exhibited contrasting patterns of genetic diversity. ENM revealed an apparent maximum range contraction during the last interglacial. In contrast, its range expanded northward to the Russian Far East (Primorsky) during the Last Glacial Maximum. Thus, we hypothesize that B. euphorbioides retreated to its current refugia during interglacial periods. Unlike populations in the central region, the rear‐edge populations were genetically impoverished and uniform, both within populations and in pooled regional populations. The rear‐edge B. euphorbioides survived at least one past interglacial, contributing to the species’ genetic diversity. We believe that such genetic variation in the cold‐adapted B. euphorbioides gives the species the necessary adaptations to survive an upcoming favorable environment (the next glacial), unless there is artificial environmental change.
Contrasting CO2 and water vapour fluxes in dry forest and pasture sites of central Argentina
Authors: Nosetto Marcelo D. , Luna Toledo Emanuel , Magliano Patricio N. , Figuerola Patricia , Blanco Lisandro J. , Jobbágy Esteban G. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe dry forests of South America are a key player of the global carbon cycle and the regional water cycle, but they are being intensively deforested. We used eddy covariance measurements to compare the temporal patterns of CO2 and water vapour fluxes and their relationships with environmental variables in dry forest and pastures sites of central Argentina. Ecosystem fluxes showed clear contrasts in magnitude, timing and response to environmental controls between ecosystems. The dry forest displayed higher daily gross primary productivity (GPP, 10.6 vs. 7.8 g CO2 m−2 d−1) and ecosystem respiration (Reco, 9.1 vs. 7.0 g CO2 m−2 d−1) and lower net ecosystem exchange (NEE, −1.5 vs. −0.7 g CO2 m−2 d−1) than the pasture. These differences were explained by a lower tolerance of the pasture to cool temperatures and drought. The lowest NEE rates were observed between 26°C and 34°C in the pasture, but below this range, NEE increased sharply, switching to a carbon source with temperatures <20°C. By contrast, the dry forest remained as a strong carbon sink down to 18°C. The pasture also showed a stronger drop of GPP with drought compared with the dry forest, becoming a carbon source with soil wetness <25% of soil available water. Rainfall was strongly coupled with GPP in both ecosystems, but the dry forest responded to longer rainfall integration periods. This study helps to understand how ecosystems can respond to climate change, improve global scale modelling and increase the productivity and resilience of rangelands.
Voltage control for microchip capillary electrophoresis analyses
Authors: Bosma Rick , Devasagayam Jasen , Eswar Rahul , Albuquerque Iasmin de França , Collier Christopher M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis paper presents an inexpensive and easy‐to‐implement voltage sequencer instrument for use in microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) actuation. The voltage sequencer instrument takes a 0–5 V input signal from a microcontroller and produces a reciprocally proportional voltage signal with the capability to achieve the voltages required for MCE actuation. The unit developed in this work features four independent voltage channels, measures 105 × 143 × 45 mm (width × length × height), and the cost to assemble is under 60 USD. The system is controlled by a peripheral interface controller and commands are given via universal serial bus connection to a personal computer running a command line graphical user interface. The performance of the voltage sequencer is demonstrated by its integration with a fluorescence spectroscopy MCE sensor using pinched sample injection and electrophoretic separation to detect ciprofloxacin in samples of milk. This application is chosen as it is particularly important for the dairy industry, where fines and health concerns are associated with the shipping of antibiotic‐contaminated milk. The voltage sequencer instrument presented represents an effective low‐cost instrumentation method for conducting MCE, thereby making these experiments accessible and affordable for use in industries such as the dairy industry.
A metaheuristic approach for source traffic grooming in elastic optical networks
Authors: Miladić‐Tešić Suzana , Marković Goran , Nonković Nikola , Radojičić Valentina 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe increasing demands for higher spectrum efficiency have made elastic optical networks (EON) to be an interesting area for the research community. The possibility that some network parameters are changed according to different types of services allows that optical paths can be established using just enough spectrum as needed. Since individual optical paths have to be separated by guard bands, a large part of the available spectrum is wasted. The efficient utilization of available network capacity is among network operators' major concerns and therefore, traffic engineering techniques that provide additional capacity on the existing infrastructure are of the interest. As such, the traffic grooming technique has been analyzed in this article. By applying the grooming technique, the basic problem in EONs, namely routing and spectrum allocation is extended and made more complex, especially in the case of realistic networks. Compared to electrical traffic grooming applied in traditional wavelength division multiplexing networks, traffic grooming directly at the optical layer is an attractive option for EON because it provides the opportunity to groom several same source connections into one transmitter and in such a way eliminating the guard bands. In this article, we solve the grooming problem in EON with static traffic demands using the bee colony optimization metaheuristic approach. The objective is to serve all traffic demands such that spectrum savings are maximized and total spectrum usage is minimized. The results indicate considerable spectrum savings compared to the scenario without grooming and a significant improvement considering some referenced grooming algorithms.
