bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic assessment of the daily intake of microelements and toxic elements via the consumption of rice with different degrees of polishing
Authors: Hensawang Supanad , Lee Byung‐Tae , Kim Kyoung‐Woong , Chanpiwat Penradee 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe polishing process plays a key role in determining the beneficial quality of rice. However, the effects of polishing on human exposure to essential and toxic elements are not well reported. This study evaluated the effects of polishing on the levels of essential and toxic elements in rice grains and evaluated the status of their daily intake using probabilistic assessment.RESULTSThe levels of essential elements decreased as the degree of polishing increased. The highest reduction percentages of essential elements [24% of copper (Cu), 26% of nickel (Ni), and 52% of manganese (Mn)] were found after the first polishing step. The highest zinc (Zn) reduction (15%) was found after the fourth polishing step. For toxic elements, polishing significantly reduced the arsenic (As) concentration (15–31%) from that of the whole grains, of which 26% was removed after the first step.CONCLUSIONPolishing removed both essential and toxic elements from rice grains. The highest losses of Cu, Mn, Ni, and As were found after the first polishing step since these elements generally localize in the aleurone layers of rice grains. The last polishing step caused a significant Zn reduction from the grain. Polishing had no significant effect on the cadmium (Cd) concentration in grains. The consumption of all types of rice could not supply sufficient amounts of all microelements except Mn to maintain optimum health. Both As and Cd intake levels were lower than the benchmarks of toxic health effects. Thus, the potential health impacts of both of these elements in rice can be neglected. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Bacillus mycoides A1 and Bacillus tequilensisA3 inhibit the growth of a member of the phytopathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex in avocado
Authors: Guerrero‐Barajas Claudia , Constantino‐Salinas Erick A , Amora‐Lazcano Enriqueta , Tlalapango‐Ángeles Daniel , Mendoza‐Figueroa José S , Cruz‐Maya Juan A , Jan‐Roblero Janet 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDAvocado is affected by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing anthracnose. Antagonistic microorganisms against C. gloeosporioides represent an alternative for biological control. Accordingly, in the present study, we focused on the isolation and characterization of potential antagonist bacteria against a member of the C. gloeosporioides species complex with respect to their possible future application.RESULTSSamples of avocado rhizospheric soil were aquired from an orchard located in Ocuituco, Morelos, Mexico, aiming to obtain bacterial isolates with potential antifungal activity. From the soil samples, 136 bacteria were isolated and they were then challenged against a member of the C. gloeosporioides species complex; only three bacterial isolates A1, A2 and A3 significantly diminished mycelial fungal growth by 75%, 70% and 60%, respectively. Two of these isolates were identified by 16S rRNA as Bacillus mycoides (A1 and A2) and the third was identified as Bacillus tequilensis (A3). Bacillus mycoides bacterial cell‐free supernatant reduced the mycelial growth of a member of the C. gloeosporioides species complex isolated from avocado by 65%, whereas Bacillus tequilensis A3 supernatant did so by 25% after 3 days post inoculation. Bacillus tequilensis mycoides A1 was a producer of proteases, indolacetic acid and siderophores. Preventive treatment using a cell‐free supernatant of B. mycoides A1 diminished the severity of anthracnose disease (41.9%) on avocado fruit.CONCLUSIONThese results reveal the possibility of using B. mycoides A1 as a potential biological control agent. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
The Role of Impulsivity in the Association Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity and Substance Use in Male Military Veterans
Authors: Mahoney Colin T. , Cole Hannah E. , Gilbar Ohad , Taft Casey T. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHigh rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) are prevalent in military veterans. However, few studies have investigated impulsivity as a risk factor for engaging in substance use behavior for individuals who are experiencing PTSD symptoms. The present study evaluated impulsivity as a moderator of the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol/drug use. Male military veterans (N = 106) completed self‐report measures of alcohol use behavior, drug use behavior, and impulsivity. Participants also completed a structured diagnostic interview to assess for PTSD. The findings indicated that impulsivity moderated the relation between total PTSD symptoms and alcohol use, B = 0.01, p = .035, along with associations between alcohol use and two of the symptom clusters: PTSD reexperiencing symptoms, B = 0.01, p = .016; and PTSD avoidance/numbing symptoms, B = 0.01, p = .029. Veterans with high levels of impulsivity were at significantly higher risk of engaging in alcohol use than veterans with low‐to‐average levels. Impulsivity did not potentiate the relation between PTSD hyperarousal symptoms and alcohol use nor did it moderate the association between any of the PTSD variables and drug use. Impulsivity appears to serve as a significant risk factor for alcohol use, but not drug use, for male veterans experiencing PTSD symptoms. Future studies are necessary to replicate and expand upon these findings, particularly to facilitate the development of integrated evidence‐based treatments that target both alcohol use and impulsivity within the context of PTSD.
Single‐Layer Aberration‐Compensated Flat Lens for Robust Wide‐Angle Imaging
Authors: Hao Chenglong , Gao Shecheng , Ruan Qifeng , Feng Yuanhua , Li Ying , Yang Joel K.W. , Li Zhaohui , Qiu Cheng‐Wei 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMetasurfaces are planarized and miniaturized versions of conventional optical elements. Subwavelength‐thick single‐layer metalenses have diffraction limited resolution for on‐axis imaging but relatively low resolution for off‐axis imaging due to off‐axial aberrations. The aberrations of planar single‐layer metalenses have been corrected by patterning two metasurfaces on both sides of a substrate to form metalens doublets with a thickness of hundreds of micrometers to millimeters. The multilevel diffractive lenses are demonstrated to achieve wide angle imaging with a thickness of several micrometers, however, the off‐axial aberrations are not compensated. Here, an epsilon‐greedy algorithm‐based scheme for achieving a planar wavelength‐thick single‐layer aberration‐compensated (SLAC) flat lens consisting of dielectric nanoring structures fabricated by 3D printing are proposed. The scheme is experimentally validated via a SLAC flat lens. This SLAC flat lens has a thickness of 1 µm, a numerical aperture of 0.45, a focal length of 1 mm, a full field of view (FOV) of 32° that enables aberration‐compensated imaging along the focal plane and monochromatic microscopic imaging with resolution better than 2.2 µm at a wavelength of 633 nm. This scheme can lead to ultrathin wide‐FOV flat lens designs as well as low‐cost mass production, which has various applications in miniscopes, mobile camera modules, and machine vision.
Self‐Adhesive Microneedles with Interlocking Features for Sustained Ocular Drug Delivery
Authors: Amer Maher , Chen Roland K. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe interests in sustained ocular drug delivery have grown rapidly in recent years, with hope to replace repeated intravitreal injections. Microneedles (MNs), which are minimally invasive, have been shown to be a feasible vehicle for sustained drug delivery. However, securing an MN patch in the eye remains challenging. In this study, a new design of hydrogel MNs with interlocking features to achieve self‐adhesion is proposed. Upon swelling, the swollen interlocking features help secure the MNs in place. A new molding process is developed to fabricate MNs with interlocking features that can cause issues when demolding using the regular micromolding process. MNs with two different interlocking feature designs are used in this study and are made with polyvinyl alcohol. MNs with the interlocking features show an 80% increase in adhesion strength and a small amount of increase in penetration force, in comparison to MNs without any feature. The experiments are performed using both a sclera‐mimicking phantom and ex vivo eyes harvested from rabbits and are shown to have comparable results. This study demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating interlocking features to MNs to achieve self‐adhesion that can enable sustained drug delivery via MNs.
Lattice points in bodies of revolution II
Authors: Chamizo Fernando , Pastor Carlos 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn [3] it was shown that when a three‐dimensional smooth convex body has rotational symmetry around a coordinate axis one can find better bounds for the lattice point discrepancy than what is known for more general convex bodies. To accomplish this, however, it was necessary to assume a non‐vanishing condition on the third derivative of the generatrix. In this article we drop this condition, showing that the aforementioned bound holds for a wider family of revolution bodies, which includes those with analytic boundary. A novelty in our approach is that, besides the usual analytic methods, it requires studying some Diophantine properties of the Taylor coefficients of the phase on the Fourier transform side.
Application of Genetic Algorithm in Simultaneous Deconvolution: Case Studies of Ethylene/1‐Butene Copolymers with Direct and Inverse MW/CC Relationships
Authors: Khayanying Kett , Anantawaraskul Siripon 
Published: April 2020

AbstractFor multiple‐site‐type catalytic system, simultaneous deconvolution of molecular weight distribution and chemical composition distribution can be used to determine the number of site types and chain microstructures of polymers produced on each site type. In the conventional deconvolution with generalized reduced gradient (GRG) nonlinear algorithm, appropriate initial guesses are often required. In the case that the relationship between molecular weight and comonomer content (MW/CC) is not known, inadequate initial guesses can lead to inaccurate parameter estimation. In this work, genetic algorithm is considered as an alternative optimization tool during simultaneous deconvolution with the advantage that it can reach the global solution without relying on the adequate initial guesses. The proposed approach is validated with simulated data of model ethylene/1‐butene copolymers with inverse and direct MW/CC relationships and benchmarked with the conventional GRG technique.
Developing Structure–Process–Property Relationships Using Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Fiscus David M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe properties of polymeric materials depend on their composition, resin molecular architecture, and fabrication conditions, all of which have been related by reaction engineering, polymer science, and resin processing theories. However, gaps in these theories limit their use, particularly in developing new resins with superior performance. Mulitvariate statistics can remove these limitations and unravel the relationships between variables. These methods are used to establish the structure–process–property relationships of commercial polyethylene blown film resins. The results are used to develop new resins with unique and superior balances of properties. Suggestions on how to apply the results to other blown film problems are provided, such as, adapting processing conditions to accommodate resin variation and resin scale‐up operations. The methodology can be applied to other materials and applications. Key concepts are explained and developed using chemometrics.
Intraindividual Neurofilament Dynamics in Serum Mark the Conversion to Sporadic Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Wilke Carlo , dos Santos Marcia Cristina Teixeira , Schulte Claudia , Deuschle Christian , Scheller Dieter , Verbelen Moira , Brockmann Kathrin , von Thaler Anna‐Katharina , Sünkel Ulrike , Roeben Benjamin , Bujac Sarah , Metzger Florian G. , Maetzler Walter , da Costa Andre Nogueira , Synofzik Matthis , Berg Daniela 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesWith disease‐modifying treatment strategies on the horizon, stratification of individual patients at the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) is key—ideally already at clinical disease onset. Blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) provide an easily accessible fluid biomarker that might allow capturing the conversion from prodromal to manifest PD.MethodsWe assessed longitudinal serum NfL levels in subjects converting from prodromal to manifest sporadic PD (converters), at‐risk subjects, and matched controls (72 participants with ≈4 visits), using single‐molecule array (Simoa) technique.ResultsWhile NfL levels were not increased at the prodromal stage, subjects converting to the manifest motor stage showed a significant intraindividual acceleration of the age‐dependent increase of NfL levels.ConclusionsThe temporal dynamics of intraindividual NfL blood levels might mark the conversion to clinically manifest PD, providing a potential stratification biomarker for individual disease onset in the advent of precision medicine for PD. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Panel‐based targeted exome sequencing reveals novel candidate susceptibility loci for age‐related cataracts in Chinese Cohort
Authors: Li Jian-Kang , Li Li‐Li , Li Wei , Wang Zi‐Wei , Gao Feng‐Juan , Hu Fang-Yuan , Zhang Sheng‐Hai , Qu Shou-Fang , Huang Jie , Wang Lu-Sheng , Wu Ji-Hong , Chen Fang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundAge‐related cataracts (ARC) is the most common blinding eye disease worldwide, and its incidence tend to become younger. However, the relationship between genetic factors and mechanisms is not fully understood. The aim of the study was to further clarify the relationship between ARC and genetic mechanisms in East Asian populations and to elucidate the pathogenesis.MethodsThe study collected 191 sporadic cataracts and 208 healthy people from the eastern provinces of China, with an average age of about 60 years. All participants were subjected to a comprehensive ophthalmic clinical examination and peripheral blood samples were collected and their genomic DNA was extracted. Mutations were screened among 792 candidate genes to enhance understanding of the disease through targeted capture and high‐throughput sequencing.ResultsWe identified novel candidate susceptibility gene, which may serve as a potential susceptibility factor leading to an increase in the incidence of age‐related cataracts. Three novel loci are associated with age‐related cataracts significant significance: rs129882 in DBH (p = 5.27E‐07, odds ratio = 3.9), rs1800280 in DMD (p = 2.85E‐06, odds ratio = 1.4) and rs2871776 in ATP13A2 (p = 4.18E‐05, odds ratio = 0.04). Gene–gene interaction analysis revealed that the most significant interactions between genes include the interaction between DBH and TUB (rs17847537 in TUB, rs129882 in DBH, p‐value = 2.12E‐14), and the interaction between DBH and DMD (rs1800280 in DMD, rs129882 in DBH, p‐value = 2.12E‐14). Pathway analysis shows that the most significant processes are concentrated in response to light stimulation (adjusted p‐Value = 5.56E‐03), response to radiation (adjusted P‐Value = 5.56E‐03), abiotic stimulus (adjusted p‐Value = 5.56E‐03). eQTL analysis shows that DBH rs129882 could regulate the expression of DBH mRNA in various tissues including retina.ConclusionOur study indicates rs129882 and rs1800280 loci are associated with age‐related cataracts, which enlarge the gene map of age‐related cataracts.
An investigation into the robustness of dynamically collimated proton therapy treatments
Authors: Smith Blake R. , Hyer Daniel E. , Culberson Wesley S. 
Published: April 2020

PurposeTo investigate the dosimetric robustness of dynamically collimated proton therapy (DCPT) treatment plans delivered using a dynamic collimation system (DCS) with respect to random uncertainties in beam spot and collimator position as well as systematic offsets in the DCS mounting alignment. This work also demonstrates a technique that can increase plan robustness while preserving target conformity.MethodsVariability in beam spot and collimator positioning can result in changes to a beamlet's dose distribution and incident fluence. The robustness of the DCPT treatment plans was evaluated for three intracranial treatment sites by modeling treatment variability as normally distributed random variables with standard deviations reflecting a clinical system. The simulated treatment plans were then recalculated and compared against their nominal, idealized dose distribution among several trials. It was hypothesized that a plan's robustness to these delivery variables could be reduced by restricting a trimmer's placement toward a beamlet's central axis during collimation.ResultsBy introducing a minimum trimmer offset of 1.5 mm, the variation of the planning target volume (PTV) D95% coverage was reduced to within 2% of the prescribed dose. The treatment plans with trimmers that were placed within 0.5 mm of a collimated beamlet's central axis resulted in the greatest healthy tissue sparing but deviations as high as 11.4% to the PTV D95% were observed. The nominal conformity of these treatment plans utilizing the 1.5 mm trimmer offset was also well maintained. For each treatment plan studied, the 90% conformity index remained within 6.25% of the conformity index achieved without a minimum trimmer offset, and the D50% of surrounding healthy tissue increased by no more than 3.1 Gy relative to a plan without a trimmer offset.ConclusionsWhile DCPT can offer a significant reduction in healthy tissue irradiation, the results from this work indicate that special care must be taken to ensure proper PTV coverage amid uncertainties associated with this new treatment modality. A simple approach utilizing a minimum trimmer offset was able to preserve the majority of the target conformity and healthy tissue sparing the DCS technology affords while minimizing the uncertainties in this treatment approach.
Pharmacological characterization of a novel potent, selective, and orally active orexin 2 receptor antagonist, SDM‐878
Authors: Maehara Shunsuke , Yuge Natsuko , Higashi Chika , Ota Takumi , Furukawa Junji , Takeuchi Takashi 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAimsRecently, we identified a novel orexin 2 (OX2) receptor antagonist, SDM‐878 (2‐(3‐(2‐(1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)nicotinoyl)‐3,8‐diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octan‐8‐yl)‐3‐methoxyisonicotinonitrile). The purpose of the present study is to characterize the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects of SDM‐878.MethodsThe in vitro potency and selectivity of SDM‐878 were examined in CHO cells that exhibit stable expression of human orexin 1 (OX1), human orexin 2 (OX2), rat OX1, and rat OX2receptors. Then, the plasma half‐life, oral bioavailability, and brain penetration of SDM‐878 were examined in rats. The in vivo effect of SDM‐878 in rats was tested using electroencephalography (EEG). The target engagement of SDM‐878 in the rat brain was examined using the antagonistic effect against hyperlocomotion caused by the intracerebroventricular administration of the OX2 receptor agonist, ADL‐OXB ([Ala11, d‐Leu15]‐orexin B).ResultsSDM‐878 showed potent inhibitory activities for human and rat OX2 receptors with IC values of 10.6 and 8.8 nM, respectively, and approximately 1000‐fold selectivity against the OX1receptor. In rat studies, SDM‐878 exhibited a relatively short half‐life in plasma, oral bioavailability, and good brain penetration. These data indicate that SDM‐878 is a potent, selective, orally active, and brain‐penetrable OX2receptor antagonist. In behavioral studies using rats, SDM‐878 (100 mg/kg) antagonized hyperlocomotion caused by intracerebroventricular administration of ADL‐OXB. SDM‐878 exhibited a potent sleep‐promoting effect at the same dose (100 mg/kg) in a rat EEG study.ConclusionOur results suggest that SDM‐878 is likely to be a good pharmacological tool for investigating the role of the OX2receptor and may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of insomnia.
Modeling constituent–property relationship of polyvinylchloride composites by neural networks
Authors: Reddy Bhumi Reddy Srinivasulu , Premasudha Mookala , Panigrahi Bharat B. , Cho Kwon‐Koo , Reddy Nagireddy Gari Subba 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict and analyze the relationship between properties and process parameters of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites. The tensile strength, ductility, and density of PVC are modeled as a function of virgin PVC, recycled PVC, CaCO3, di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate, chlorinated paraffin wax, and CaCO3 particle size. The ANN model is trained using the backpropagation algorithm. The developed model was validated with a set of unseen test data. The correlation coefficient adj. R2 values for test data were 0.95, 0.83, and 0.90 for tensile strength, density, and ductility, respectively. The relationship between constituents and properties of PVC composites were analyzed by sensitivity analysis, index of relative importance, and quantitative estimation. The study concluded that ANN modeling was a dependable tool for the optimization of constituents for the desired properties of PVCs.
Analysis of the isoprenoid pathway intermediates, dimethylallyl diphosphate and isopentenyl diphosphate, from crude plant extracts by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Krause Toni , Reichelt Michael , Gershenzon Jonathan , Schmidt Axel 
Published: April 2020

AbstractObjectiveWe sought to develop a sensitive and accurate analytical method for the detection and quantification of IDP and DMADP as well as their monophosphate derivatives in crude plant extracts.MethodsA liquid chromatography method coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was established to measure the amounts of IDP and DMADP down to low picogram levels, which was linear over at least three orders of magnitude. Extracts were enriched using an anion exchanger, and chromatographic separation was achieved using a β‐cyclodextrin column. A S‐thiolodiphosphate analog of DMADP was employed as an internal standard.ResultsDilution series of authentic compounds were used to determine the limits of detection and quantification for IDP, DMADP and their corresponding monophosphates. A survey of plant species producing varying amounts of isoprenoids showed a corresponding variation in IDP and DMADP with the ratio of DMADP/IDP ranging from 4:1 to 2:1. Trace levels of isopentenyl monophosphate (IP) and dimethylallyl monophosphate (DMAP) were also detected.ConclusionThe LC–MS/MS method described enables absolute quantification of in planta levels of IDP and DMADP for the first time. The method is also suitable for analysing bacterial and animal samples as well as enzyme assays.