bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Virtual Screening of Henna Compounds Library for Discovery of New Leads against Human Thymidine Phosphorylase, an Overexpressed Factor of Hand-Foot Syndrome
Authors: Khodabakhshi-Javinani Davood , Ebrahim-Habibi Azadeh , Afshar Minoo , Navidpour Latifeh 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Capecitabine is one of the most effective and successful drugs for the
treatment of uterine and colorectal cancer which has been limited in use due to occurrence of handfoot
syndrome (HFS). Overexpression of human thymidine phosphorylase enzyme is predicted to be
one of the main causes of this syndrome. Thymidine phosphorylase enzyme is involved in many
cancers and inflammatory diseases and pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase family is found in a
variety of organisms. Results of clinical studies have shown that topical usage of henna plant
(Lawsonia inermis from the family of Lythraceae) could reduce the severity of HFS.

Methods:
By using in silico methods on reported compounds of henna, the present study is aimed at
finding phytochemicals and chemical groups with the potential to efficiently interact with and inhibit
human thymidine phosphorylase. Various compounds (825) of henna from different chemical groups
(138) were virtually screened by the interface to AutoDock in YASARA Software package, against the
enzyme structure obtained from X-ray crystallography and refined by homology modeling methods.

Results:
By virtual screening, i.e. docking of candidate ligands into the determined active site of hTP,
followed by applying the scoring function of binding affinity, 71 compounds (out of 825 compounds)
were estimated to have the likelihood to bind to the protein with an interaction energy higher than 10
kcal/mol (Concerning the sign of “binding energies”, please refer to the Methods section).

Conclusion:
Finally, diosmetin-3'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (#219) and monoglycosylated naphthalene
were respectively selected as the most potent phytochemicals and chemical groups. Flavonoid-like
compounds with appropriate interaction energy were also considered as the most probable inhibitors.
More investigations on henna compounds, are needed in order to approve their effectiveness and also
to explore more anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis and even antibiotics.
In Silico Prediction and Validation of Oxygen-Regulated Protein N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene 3 and Virtual Screening of Competitive Inhibitors of L-Lactate as Therapeutics
Authors: Cao Hongyu , Wu Yanhua , Zhou Xingzhi , Zheng Xuefang , Jiang Ge 
Published: August 2018

Background:
N-myc downstream regulated gene 3 (NDRG3) is a newly discovered
oxygen-regulated protein which will bind with L-Lactate in hypoxia and further activate Raf (rapidly
accelerated fibrosarcoma)-ERK (extracellular regulated protein kinases) pathway, promoting
cell growth and angiogenesis.

Methods:
Competitive inhibition on the binding of NDRG3 and L-Lactate may be potentially a
useful strategy for the repression of hypoxic response mediated by NDRG3. The threedimensional
(3D) structure of NDRG3 was built by using homology modeling for its crystal structure
was not available. Then, L-Lactate was docked into NDRG3, from which we knew it bound
with amino acid residues Gln69, His183, Asn189, Ala72 and Pro66 of NDRG3 in the most possible
active sites. Approximately 3000 compounds have been virtually screened and the 6 topranked
compounds were selected as reference molecules to analyze their interaction relationships,
which illustrated that some of them might form electrostatic interaction with Glu70 and Asp187,
π-&π stack with Phe75 and Tyr180, hydrogen bonds with Gly71 and Asn189, hydrophobic effect
with Ala72 and Ile184.

Results:
Novel molecules were designed through structural optimization of the 6 top-ranked compounds
and subsequently their ADMET properties were predicted.

Conclusion:
These molecules may be potential drug candidates for the suppression of hypoxic response
mediated by NDRG3 and targeted therapy for hypoxia-induced diseases.
Examining the Use of Taste Enhancers in Instant Noodles and Public Perception of Monosodium Glutamate in Muscat, Oman
Authors: Al-Azawi Maryam , Altattan Dima , Ali Salma Khamis , AbuKhader Majed Mamoun 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is an extensively used additive in food industry
as a taste enhancer and found naturally in fruits and vegetables.

Aim:
To examine and assess the use of taste enhancers and correlate with the amount of salt (sodium)
in instant noodles sold in the Omani market. A pilot study was also conducted to assess public perception
towards MSG use in these products.

Methods:
The different names and written forms of taste enhancers and salt (sodium) content are
printed on the outer pack of instant noodles and 200 questionnaires distributed to public were recorded,
collected respectively and subsequently analyzed.