Cytokine‐related genes play critical roles in extrafollicular growth of follicular lymphoma cells
Authors: Yoshida Noriaki , Miyoshi Hiroaki , Arakawa Fumiko , Nakashima Kazutaka , Kawamoto Keisuke , Seto Masao , Ohshima Koichi 
Published: August 2020

AbstractFollicular lymphoma (FL) is a germinal center‐derived B‐cell lymphoma that is known to proliferate in the intrafollicular region. However, lymphoma cells can be identified in the extrafollicular regions, which are related to disease dissemination. We purified the intrafollicular and extrafollicular regions of FL cells by laser microdissection and conducted microarray analysis in order to characterize the gene expression profiles of FL cells from both regions. BCL2 and genes of germinal B‐cell markers clearly separated intrafollicular and extrafollicular regions of reactive follicular hyperplasia, suggesting the adequacy of the current analysis. In FL cases, cytokine‐related genes were significantly enriched in extrafollicular regions compared with those in the intrafollicular regions. In intrafollicular regions of FL, cell‐cycle–related genes were enriched. We found that the FL cells in the extrafollicular region more strongly expressed IL3RA and CXCL12 than those of intrafollicular regions. The cytokines might be also derived from stroma cells in the extrafollicular regions, which may initiate activation and migration of the tumor cells to this region. Our results suggest that FL cell interaction with surrounding stroma cells plays an important role in the pathophysiology of FL and that such interactions should be a good target for therapy.
Quality and quantity of price elasticity of cigarette in Iran
Authors: Homaie Rad Enayatollah , Pulok Mohammad Habibullah , Rezaei Satar , Reihanian Anita 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObjectiveEffectiveness of tax policies to control cigarette consumption largely depends on the sensitivity of cigarette demand due to price change. Price elasticity is the measurement of this responsiveness. The main objective of this study is to measure quantity, and quality price elasticity of demand (PED) and cross‐price elasticity of demand (XED) for Iranian and non‐Iranian cigarette brands in Iran.MethodsThis study used data from the 2017 Iranian household income and expenditures survey conducted in all 31 provinces of Iran. A total of 39,864 households were included in the survey. PED of quantity and quality and XED were estimated using restricted, unrestricted and quintile regression models.ResultsOur results s show that the Iranian and non‐Iranians brands cigarettes were price inelastic and elastic, respectively. XED between Iranian and non‐Iranian brands was positive suggesting households' preference for Iranian brands of cigarettes over non‐Iranian brands. Quintile regression results suggest that PED varied between −1.20 and −0.91 across the distribution of quantity demanded.ConclusionImposing tax could be a useful policy tool to control smoking initiation and intensity in Iran. However, the effectiveness of such policy would depend on the better governance of taxation imposed on different brands of cigarettes.
Parental coping with childhood cancer and its relationship with self‐construal: A survey in southeast Iran
Authors: Ghorbani Fereshteh , Iranmanesh Sedigheh , Razban Farideh , Dehghan Mahlagha 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundChildhood cancer is a major challenge for parapets. Parents are one of the main sources of emotional support for their child, but their ability to provide proper care during their child's illness and treatment depends entirely on the way they manage to cope with diagnosis and its outcomes. Parents' coping pattern seems to be affected by their perception of themselves or their surroundings.AimTo investigate parents' coping strategies with childhood cancer and its relation with self‐construal.MethodsA total of 127 eligible parents participated in this descriptive correlational study.ResultsMedical, social support, and family strategies were respectively helpful for parents. The interdependent self‐construal score was higher than the independent self‐construal score. A significant relationship was found between interdependent self‐construal and social support (P = .01).DiscussionIt seems that individualists and collectivists' cultural context influence the usefulness of coping strategies. These differences should be considered in training of coping strategies.
