bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Dissolved Metal in Surface and overlying water at the the Xiangjiang River in Southern China
Authors: Huang Zhifeng , zhao xingru , Qiao Xiaocui , Liu Chengyou , Zheng Binghui 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Metal pollution in rivers has been a serious environmental problem in aquatic ecosystems. The Xiangjiang River is an important drinking water resource for the Hunan province of China. It is crucial to ascertain the pollution status and health risk of metal in this river. In this study, both surface and overlying water samples were collected from the Xiangjiang River and 12 dissolved metals (Mg, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, and Ba) were investigated. Results: Average concentrations fell in the order of dissolved metal Mg > Mn > Ba > Fe > Zn > As > Sb > Ni > Cd > V > Cr > Co, all of which were lower than the threshold values for drinking water guidelines of China. There was no significant difference in metal concentrations between surface and overlying water. Health risk assessment shows carcinogenic risk (CR) values of As and Cd were higher than the critical value, and children are more susceptible to the health risk of dissolved metals caused by drinking ingestion. Conclusion: The water quality in this area was good overall. Metals pollution appeared more serious in the midstrean and on the southern side of the investigated area. Anthropogenic activities are the main source of heavy metals in the river. Dissolved metals have health risk to local children with hazard index (HI) > 1. While more attention should be paid to As and Cd, which had a potential carcinogenic risk to human. The results provide guidance for controlling metal pollution and protecting drinking water sources in the Xiangjiang River.
Characterization of new fungal carbohydrate esterase family 1 proteins leads to the discovery of two novel dual feruloyl/acetyl xylan esterases
Authors: Dilokpimol Adiphol , Verkerk Bart , Bellemare Annie , Lavallee Mathieu , Frommhagen Matthias , Underlin Emilie Nørmølle , Kabel Mirjam Anna , Powlowski Justin , Tsang Adrian , Vries Ronald Peter de 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background Feruloyl esterases (FAEs) and acetyl xylan esterases (AXEs) are important accessory enzymes in the deconstruction of plant biomass. Carbohydrate Esterase family 1 (CE1) of the Carbohydrate-Active enZymes database contains both fungal FAEs and AXEs, sharing a high amino acid sequence similarity, even though they target different structural molecules on plant cell wall polysaccharides. Results We recently classified fungal CE1 into five subfamilies (CE1_SF1-5). In this study, ten novel fungal CE1 enzymes from different subfamilies were heterologously produced in Aspergillus niger and characterized to gain insight on relationships among these esterases. The enzymes from CE1_SF1 possess AXE activity, as they hydrolyzed p NP-acetate and released acetic acid from wheat arabinoxylan, but were not active towards FAE substrates. CE1_SF5 showed FAE activity as they hydrolyzed methyl ferulate and other FAE related substrates, and release ferulic acid from wheat arabinoxylan. These FAEs preferred feruloylated arabinoxylan over pectin. Two CE1_SF2, sharing over 70% amino acid sequence identity, possessed the opposite activity. Interestingly, one enzyme from CE1_SF1 and one from CE1_SF5 possess dual feruloyl/acetyl xylan esterase (FXE) activity. These dual activity enzymes showed expansion of substrate specificity. Conclusions The new FXEs from CE1 can efficiently release both ferulic acid and acetic acid from feruloylated xylan, making them particularly interesting novel components of industrial enzyme cocktails for plant biomass degradation.
A novel bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase mediating ethanol formation from acetyl-CoA in hyperthermophiles
Authors: Wang Qiang , Sha Chong , Wang Hongcheng , Ma Kesen , Wiegel Juergen , Abomohra Abd El-Fatah , Shao Weilan 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Hyperthermophilic fermentation at temperatures above 80 °C allows in situ product removal to mitigate the ethanol toxicity, and reduces microbial contamination without autoclaving/cooling of feedstock. Many species of Thermotoga grow at temperatures up to 90 °C, and have enzymes to degrade and utilize lignocelluloses, which provide advantages for achieving consolidated processes of cellulosic ethanol production. However, no CoA-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase (CoA-Aldh) from any hyperthermophiles has been documented in literature so far. The pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductases from hyperthermophiles have pyruvate decarboxylase activity, which convert about 2% and 98% of pyruvate to acetaldehyde and acetyl-CoA (ac-CoA), respectively. Acetyl-CoA can be converted to acetic acid, if there is no CoA-Aldh to convert ac-CoA to acetaldehyde and further to ethanol. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify and characterize a CoA-Aldh activity that mediates ethanol fermentation in hyperthermophiles.Results: In Thermotoga neapolitana (Tne), a hyperthermophilic iron-acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (Fe-AAdh) was, for the first time, revealed to catalyze the ac-CoA reduction to form ethanol via an acetaldehyde intermediate, while the annotated aldh gene in Tne genome only encodes a CoA-independent Aldh that oxidizes aldehyde to acetic acid. Three other Tne alcohol dehydrogenases (Adh) exhibited specific physiological roles in ethanol formation and consumption: Fe-Adh2 mainly catalyzed the reduction of acetaldehyde to produce ethanol, and Fe-Adh1 showed significant activities only under extreme conditions, while Zn-Adh showed special activity in ethanol oxidation. In the in vitro formation of ethanol from ac-CoA, a strong synergy was observed between Fe-Adh1 and Fe-AAdh. The Fe-AAdh gene is highly conserved in Thermotoga spp. and in Pyrococus sp., which is probably responsible for ethanol metabolism in hyperthermophiles.Conclusions: Hyperthermophilic Thermotoga spp. are excellent candidates for biosynthesis of cellulosic ethanol fermentation strains. The finding of a novel hyperthermophilic CoA-Aldh activity of Tne Fe-AAdh revealed the existence of a hyperthermophilic fermentation pathway from ac-CoA to ethanol, which offers a basic frame for in vitro synthesis of a highly active AAdh for effective ethanol fermentation pathway in hyperthermophiles, which is a key element for the approach to the consolidated processes of cellulosic ethanol production.
Optimization of Yarrowia lipolytica-based consolidated biocatalyst through synthetic biology approach: transcription units and signal peptides shuffling
Authors: Celińska Ewelina , Borkowska Monika , Korpys-Woźniak Paulina , Kubiak Monika , Nicaud Jean-Marc , Kubiak Piotr , Gorczyca Maria , Białas Wojciech 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Nowadays considerable effort is being pursued towards development of consolidated microbial biocatalysts that will be able to utilize complex, non-pretreated substrates and produce valuable compounds. In such engineered microbes, synthesis of extracellular hydrolases may be fine-tuned by different approaches, like strength of promoter, type of secretory tag, gene copy number etc. In this study, we investigated if organization of a multi-element expression cassette impacts the resultant Y. lipolytica transformants’ phenotype, presuming that different variants of the cassette are composed of the same regulatory elements and encode the same hydrolases. Results: To this end, Y. lipolytica cells were transformed with expression cassettes bearing a pair of genes encoding exactly the same mature amylases, but fused to four different signal peptides (SP), and located interchangeably in either first or second position of a synthetic DNA construction. The resultant strains were tested for growth on raw and pre-treated complex substrates of different plant origin for comprehensive examination of the strains’ acquired characteristics. The best strain’s performance was tested in batch bioreactor cultivations for growth and lipids accumulation. Conclusions: Based on the conducted research we concluded that the positional order of transcription units (TU) and the type of exploited SP affect final characteristics of the resultant consolidated biocatalyst strains, and thus could be considered as additional factors to be evaluated upon consolidated biocatalysts optimization.
Assessment of left atrial function in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using two- dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Kiatsilapanan Arisara , Surachetpong Sirilak 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background : Left atrial (LA) function plays an important role in diastolic dysfunction in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is a novel technique for assessing LA function. This study aimedto evaluate changes in the LA function inHCM cats compared to normal cats, using 2D-STE. Results: Seventeen client-owned cats affected with HCM and twenty healthy control cats. Conventional echocardiographic and 2D-STE variables were measured and compared between groups (the normal and HCM groups). The difference between two groups was compared by using the independent Student’s t-test. A p -value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Variability from the 2D-STE variables tests displayed good reproducibility (coefficient of variation ≤15%). The mean value of peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) in the HCM group (13.16 ± 8.64) was lower in the control group (28.54 ±10.31) ( p < 0.001). PALS was lowest at the LA roof region. The atrial longitudinal strain of septal and lateral regions was significantly lower in the HCM group than the normal group. PALS correlated with the percentage of the LA fractional shortening (LA-FS) (r=0.538, p =0.001), the percentage of the LA ejection fraction (LA-EF) (r =0.797, p <0.001), and the LA fractional area change (FAC) (r =0.746, p <0.001). Conclusions: PALS can be used to evaluate changes in theLA function in HCM cats. It is a reproducible method for assessing the LA function in cats affected with HCM. Keywords cats; heart; left atrium; strain
Effects of changes in culture conditions on the virulence and antifungal susceptibility of dairy cow mastitis fungal isolates
Authors: Yue Yuan , Ma Shengyan , Wang Xiaoyu , Zhou Xuezhang 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: In recent years, the number of incidences of dairy cow mastitis caused by non-albicans Candida (NAC) have increased owing to the virulence factors, including cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and phospholipase activity, of the causative agents, namely, Candida krusei and Candida parasitica. Temperature and pH changes in the cow's udder after fungal infection and unreasonable medication can affect the antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp. and their expression of virulence factors. Methods: In this study, the effects of different temperatures and pH on the virulence of NAC strains were tested, and the in vitro susceptibility of the fungal strains to Cu2+ and antibacterial agents were examined. Besides, the changes in the virulence factors of Candida spp., including biphasicity, hemolytic activity, CSH, and phospholipase activity under these test conditions were investigated, and the internal relationship between these factors was analyzed. Results: The results showed that the virulence factors and antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp. could be altered through changes in various physiological conditions. Both temperature and pH were noted to be important factors affecting Candida growth, antifungal susceptibility, and expression of virulence factors. Cu2+ inhibited the growth and virulence factors expression of Candida spp., whereas antibacterial agents directly promoted the growth of Candida spp., making them resistant, which is one of the reasons for breast inflammation symptoms in cows. Conclusions: These results on virulence factors, antifungal susceptibility, and physiological characteristics of NAC provide a theoretical basis for understanding and treating dairy cow mastitis caused by NAC.
The Participation Of Private Healthcare Facilities In Pharmacovigilance Activities: A Case Study In Tanzania Mainland
Authors: MAGANDA BETTY , Kagashe Godeliver A , Chagula Honorata , Mbuya Vitalis B , Mwamwitwa Kisa , Myemba David , Nkayamba Alex 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Poor quality products, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medication errors (ME) are reported to negatively influence health care cost, patients’ treatment outcomes and quality of life. One way which can help in detection and prevention of their occurrence is through spontaneous reporting of these effects/events to the regulatory bodies. Despite the efforts done by regulatory bodies in different countries including Tanzania, the rate of reporting has remained low. This study therefore, assessed the participation of private healthcare facilities in pharmacovigilance (PV) activities in Tanzania Mainland. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in selected regions in Tanzania from December 2017 to June 2018. A total of 169 healthcare facilities and 192 healthcare professionals were involved. Data was collected using questionnaires and standard checklist. Results: Only (17%) of the respondents had good knowledge on PV activities and only (29.7%) of the participants had attended training on PV. Over 50% of respondents were not aware that PV activities reports are to be sent to a National pharmacovigilance center. Majority (89.7%) of the healthcare facilities assessed had no system for monitoring and reporting PV activities. About (55.7%) of the respondents said that they had observed ADRs in patients while (27.6%) had detected poor quality products and (51.1%) spotted medication errors in their practice, but none of them sent a report to the National pharmacovigilance center. Lack of PV tools (60.9%), poor knowledge on reporting procedures (69.8%) and lack of feedback and weak supervision from Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA (93.3%) and (9.4%), respectively were the major obstacles for carrying out PV activities. Of the 47 respondents whereas, their healthcare facilities had systems for monitoring and reporting PV activities had a view that attending more training (74.5%), increase availability of PV tools (10.6%), frequent supervision from TMDA (12.8%), and inclusion of PV training in undergraduate and postgraduate training curricula (2.1%) may improve involvement in pharmacovigilance activities Conclusions: Majority of private healthcare facilities participated poorly in PV activities, because of lack of pharmacovigilance training, knowledge on reporting and unavailability of systems and tools for monitoring and reporting on pharmacovigilance activities.
Management styles and their effects on job satisfaction for radiographers in Gauteng province, South Africa
Authors: Khoza Thandokuhle Emmanuel , Nkosi Busisiwe Pauline , Sibiya Maureen Nokuthula 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Management styles have been linked to high turn-over amongst health care professionals. Much of the available literature has been on nursing and other medical professional, while on few studies have been on radiographers. This study explored the influence of management styles on intention to leave amongst radiographers employed by tertiary hospitals in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Methods: A survey was conducted in four public tertiary hospitals within the Gauteng province. Data was collected from November 2018 to May 2019 and all radiographers who were present at the time of data collection were requested to participate. Results: The results of the Pearson’s test showed that there was a negative correlation between intention to leave and supervision, r = -.344, p= .000. In addition, the results also showed that there was difference in satisfaction with supervision across age, gender, race and tertiary hospital. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that management styles in tertiary hospitals affect job satisfaction and ultimately intent to leave. Therefore, it is worth evaluating the type of management styles used by x-ray managers to improve retention of radiographers in public tertiary hospitals. Keywords: Radiographers, intent to leave, job satisfaction and management.
Association between device measured and self-reported sitting in relation to depression: the 1970 British Cohort Study
Authors: Webster Andrew , Batty G David , Pearson Natalie , Stamatakis Emmanuel , Hamer Mark 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Aims While physical activity appears to confer protection against depression, the relationship between sedentary behaviour and mental health is uncertain. Self-reported methods provide information about context although there may be error in the quantification of sedentary behaviour. Accordingly, we examined associations of both device-measured and self-reported sedentary behaviour with depression. Method Participants (n=4,704; 52.4% Female; aged 46-48) were drawn from the 1970 British Cohort Study. Sitting time and moderate-vigorous physical activity was measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer device (ActivPAL) over a seven day period. A range of self-reported sedentary behaviours was measured to provide context. Depression diagnosis was captured using a combination of self-reported consultation with a physician and use of anti-depressant medication. Malaise inventory was used to assess depressive symptoms. Results Relative to those who spent <8 hr/d sitting, those in the highest tertile of device measured sitting (>10 hr/d) had increased odds of depression diagnosis (odds ratio= 1.48 [95% confidence interval 1.05-2.08]). There was no association between self-reported TV viewing and depression diagnosis (1.07; 0.71-1.63). We observed protective associations between moderate-vigorous physical activity and depression diagnosis (highest tertile vs. the lowest tertile; 0.70;0.49-1.00). Associations of sitting time and physical activity with depression were mutually independent. Relative to <1 hours of internet usage, 2-3 and >3 hours of internet weekday usage were associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms (1.60;1.30-1.97 and 1.63;1.32-2.03, respectively). Conclusion Device-measured sitting is associated depression diagnosis, although less consistent associations are observed with self-reported sedentary behaviours. Regular physical activity and reducing sedentary time may be beneficial for prevention of depression.
Technology adoption and technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Tolon district of Ghana: double bootstrap DEA approach
Authors: Anang Benjamin Tetteh , Alhassan Hamdiyah , Danso-Abbeam Gideon 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
The study explored the impact of improved variety adoption on technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers in Tolon District of northern Ghana. Smallholder maize farmers in the study area were sampled using random sampling technique. Double bootstrap data envelopment analysis was applied to estimate technical efficiency and its determinants. The results indicate that producers in the study area have a bias-corrected technical efficiency of 57% under variable returns to scale (VRS) assumption and 52% under constant returns to scale (CRS) assumption. Controlling for potential endogeneity of the adoption variable, the results indicate that adoption of improved varieties enhance technical efficiency of maize farmers in the study area. Technical efficiency of the farmers increased with herd size but decreased with years of formal education, household size, extension contact, frequency of weeding, and farm size. Ensuring that improved seeds are made available and affordable to smallholder farmers and promotion of livestock rearing are policy measures likely to enhance technical efficiency of smallholder farmers.
CCL3 contributes to secondary damage after spinal cord injury
Authors: Pelisch Nicolas , Almanza Jose Rosas , Stehlik Kyle Edward , Aperi Brandy V , Kroner Antje 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background: Secondary damage after spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by a cascade of events including hemorrhage, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation which increase the lesion size which can influence the functional impairment. Thus, identifying specific mechanisms attributed to secondary injury is critical in minimizing tissue damage and improving neurological outcome. In this work, we are investigating the role of CCL3 (Macrophage inflammatory protein 1- α, MIP-1α), a chemokine involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells, which plays an important role in inflammatory conditions of the central and peripheral nervous system. Methods: A mouse model of lower thoracic (T11) spinal cord contusion injury was used. We assessed expression levels of CCL3 and its receptors on the mRNA and protein level and analyzed changes in locomotor recovery and the inflammatory response in the injured spinal cord of wild-type and CCL3-/- mice.Results: The expression of CCL3 and its receptors is increased after thoracic contusion SCI in mice. We then examined the role of CCL3 after SCI and its direct influence on the inflammatory response, locomotor recovery and lesion size using CCL3 −/− mice. CCL3 −/− mice showed mild but significant improvement of locomotor recovery and a smaller lesion size compared to wild-type controls. In addition, neutrophil numbers as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, known to play a deleterious role after SCI, were markedly reduced in the absence of CCL3 .Conclusion: We have identified CCL3 as a potential target to modulate the inflammatory response and secondary damage after SCI. Collectively, this study shows that the absence of CCL3 can contribute to reduced tissue damage and better functional recovery during secondary injury after SCI.