bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transitional turbulent flow in a stenosed coronary artery with a physiological pulsatile flow
Authors: Freidoonimehr Navid , Arjomandi Maziar , Sedaghatizadeh Nima , Chin Rey , Zander Anthony 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe turbulence in the blood flow, caused by plaque deposition on the arterial wall, increases by the combined effect of the complex plaque geometries and the pulsatile blood flow. The correlation between the plaque geometry, the pulsatile inlet flow and the induced turbulence in a constricted artery is investigated in this study. Pressure drop, flow velocity and wall shear stress are determined for stenosed coronary artery models with three different degrees of asymmetric stenosis and for different heart working conditions. A Computational Fluid Dynamics model, validated against experimental data published in the literature, was developed to simulate the blood pulsatile flow inside a stenosed coronary artery model. The transitional flow behaviour was quantified by investigation of the changes in the turbulence kinetic energy. It was shown that the separation starts from the side of the asymmetric stenosis and spreads to its opposite side further downstream. The results suggest that there is a high risk of the formation of a secondary stenosis at a downstream distance equal to 10 times of the artery diameter at the side and bottom regions of the first stenosis due to the existence of the recirculation zones and low shear stresses. Finally, a stenosed patient‐specific coronary artery model was employed to illustrate the applicability of the obtained results for real geometry models. The results of this study provide a good prediction of pressure drop and blood flow rate, which can be applied in the investigation of the heart muscle workout and the required heart power.
Retrospective application of the Milan System for reporting salivary gland cytopathology: A Cancer Center experience
Authors: Leite Amanda Almeida , Vargas Pablo Agustin , dos Santos Silva Alan Roger , Galvis Marisol Miranda , de Sá Raisa Sales , Lopes Pinto Clóvis Antonio , Kowalski Luiz Paulo , Saieg Mauro 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) was recently proposed. Herein, we retrospectively applied this nomenclature system to salivary gland lesions sampled by ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (FNA).MethodsAll cases of salivary gland FNA with available surgical follow‐up, in the period from 2014 to 2017 at our institution were reviewed and reclassified according to one of the six categories of the MSRSGC, blind to the surgical outcome. Overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated, as well as risks of neoplasm (RON) and risk of malignancy (ROM) for each of the proposed categories.ResultsThere were 104 salivary gland lesions, with a female predominance (57.7%), most cases from the parotid gland (89.4%). Mean age was 53.2 years. Distribution of the specimens according to the Milan System was as follows: 19.2% nondiagnostic (ND), 8.7% non‐neoplastic (NN), 9.6% atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), 40.4% benign neoplasm (BN), 14.4% salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP), 1.9% suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and 5.8% malignant. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV using MSRSGC were calculated as 75%, 98.4%, 88.9%, and 95.3%, respectively. RON/ROM for each category were 60%/15% for ND, 44.4%/0% for NN, 90%/40% for AUS, 100%/9.5% for BN, 100%/13.3% for SUMP, 50%/50% for SFM and 100%/100% for malignant.ConclusionThe use of the Milan System proved to be a useful method to predict the risk of neoplasm and malignancy in the sample studied, with high sensitivity and specificity.
Molecular Docking Reveals the Binding Modes of Anticancer Alkylphospholipids and Lysophosphatidylcholine within the Catalytic Domain of Cytidine Triphosphate: Phosphocholine Cytidyltransferase
Authors: Neto Xisto Antonio de Oliveira , Alves Anna Carolina Schneider , Junior Reinaldo Antonio Dias , Rodrigues Ricardo Pereira , Lancellotti Marcelo , Almeida Wanda Pereira , Kawano Daniel Fábio 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAlkylphospholipids are synthetic analogues of endogenous phosphatidylcholines with a remarkable ability: induce the selective apoptosis of exponentially growing tumor cells. One hypothesis concerning their mechanism of action is the inhibition of cytidine triphosphate:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase (CCT), which would significantly suppress the phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis to trigger apoptosis. Herein, homology modeling, docking simulations, and the analyses of molecular interaction fields are used to suggest the most probable binding modes of four alkylphospholipids (edelfosine, erucylphosphocholine, perifosine, and miltefosine) and lysophosphatidylcholine at the catalytic domain of human CCT. All compounds display bind modes in agreement with the corresponding groups found in the CCT substrate, phosphocholine, while their binding strengths are increased because of the interaction of the alkyl chains with hydrophobic residues from the M domain of the protein. Analyses of the geometry of the CCT binding‐site also suggest that small groups, such as benzyl/2‐phenylethyl ethers or equivalent heterocycles, could replace the O‐methyl group in edelfosine to yield even better inhibitors. It is believed this study can guide the development of new alkylphospholipids with an improved profile for the inhibition of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, a critical component for cell cycle progression that can be explored in cancer chemotherapy.Practical Applications: Studies focusing on the interactions between small ligands and their protein targets are decisive for the comprehension of how conformational changes in the macromolecular structure dictates the biological activity and, consequently, how they can be explored in drug discovery. Most of the current studies on alkylphospholipids focuses on their physicochemical interactions with cholesterol and sphingolipids in lipid rafts that, because of the variability and complexity of the membrane phases, hardly can provide structural data in the X‐ray crystallography assays necessary for molecular modeling studies. Therefore, by exploring the inhibition of human cytidine triphosphate:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase as an alternative and, probably, complementary hypothesis to the membrane rafts, a helpful strategy can be provided to overcome the clinical limitations of alkylphospholipids.
Multi‐user broadcast authentication scheme for wireless sensor network based on elliptic curve cryptography
Authors: Kasyoka Philemon , Kimwele Michael , Angolo Shem Mbandu 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWireless sensor networks (WSNs) have found use in many areas ranging from military to healthcare among other areas of interest. Multiuser broadcast authentication is an important security feature in WSNs that can enable users to securely broadcast their data in a WSN. By its very nature, a WSN is resource constrained in nature making security implementation on such a network a major challenge of concern. In this paper, we present an efficient pairing‐free broadcast authentication (BA) scheme with message recovery based on a lightweight digital signature protocol for use on WSNs. Our proposed BA scheme is able to accelerate message authentication broadcasted over a WSN while providing user anonymity. Comparing our proposed BA scheme with previous existing and related BA schemes, we have demonstrated that a reduction in computation, communication, and energy cost is possible making our scheme efficient for use on
WSNs.
Effect of sulfonamides on the electricity generation by Shewanella putrefaciens in microbial fuel cells
Authors: Yang Yurong , Jiang Jin , Liu Xiaohong , Si Youbin 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOveruse of antibiotics impacts environmental health worldwide. In this paper, the effect on the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) under treatments with sulfonamides (SAs) was investigated. The results showed that when MCFs were treated with sulfamonomethoxine (SMM), the maximum power density was higher (20.95 mW/m2) than when treated with sulfadiazine (SDZ) (19.79 mW/m2). The power density of MFCs gradually decreased with increased concentration of SAs. Microbial activity analysis showed that SAs had negative effects on bacterial growth, riboflavin secretion and cell attachment on the MFCs anode. The power density of MFCs at different pH values was in order as follows: pH 6 > pH 7 > pH 8 > pH 5 > pH 9, where the highest was 22.90 mW/m2 at pH 6. Electrochemical analysis showed that conditions favorable to the protonation of SMM also had a positive effect on the electrical performance of MFCs. These findings could provide the basis for uncovering the mechanism by which SAs affect electricity generation in MFCs, and demonstrates the feasibility for the efficient degradation of SAs and power generation.
Numerical study of detecting crack initiation in a planar solid oxide fuel cell
Authors: Fahs Imad‐Eddine , Ghassemi Majid , Fahs Assil 
Published: May 2020

AbstractConverting chemical energy into electricity is done by an electrochemical device known as a fuel cell. Thermal stress is caused by high operating temperature, between 700 and 1,000°C, of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Thermal stress is the main cause of crack initiation and crack propagation. This phenomenon may cause gas leakage, structure instability and cease operation of the SOFC before its lifetime. The aim of this study is to present a method that predicts the initiation of cracks in an anisotropic porous planar SOFC. The coupled governing nonlinear differential equations are solved numerically as for heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transfer, mass continuity, and momentum. An in‐house computer code which is based on computational fluid dynamics, computational structural mechanics and extended finite element method is utilized and developed. This code, according to Darcy and Navier–Stokes thermofluid model, determines the temperature and stress distribution. The results show that the highest thermal stress occurs at the upper corners of cathode and at the lower corners of the anode. The maximum temperature occurs at the middle of the electrolyte cathode and electrolyte anode, while the maximum pressure occurs at the middle of the upper and lower section of the anode and cathode. In addition, the thickness of the cathode electrode at the left side is increased by 1.5%. Finally, the crack initiation occurs at the left side between the upper and lower corners of the cathode.
Factors Affecting Sampling Strategies for Design of an Effects-Directed Analysis for Endocrine-Active Chemicals
Authors: Brennan Jennifer C. , Gale Robert W. , Alvarez David A. , Berninger Jason P. , Leet Jessica K. , Li Yan , Wagner Tyler , Tillitt Donald E. 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Effects-directed analysis (EDA) is an important tool for identifying unknown bioactive components in a complex mixture. Such an analysis of endocrine-active chemicals (EACs) from water sources has promising regulatory implications but also unique logistical challenges. We propose a conceptual EDA (framework) based on a critical review of EDA literature and concentrations of common EACs in waste and surface waters. Required water volumes for identification of EACs under this EDA framework were estimated based on bioassay performance (in vitro and in vivo bioassays), limits of quantification by mass spectrometry (MS), and EAC water concentrations. Sample volumes for EDA across the EACs showed high variation in the bioassay detectors, with genistein, bisphenol A, and androstenedione requiring very high sample volumes and ethinylestradiol and 17β-trenbolone requiring low sample volumes. Sample volume based on the MS detector was far less variable across the EACs. The EDA framework equation was rearranged to calculate detector “thresholds,” and these thresholds were compared with the literature EAC water concentrations to evaluate the feasibility of the EDA framework. In the majority of instances, feasibility of the EDA was limited by the bioassay, not MS detection. Mixed model analysis showed that the volumes required for a successful EDA were affected by the potentially responsible EAC, detection methods, and the water source type, with detection method having the greatest effect on the EDA of estrogens and androgens. The EDA framework, equation, and model we present provide a valuable tool for designing a successful EDA. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1309–1324. © 2020 SETAC
Physicochemical and rheological characterization of pectin‐rich polysaccharides from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis flower
Authors: Chen Qi , Xue Gang , Ni Qinxue , Wang Yan , Gao Qianxin , Zhang Youzuo , Xu Guangzhi 
Published: May 2020

AbstractGardenia (Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis) is regarded as an edible medicine plant in China. Here, gardenia flower polysaccharide fraction (GFPF) was extracted by water at 90°C and its chemical composition, rheological properties, and antioxidant activities of GFPF were investigated. The GFPF extraction yield was 18.04 ± 1.81% (W/W) and mainly comprised neutral sugars (46.83 ± 3.14%), uronic acid (35.21 ± 0.17%), protein (1.63 ± 0.34%), and total phenol (9.49 ± 0.08 mgGAE/g). Galacturonic acid (41.05 ± 0.59%) was the main monosaccharide, and galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose, xylose, mannose, and glucuronic acid were also detected in GFPF. Its degree of esterification was 32.76 ± 1.52%. FT‐IR spectra analysis showed a similar absorption pattern between GFPF and pectin from apple. The results suggested that GFPF was low methoxy pectin. Thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential analysis indicated that the pectin was stable under high temperature and alkaline condition. Steady rheology showed that the GFPF dispersion was a shear thinned pseudoplastic fluid with high apparent viscosities at concentration above 2%. The degree of pseudoplasticity of the solutions increased with the concentrations increased and the temperatures decreased. DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assay indicated that GFPF had relatively high antioxidant activity. The results showed that gardenia flower was rich in pectin polysaccharides with low methoxy pectin. It had high apparent viscosities at concentration above 2% and had good antioxidant activity. The data suggested that GFPF can be a new resource of low methoxy pectin with potential application as thicker or gelling agents in food industry.
The clinical heterogeneity of round cell sarcomas with EWSR1/FUS gene fusions: Impact of gene fusion type on clinical features and outcome
Authors: Tsuda Yusuke , Zhang Lei , Meyers Paul , Tap William D. , Healey John H. , Antonescu Cristina R. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe genetic hallmark of classic Ewing sarcoma is a recurrent fusion between EWSR1 and FUS gene with a member of the ETS transcription factor family. In contrast, tumors with non‐ETS gene partners have been designated until recently “Ewing‐like sarcoma,” as a provisional molecular entity, as their clinical and pathologic features were still evolving. However, this group was reclassified as “round cell sarcoma with EWSR1‐non‐ETS fusions” in the latest 2020 WHO classification. Moreover, round cell sarcomas with either CIC or BCOR gene abnormalities, initially classified under Ewing family of tumors, are now regarded as stand‐alone pathologic entities based on their distinct features. In this study we investigated the clinical characteristics of 226 confirmed Ewing sarcoma patients (EWSR1‐FLI1 [n = 176], EWSR1/FUS‐ERG [n = 35], EWSR1/FUS‐FEV [n = 12], and EWSR1‐ETV1/4 [n = 3]) and 14 round cell sarcoma patients with EWSR1‐non‐ETS fusion (EWSR1/FUS‐NFATC2 [n = 10], EWSR1‐PATZ1 [n = 3], and EWSR1‐VEZF1 [n = 1]). The impact on overall survival (OS) was assessed in 90 patients with available follow‐up, treated between 2011 and 2018. Patients with fusions involving FEV and NFATC2 genes showed an older median age at diagnosis, compared to those with EWSR1‐FLI1 (P = .005), while extraskeletal location was more common in tumors with noncanonical EWSR1‐FLI1 fusions (P = .001). Axial and pelvic primary sites were more common in patients with EWSR1‐FLI1 (72%), while tumors with NFATC2 fusions were more frequent in the limb (78%, P = .006). The 3‐year OS in patients with EWSR1‐FLI1 was 91%, compared to only 60% in patients with alternative fusions (P = .037); the latter group showing a higher rate of metastases at presentation. However, this OS difference was not significant in patients with localized tumor (P = .585). Our study demonstrates significant correlations between fusion subtype and age at presentation, primary tumor sites, and OS, in both conventional Ewing sarcoma and round cell sarcoma with EWSR1‐non ETS fusions patients. Larger studies are needed to determine survival differences in localized tumors.
Effect of spatial resolution of satellite images on estimating the greenness and evapotranspiration of urban green spaces
Authors: Nouri Hamideh , Nagler Pamela , Chavoshi Borujeni Sattar , Barreto Munez Armando , Alaghmand Sina , Noori Behnaz , Galindo Alejandro , Didan Kamel 
Published: May 2020

AbstractUrban green spaces (UGS), like most managed land covers, are getting progressively affected by water scarcity and drought. Preserving, restoring and expanding UGS require sustainable management of green and blue water resources to fulfil evapotranspiration (ET) demand for green plant cover. The heterogeneity of UGS with high variation in their microclimates and irrigation practices builds up the complexity of ET estimation. In oversized UGS, areas too large to be measured with in situ ET methods, remote sensing (RS) approaches of ET measurement have the potential to estimate the actual ET. Often in situ approaches are not feasible or too expensive. We studied the effects of spatial resolution using different satellite images, with high‐, medium‐ and coarse‐spatial resolutions, on the greenness and ET of UGS using Vegetation Indices (VIs) and VI‐based ET, over a 780‐ha urban park in Adelaide, Australia. We validated ET with the ground‐based ET method of Soil Water Balance. Three sets of imagery from WorldView2, Landsat and MODIS, and three VIs including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index 2 (EVI2), were used to assess long‐term changes of VIs and ET calculated from the different imagery acquired for this study (2011–2018). We found high correspondence between ET‐MODIS and ET‐Landsat (R2 > 0.99 for all VIs). Landsat‐VIs captured the seasonal changes of greenness better than MODIS‐VIs. We used artificial neural network (ANN) to relate the RS‐ET and ground data, and ET‐MODIS (EVI2) showed the highest correlation (R2 = 0.95 and MSE =0.01 for validation). We found a strong relationship between RS‐ET and in situ measurements, even though it was not explicable by simple regressions; black box models helped us to explore their correlation. The methodology used in this research makes a strong case for the value of remote sensing in estimating and managing ET of green spaces in water‐limited cities.
Evaluation of WaPOR V2 evapotranspiration products across Africa
Authors: Blatchford Megan L. , Mannaerts Chris M. , Njuki Sammy M. , Nouri Hamideh , Zeng Yijian , Pelgrum Henk , Wonink Steven , Karimi Poolad 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) portal to monitor water productivity through open‐access of remotely sensed derived data (WaPOR) offers continuous actual evapotranspiration and interception (ETIa‐WPR) data at a 10‐day basis across Africa and the Middle East from 2009 onwards at three spatial resolutions. The continental level (250 m) covers Africa and the Middle East (L1). The national level (100 m) covers 21 countries and 4 river basins (L2). The third level (30 m) covers eight irrigation areas (L3). To quantify the uncertainty of WaPOR version 2 (V2.0) ETIa‐WPR in Africa, we used a number of validation methods. We checked the physical consistency against water availability and the long‐term water balance and then verify the continental spatial and temporal trends for the major climates in Africa. We directly validated ETIa‐WPR against in situ data of 14 eddy covariance stations (EC). Finally, we checked the level consistency between the different spatial resolutions. Our findings indicate that ETIa‐WPR is performing well, but with some noticeable overestimation. The ETIa‐WPR is showing expected spatial and temporal consistency with respect to climate classes. ETIa‐WPR shows mixed results at point scale as compared to EC flux towers with an overall correlation of 0.71, and a root mean square error of 1.2 mm/day. The level consistency is very high between L1 and L2. However, the consistency between L1 and L3 varies significantly between irrigation areas. In rainfed areas, the ETIa‐WPR is overestimating at low ETIa‐WPR and underestimating when ETIa is high. In irrigated areas, ETIa‐WPR values appear to be consistently overestimating ETa. The relative soil moisture content (SMC), the input of quality layers and local advection effects were some of the identified causes. The quality assessment of ETIa‐WPR product is enhanced by combining multiple evaluation methods. Based on the results, the ETIa‐WPR dataset is of enough quality to contribute to the understanding and monitoring of local and continental water processes and water management.
Soil temperature and soil moisture dynamics in winter and spring under heavy snowfall conditions in North‐Eastern Japan
Authors: Brandt Alexander C. , Zhang Qiqin , Lopez Caceres Maximo Larry , Murayama Hideki 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWarm winters and high precipitation in north‐eastern Japan generate snow covers of more than three meters depth and densities of up to 0.55 g cm−3. Under these conditions, rain/snow ratio and snowmelt have increased significantly in the last decade under increasing warm winters. This study aims at understanding the effect of rain‐on‐snow and snowmelt on soil moisture under thick snow covers in mid‐winter, taking into account that snowmelt in spring is an important source of water for forests and agriculture. The study combines three components of the Hydrosphere (precipitation, snow cover and soil moisture) in order to trace water mobility in winter, since soil temperatures remained positive in winter at nearly 0.3°C. The results showed that soil moisture increased after snowmelt and especially after rain‐on‐snow events in mid‐winter 2018/2019. Rain‐on‐snow events were firstly buffered by fresh snow, increasing the snow water equivalent (SWE), followed by water soil infiltration once the water storage capacity of the snowpack was reached. The largest increase of soil moisture was 2.35 vol%. Early snowmelt increased soil moisture with rates between 0.02 and 0.035 vol% hr−1 while, rain‐on‐snow events infiltrated snow and soil faster than snowmelt and resulted in rates of up to 1.06 vol% hr−1. These results showed the strong connection of rain, snow and soil in winter and introduce possible hydrological scenarios in the forest ecosystems of the heavy snowfall regions of north‐eastern Japan. Effects of rain‐on‐snow events and snowmelt on soil moisture were estimated for the period 2012–2018. Rain/snow ratio showed that only 30% of the total precipitation in the winter season 2011/2012 was rain events while it was 50% for the winter 2018/2019. Increasing climate warming and weakening of the Siberian winter monsoons will probably increase rain/snow ratio and the number of rain‐on‐snow events in the near future.