Use of a cesarean delivery checklist in an African maternity ward to improve management and reduce length of hospital stay†
Authors: Sun Mengyang , Patauli Desire , Bernstein Peter S. , Goffman Dena , Nathan Lisa M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo create, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a cesarean delivery checklist on maternal and neonatal outcomes in a rural African hospital.MethodsBased on input from local authorities, WHO’s Safe Surgical Checklist was modified for cesarean delivery and adapted for use in low‐resource settings. Retrospective chart review between April and August 2013 in Kibogora Hospital, Nyamasheke, Rwanda, included the first 100 women undergoing cesarean after checklist implementation and the last 100 women undergoing cesarean before implementation. Checklist utilization was determined and degree of completeness assessed. Outcomes were compared between patients for whom the checklist was utilized and patients for whom the checklist was not utilized, in both pre and post‐implementation groups.ResultsChecklist utilization rate was 83.0% (83/100). Checklist utilization was associated with significant increases in documentation of estimated blood loss (91.6% [76/83] vs 0.9% [1/117], P<0.001) and antibiotic administration before incision (96.4% [80/83] vs 30.8% [36/117], P<0.001). It was also associated with decreased rates of hospitalization longer than the standard 4 days (19.3% [16/83] vs 70.1% [82/117], P<0.001).ConclusionImplementation of a cesarean delivery checklist via a culturally specific and resource‐specific strategy resulted in high utilization rates and improved performance in key best practices by healthcare providers.
Epidemiological and molecular characteristics of circulating CVA16, CVA6 strains and genotype distribution in hand, foot and mouth disease cases in 2017 to 2018 from Western India
Authors: Gopalkrishna Varanasi , Ganorkar Nital 
Published: August 2020

AbstractHand, Foot, and Mouth disease (HFMD) is a mild exanthematous and febrile disease occurs in children aged ≤10 years old. The present study highlights clinical, epidemiological characteristics, distribution of enterovirus (EV) types, and sub genotypes in HFMD cases reported during 2017 to 2018 in Western India. A total of 93 clinical samples collected from 68 HFMD cases were included. The presence of EV‐RNA was determined by 5'UTR based nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction followed by molecular typing, sub genotyping by VP1/2A junction or VP1, full VP1 gene amplification, and phylogenetic analysis. The study reports 80.64% (75/93) EV positivity and 94.66% (71/75) typing rate, with a predominant circulation of CVA16 and CVA6 strains. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of coxsackievirus (CV)A16 (57.7%), CVA6 (40.8%), and Echo1 (1.4%) strains. EV infections were predominantly observed in children aged 1 to 3 years old (43.9%). Although cases were reported throughout the year, peaked in July (15.8%) and August (24.6%) months and persisted till September (19.3%). All the CVA16 and CVA6 positive strains were genotyped using full VP1 gene amplification. All CVA16 Indian strains (n = 41) were clustered with rarely reported B1c sub genotype and CVA6 strains (n = 29) with E2 sub‐lineage. The study highlights the genetic characteristics of circulating CVA16, CVA6, and Echo1 strains in HFMD cases from Western India. The emergence of CVA16 B1c genotype and sub‐lineage E2 of CVA6 strains and their constant circulation further demands systemic surveillance studies on HFMD from different parts of India to facilitate the rapid diagnosis of CVA16 and CVA6 strains using the molecular and serological based approach and for intervention strategies.
Chemical and sensorial characterization of spray dried hydroSOStainable almond milk
Authors: Lipan Leontina , Rusu Bogdan , Simon Elemer L , Sendra Esther , Hernández Francisca , Vodnar Dan C , Corell Mireia , Carbonell‐Barrachina Ángel 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDWater scarcity is a worldwide problem that leads to environmental and economic issues. Agriculture is one of the main consumers of water for irrigation and fertilization and almond is the major tree nut crop in the Mediterranean area. Furthermore, there is a continuous growing demand for healthy, vegan and sustainable products. Consequently, the present study aimed to chemically characterize almond milk powder enriched with probiotics manufactured from hydroSOStainable almonds (i.e. generated under water stress conditions). Almond milk powder enriched with probiotic bacteria was produced with almonds grown under optimal irrigation conditions (100% of the crop evapotranspiration) and was chemically compared to the samples made from hydroSOStainable almonds. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPC), minerals, organic acids and sugars, fatty acids, and descriptive sensory analysis were evaluated.RESULTSThe results showed that almond milk powder produced from hydroSOStainable almonds had a higher content of TPC, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), PUFAs/saturated fatty acids (SFAs) ratio and PUFAs/monounsaturated fatty acids ratio, as well as almond and nutty flavors. Moderate and sustained deficit irrigation leads to powders with a higher content of PUFAs and PUFAs/SFAs ratio, which are parameters of utmost importance for health.CONCLUSIONUsing these strategies, between 66% and 76% of the irrigation water can be saved, producing hydroSOStainable almond milk powder higher in TPC and PUFAs, as well as positive sensory attributes, compared to that from fully irrigated almonds. These findings may have a positive impact in both agriculture and food industry, allowing water savings and high quality and sustainable food products to be obtained. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry