bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating tannery wastewater treatment performance based on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics: An Ethiopian case study
Authors: Abate Tesfaye Admassu , Desta Adey F. , Love Nancy G. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractTanneries are an important industrial sector in Ethiopia; consequently, gaps in wastewater treatment process performance need to be identified as the country increases its emphasis on compliance. A case study was conducted to evaluate physicochemical and microbial water quality at a tannery near Addis Ababa. The treatment process was designed for the following: sulfide oxidation; biological oxygen demand reduction; and chromium removal. While some of Ethiopia's standards for industrial wastewater treatment were met through treatment, effluent COD, sulfide, total nitrogen, and total chromium guidelines were not. 16S rRNA gene analysis was used to evaluate the microbial community composition across the treatment train. The results show that common ruminant phyla were dominant throughout, with Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes comprising 77% to 82% relative abundance. The Firmicutes Clostridium increased consistently in relative abundance with treatment, comprising 39% to 61% of the total bacterial community in the effluent. Improved treatment is needed to meet environmental and public health goals.Practitioner Points

Case Study of tannery wastewater treatment in Ethiopia shows ineffective treatment of chemical pollutants.

Microbiological pollutants from tannery wastewater systems can introduce agents of importance to public health

The microbiological composition of tannery influent, mixed liquor and effluent contains mostly four bacterial phyla lead by Firmicutes.

Most pathogenic bacterial genera found in the tannery wastewater treatment system became a decreasing percentage of the total population.

Clostridium comprises up to 61% of the effluent bacterial population and deserves further evaluation to better understand the consequences of its dominance.
Design and optimization of a semi‐industrial cavitation device for a pretreatment of an anaerobic digestion treatment of excess sludge and pig slurry
Authors: Vilarroig Jose , Martínez Raúl , Zuriaga‐Agustí Elena , Torró Salvador , Galián Manuel , Chiva Sergio 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe use of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) as a wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion pretreatment is a well‐known process. However, most of the experiments have been done at laboratory scale and using a low concentration of total solids in the sludge treated. In this study, the waste‐activated sludge has been mixed with pig slurry with the aim of treating two wastes rich in nutrients and organic matter. The HC has been studied not only at laboratory scale but also at industrial scale (up to 500 L), using a novel rotating device consisting of a rotor with multiple teeth that rotate inside a grooved stator. The effectiveness of the process has been calculated using the disintegration degree (DD) and analyzing the volatile fatty acids, while the energy efficiency has been determined with specific energy of the sludge solubilization (SESCOD) and the specific energy. Results show that both the SESCOD and the specific energy decrease when the cavitation process is scaled from laboratory scale to industrial scale. Specifically, SESCOD decreases from 2.71 × 102 to 0.16 × 102 kJ/g SCOD and specific energy decreases from 3.58 × 104 to 2.85 × 103 kJ/kg TS while DD values show reasonable values up to 17%.Practitioner points

A new industrial hydrodynamic cavitation device has been developed to treat industrial wastewater without chemical additives

A volume up to 500 L has been treated at industrial scale experiments.

Sludge with 7% of total solids content was satisfactorily disintegrated.

The process scale‐up lead to an energy efficiency enhancement.
Typical behaviour along geodesic rays in hyperbolic groups
Authors: Cantrell Stephen 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this note we study the limiting behaviour of real valued functions on hyperbolic groups as we travel along typical geodesic rays in the Gromov boundary of the group. Our results apply to group homomorphisms, certain quasimorphisms and to the displacement functions associated to convex cocompact group actions on CAT$$(-1)$$

(
-
1
)

metric spaces.
On the analysis of the contact angle for impacting droplets using a polynomial fitting approach
Authors: Quetzeri-Santiago Miguel A. , Castrejón-Pita J. Rafael , Castrejón-Pita Alfonso A. 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Practical considerations on the measurement of the dynamic contact angle and the spreading diameter of impacting droplets are discussed in this paper.
The contact angle of a liquid is commonly obtained either by a polynomial or a linear fitting to the droplet profile around the triple-phase point. Previous works have focused on quasi-static or sessile droplets, or in cases where inertia does not play a major role on the contact angle dynamics.
Here, we study the effect of droplet shape, the order of the fitting polynomial and the fitting domain, on the measurement of the contact angle on various stages following droplet impact where the contact line is moving. Our results, presented in terms of the optical resolution and the droplet size, show that a quadratic fitting provides the most consistent results for a range of various droplet shapes. As expected, our results show that contact angle values are less sensitive to the fitting conditions for the cases where the droplet can be approximated to a spherical cap.
Our experimental conditions include impact events with liquid droplets of different sizes and viscosities on various substrates. In addition, validating past works, our results show that the maximum spreading diameter can be parameterised by the Weber number and the rapidly advancing contact angle.

Graphic abstract
On the problems of sequential statistical inference for Wiener processes with delayed observations
Authors: Gapeev Pavel V. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWe study the sequential hypothesis testing and quickest change-point (or disorder) detection problems with linear delay penalty costs for observable Wiener processes under (constantly) delayed detection times. The method of proof consists of the reduction of the associated delayed optimal stopping problems for one-dimensional diffusion processes to the equivalent free-boundary problems and solution of the latter problems by means of the smooth-fit conditions. We derive closed-form expressions for the Bayesian risk functions and optimal stopping boundaries for the associated weighted likelihood ratio processes in the original problems of sequential analysis.
Fatty acid composition of adipose tissue at term indicates deficiency of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid and excessive linoleic acid supply in preterm infants
Authors: Böckmann K. A. , von Stumpff A. , Bernhard W. , Shunova A. , Minarski M. , Frische B. , Warmann S. , Schleicher E. , Poets C. F. , Franz A. R. 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background
Arachidonic (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are constitutive to membrane phospholipids, and essential for brain and overall development. ARA/DHA pools in term infants (TI) are built during the third trimester, stored as adipose tissue triglycerides and predominantly distributed via plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC). In preterm infants (PTI), placental ARA/DHA supply is replaced by linoleic-acid (LA)-enriched nutrition. This study aimed to investigate the impact of PTI nutrition, compared to placental supply, on fatty acid composition in adipose tissue and blood.

Methods
Prospective observational study (4/2017–3/2019) in 12 PTI and 3 PTI with enterostomy (PTI/E) (gestational age (GA) < 32 weeks) with surgical intervention at term (± 6 weeks) and 14 TI (GA ≥ 34 weeks, surgical intervention < 2 weeks postnatally). PTI/E were analyzed descriptively only. PC and triglyceride fatty acids were analyzed with tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography, respectively. Results were compared between TI and PTI with Wilcoxon Test and shown as median [25th percentile–75th percentile] mol%.

Results
PTI had less ARA in adipose tissue TG (0.77[0.67–0.87]% vs. 1.04[0.95–1.14]%, p = 0.0003) and plasma PC (20.7[18.7–22.8]% vs. 28.3[22.7–33.5]%, p = 0.011) than TI. PTI also had less DHA in adipose tissue TG (0.6[0.4–0.8]% vs. 1.1[0.8–1.4]%, p = 0.006) and plasma PC (6.4[5.6–7.1]% vs. 8.4[7.8–13.1]%, p = 0.002). LA was increased in PTI’s adipose tissue TG (10.0[8.8–12.3]% vs. 3.0[2.5–3.6]%, p < 0.0001) and plasma PC (48.4[44.6–49.6]% vs. 30.6[24.9–35.6]%, p = 0.0002). Similar differences were observed in erythrocyte PC.

Conclusion
In PTI, LA is increased and ARA/DHA decreased in adipose tissue, plasma and erythrocyte lipids as proxies for other tissues, likely caused by PTI nutrition. This may contribute to impaired PTI development.
Using social and physical variables to assess vulnerability of northwestern Montana lakes to illegal fish introductions
Authors: Clancy Niall G. , Bourret Samuel L. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe spread of non-native fish species is a common problem in lakes and streams worldwide. Species that establish viable populations in a new environment can seriously deplete populations of native species and desired sportfishes. In some instances, extirpation of a native species has occurred. In western North America, the most common avenue by which non-native species invade new waterbodies is illegal stocking by anglers, aquaculturists, and others. Thus, preventing further illegal fish introductions is of the utmost importance for native aquatic species. Using data collected by state agency personnel from 1953 to 2015, we examined multiple social and physical variables to determine the factors that best explain which lakes in northwestern Montana had past illegal fish introductions. An equation using elevation, surrounding population, and fishing pressure was found to best fit the data. This equation was then used to calculate an index of the vulnerability of lakes within the region to future illegal fish introductions. The techniques used in this study have broad applicability that can be used in many regions with illegal fish introductions, and ultimately help to alleviate the problem.
Analytical and Functional Similarity Assessment of ABP 710, a Biosimilar to Infliximab Reference Product
Authors: Saleem Ramsey , Cantin Greg , Wikström Mats , Bolton Glen , Kuhns Scott , McBride Helen J. , Liu Jennifer 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPurposeABP 710 has been developed as a biosimilar to infliximab reference product (RP). The objective of this study was to assess analytical similarity (structural and functional) between ABP 710 and infliximab RP licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (infliximab [US]) and the European Union (infliximab [EU]), using sensitive, state-of-the-art analytical methods capable of detecting minor differences in product quality attributes.MethodsComprehensive analytical characterization utilizing orthogonal techniques was performed with 14 to 28 unique lots of ABP 710 or infliximab RP, depending on the assay. Comparisons were used to investigate the primary structure related to amino acid sequence; post-translational modifications (PTMs) including glycans; higher order structure; particles and aggregates; primary biological properties mediated by target and receptor binding; product-related substances and impurities; and general properties.ResultsABP 710 had the same amino acid sequence, primary structure, higher order structure, PTM profiles and biological activities as infliximab RP. The finished drug product had the same strength (protein content and concentration) as infliximab RP.ConclusionsBased on the comprehensive analytical similarity assessment, ABP 710 was found to be highly analytically similar to infliximab RP for all biological activities relevant for clinical efficacy and safety.
Modelling Age-Related Changes in the Pharmacokinetics of Risperidone and 9-Hydroxyrisperidone in Different CYP2D6 Phenotypes Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Approach
Authors: Kneller Lisa Alina , Hempel Georg 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Dose-optimization strategies for risperidone are gaining in importance, especially in the elderly. Based on the genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P 450 (CYP) 2D6 genetically and age-related changes cause differences in the pharmacokinetics of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone. The goal of the study was to develop physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for the elderly aged 65+ years. Additionally, CYP2D6 phenotyping using metabolic ratio were applied and different pharmacokinetic parameter for different age classes predicted.

Methods
Plasma concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone were used to phenotype 17 geriatric inpatients treated under naturalistic conditions. For this purpose, PBPK models were developed to examine age-related changes in the pharmacokinetics between CYP2D6 extensive metabolizer, intermediate metabolizer, poor metabolizer, (PM) and ultra-rapid metabolizer.

Results
PBPK-based metabolic ratio was able to predict different CYP2D6 phenotypes during steady-state. One inpatient was identified as a potential PM, showing a metabolic ratio of 3.39. About 88.2% of all predicted plasma concentrations of the inpatients were within the 2-fold error range. Overall, age-related changes of the pharmacokinetics in the elderly were mainly observed in Cmax and AUC. Comparing a population of young adults with the oldest-old, Cmax of risperidone increased with 24–44% and for 9-hydroxyrisperidone with 35–37%.

Conclusions
Metabolic ratio combined with PBPK modelling can provide a powerful tool to identify potential CYP2D6 PM during therapeutic drug monitoring. Based on genetic, anatomical and physiological changes during aging, PBPK models ultimately support decision-making regarding dose-optimization strategies to ensure the best therapy for each patient over the age of 65 years.
A commentary review on the use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the era of popular remote sensing
Authors: Huang Sha , Tang Lina , Hupy Joseph P. , Wang Yang , Shao Guofan 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), one of the earliest remote sensing analytical products used to simplify the complexities of multi-spectral imagery, is now the most popular index used for vegetation assessment. This popularity and widespread use relate to how an NDVI can be calculated with any multispectral sensor with a visible and a near-IR band. Increasingly low costs and weights of multispectral sensors mean they can be mounted on satellite, aerial, and increasingly—Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). While studies have found that the NDVI is effective for expressing vegetation status and quantified vegetation attributes, its widespread use and popularity, especially in UAS applications, carry inherent risks of misuse with end users who received little to no remote sensing education. This article summarizes the progress of NDVI acquisition, highlights the areas of NDVI application, and addresses the critical problems and considerations in using NDVI. Detailed discussion mainly covers three aspects: atmospheric effect, saturation phenomenon, and sensor factors. The use of NDVI can be highly effective as long as its limitations and capabilities are understood. This consideration is particularly important to the UAS user community.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal that melatonin promotes melon root development under copper stress by inhibiting jasmonic acid biosynthesis
Authors: Hu Zhicheng , Fu Qiushi , Zheng Jing , Zhang Aiai , Wang Huaisong 
Published: May 2020

AbstractMelatonin has been shown to alleviate the effects of abiotic stress and to regulate plant development. Copper, a common heavy metal and soil pollutant, can suppress plant growth and development. In this work, we explored the protective effects of exogenous melatonin on lateral root formation in response to copper stress using melon seeds subjected to three germination treatments: CK1 (control), CK2 (300 μmol/L CuSO4), and MT3 (300 μmol/L melatonin + 300 μmol/L CuSO4). Melatonin pretreatment increased the antioxidant enzyme activities and root vigor, and decreased the proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the roots of copper-stressed melon seedlings. We then used transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to explore the mechanisms by which exogenous melatonin protects against copper stress. There were 70 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (28 upregulated, 42 downregulated) and 318 significantly differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) (168 upregulated, 150 downregulated) between the MT3 and CK2 treatments. Melatonin pretreatment altered the expression of genes related to redox and cell wall formation processes. In addition, we found that members of the AP2/ERF, BBR/BPC, GRAS, and HD-ZIP transcription factor families may have vital roles in lateral root development. Melatonin also increased the level of Glutathione (GSH), which chelates excess Cu2+. The combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed DEGs and DEMs involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis, including four lipoxygenase-related genes and two metabolites (linoleic acid and lecithin) related to melatonin’s alleviation effect on copper toxicity. This research elucidated the molecular mechanisms of melatonin’s protective effects in copper-stressed melon.
The integration of transcriptomic and transgenic analyses reveals the involvement of the SA response pathway in the defense of chrysanthemum against the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria sp.
Authors: Zhao Xiting , Song Lingyu , Jiang Liwei , Zhu Yuting , Gao Qinghui , Wang Dandan , Xie Jing , Lv Meng , Liu Ping , Li Mingjun 
Published: May 2020

AbstractChrysanthemum morifoliumcv. ‘Huaihuang’ has ornamental, edible, medicinal, and tea product uses. However, its field growth, yield, and quality are negatively affected by black spot disease caused byAlternariasp. (Strain: HQJH10092301; GenBank accession number: KF688111). In this study, we transcriptionally and transgenically characterized a new cultivar, ‘Huaiju 2#’ (Henan Traditional Chinese Medicine Plant Cultivar identification number: 2016002), which was bred from ‘Huaihuang’ and shows resistance toAlternariasp. Numerous ‘Huaiju 2#’ plants were inoculated withAlternariasp. for three or five days. Metabolic analysis showed increases in both salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in infected plants compared to the control. Protein activity analysis also revealed a significant increase in defense enzyme activities in infected plants. RNA-Seq of plants infected for 3 or 5 days produced a total of 58.6 GB of clean reads. Among these reads, 16,550 and 13,559 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Cm_3 dpi (sample from 3 days post-inoculation labeled as Cm_3 dpi) and Cm_5 dpi (sample from 5 days post-inoculation labeled as Cm_5 dpi), respectively, compared with their controls (Cm_0 d: a mixture samples from 0 d (before inoculation) and those treated with sterile distilled water at 3 dpi and 5 dpi). Gene annotation and cluster analysis of the DEGs revealed a variety of defense responses toAlternariasp. infection, which were characterized by increases in resistance (R) proteins and the reactive oxygen species (ROS), Ca2+, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and JA signaling pathways. In particular, SA signaling was highly responsive toAlternariasp. infection. The qPCR analysis of 12 DEG candidates supported their differential expression characterized by using the RNA-Seq data. One candidate wasCmNPR1(nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1), an important positive regulator of SA in systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Overexpression ofCmNPR1in ‘Huaiju 2#’ increased the resistance of transgenic plants to black spot. These findings indicate that the SA response pathway is likely involved in the defense of ‘Huaiju 2#’ againstAlternariasp. pathogens.
DNA methylome and transcriptome landscapes revealed differential characteristics of dioecious flowers in papaya
Authors: Zhou Ping , Zhang Xiaodan , Fatima Mahpara , Ma Xinyi , Fang Hongkun , Yan Hansong , Ming Ray 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSeparate sexes in dioecious plants display different morphology and physiological characteristics. The differences between the two sexes lie in their highly differentiated floral characteristics and in sex-related phenotype, which is genetically determined and epigenetically modified. In dioecious papaya (Carica papaya L.), global comparisons of epigenetic DNA methylation and gene expressions were still limited. We conducted bisulfite sequencing of early-stage flowers grown in three seasons (spring, summer and winter) and compared their methylome and transcriptome profiles to investigate the differential characteristics of male and female in papaya. Methylation variances between female and male papaya were conserved among three different seasons. However, combined genome-scale transcriptomic evidence revealed that most methylation variances did not have influence on the expression profiles of neighboring genes, and the differentially expressed genes were most overrepresented in phytohormone signal transduction pathways. Further analyses showed diverse stress-responsive methylation alteration in male and female flowers. Male flower methylation was more responsive to stress whereas female flower methylation varied less under stress. Early flowering of male papaya in spring might be associated with the variation in the transcription of CpSVP and CpAP1 coinciding with their gene-specific hypomethylation. These findings provide insights into the sex-specific DNA methylation and gene expression landscapes of dioecious papaya and a foundation to investigate the correlation between differentiated floral characteristics and their candidate genes.
Hybrid de novo genome assembly of red gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon) reveals evolutionary insight into shikonin biosynthesis
Authors: Auber Robert P. , Suttiyut Thiti , McCoy Rachel M. , Ghaste Manoj , Crook Joseph W. , Pendleton Amanda L. , Widhalm Joshua R. , Wisecaver Jennifer H. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractLithospermum erythrorhizon(red gromwell; zicao) is a medicinal and economically valuable plant belonging to the Boraginaceae family. Roots fromL. erythrorhizonhave been used for centuries based on the antiviral and wound-healing properties produced from the bioactive compound shikonin and its derivatives. More recently, shikonin, its enantiomer alkannin, and several other shikonin/alkannin derivatives have collectively emerged as valuable natural colorants and as novel drug scaffolds. Despite several transcriptomes and proteomes having been generated fromL. erythrorhizon, a reference genome is still unavailable. This has limited investigations into elucidating the shikonin/alkannin pathway and understanding its evolutionary and ecological significance. In this study, we obtained a de novo genome assembly forL. erythrorhizonusing a combination of Oxford Nanopore long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing technologies. The resulting genome is ∼367.41 Mb long, with a contig N50 size of 314.31 kb and 27,720 predicted protein-coding genes. Using theL. erythrorhizongenome, we identified several additionalp-hydroxybenzoate:geranyltransferase (PGT) homologs and provide insight into their evolutionary history. Phylogenetic analysis of prenyltransferases suggests that PGTs originated in a common ancestor of modern shikonin/alkannin-producing Boraginaceous species, likely from a retrotransposition-derived duplication event of an ancestral prenyltransferase gene. Furthermore, knocking down expression ofLePGT1inL. erythrorhizonhairy root lines revealed that LePGT1 is predominantly responsible for shikonin production early in culture establishment. Taken together, the reference genome reported in this study and the provided analysis on the evolutionary origin of shikonin/alkannin biosynthesis will guide elucidation of the remainder of the pathway.