Results:
There were 93 instant noodles varieties collected in which MSG was either not used (27.8%)
or used alone (32.3%) or with other additives (39.9%). Three popular brands; Indomie (14 varieties),
Maggie (9 varieties) and Koka (18 varieties), were considered for further examination for the number
of food additives used and the correlation between MSG and salt (sodium) content. One of these
brands has a significant amount of food additives used and in these products there is a tendency
(p = 0.051) that the use of MSG is associated with reducing the amount of salt (sodium) content. The
survey showed that public perception towards MSG is better among Asians. Noodles are popular
among participants despite the awareness of the presence of MSG.

Conclusion:
Large numbers of noodles products contain MSG in addition to other additives. It seems
that consumption of instant noodles is influenced by the culture or the media or the surrounding.
Different Carotenoid Enrichment in Two Climacteric Fruits after Post- Harvest UV-B Treatment
Authors: Assumpção Carolina F. , da Silva Médelin M. , Hermes Vanessa S. , Ranieri Annamaria , Ferreira Ester A. , Jablonski André , Flôres Simone H. , de O. Rios Alessandro 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation is a promising and environmentally friendly
technique, which in a low flow rate, can induce bioactive compound synthesis. This work aimed at
evaluating the effectiveness of post-harvest UV-B treatment in order to improve carotenoid content in
climacteric fruits like persimmon and guava fruits.

Methods:
The fruits were harvested at commercial maturity and placed into climatic chambers equipped
with UV-B lamps. For control treatment, the UV-B lamps were covered by a benzophenone film, known
to block the radiation. This radiation was applied during 48 hours and fruits were sampled at 25, 30 and
48 hours of each treatment. HPLC analysis was performed to separate and identify carotenoid compounds
from fruit skin after a saponification process.

Results:
Fruit from 30 hours treatment began to present a carotenoid accumulation since the majority of
analyzed compounds exhibited its synthesis stimulated from this time on. In persimmon skin, it was
observed that the maximum content was reached after 48 hours of UV-B treatment.

Conclusion:
These results suggest that this post-harvest UV-B treatment can be an innovative and a
viable method to induce beneficial effects on guava and mainly on persimmon fruit.
Effects of Greek Pomegranate Extracts in the Antioxidant Properties and Storage Stability of Kefir
Authors: Lagouri Vasiliki , Dimitreli Georgia , Kouvatsi Aikatarini 
Published: August 2018

Background:Oxidation reactions are known to shorten the shelf life and cause damage to foods rich in fat, such as dairy products. One way to limit oxidation and increase the shelf life of fermented dairy products is to use natural antioxidants. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of adding pomegranate extracts in the antioxidant properties, rheological characteristics and the storage stability of the fermented product of kefir.Methods:The Pomegranate Juice (PGJ) and Peel Extracts (PGPE) (5%, 10% w/v) were added to kefir and the antioxidant properties were evaluated by using the methods of radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Activity (FRAP). Spectrophotometric and instrumental methods were used to determine the Total Phenols (TPs), pH values, viscosity and flow behavioral index values of enriched with pomegranate kefir samples. The same properties were tested when kefir samples stored at 4°C for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days.Results:The addition of PGJ and PGPE results in an increase in the antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP) and total phenol content (TPs) of kefir samples. Increasing the concentration of the added PGJ and PGPE, results in an increase in the TP content and the DPPH activity of kefir. As far as the storage time is concerned, the results showed an increase in the amount of TP at 7th day and a reduction in the DPPH activity in the 14th day of storage. In contrary to the DPPH method, the increase in storage time has resulted in a reduction in antioxidant activity by the FRAP method. The addition of PGJ and PGPE in kefir results in a decrease in pH values while the pH of kefir samples increased during storage at 4°C for 28 days. The addition of PGJ and PGPE to kefir samples results to a decrease in viscosity and an increase in the flow behavior index. Increasing storage time results in increased flow behavior index of kefir samples.Conclusion:The addition of PGJ and PGPE increased the antioxidant activity and total phenols of the kefir product and preserved its properties during the total storage time of 28 days at 4°C.
Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Selected Mangrove Species
Authors: Dahibhate Nilesh L. , Roy Utpal , Kumar Kundan 
Published: August 2018

Background:Mangrove plant extracts are used in folkloric medicine as aphrodisiac, sedative, antioxidant, antimicrobial and antimalarial. Screening for antimicrobial, phytochemical and antioxidant activities of fourteen mangroves plant species (Aegiceras corniculatum, Acanthus ilicifolius, Avicennia alba, Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, Bruguiera cylindrica, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Ceriops tagel, Excoecaria agallocha, Kandelia candel, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, and Sonneratia caseolaris) in various solvents are reported in this work.Methods:The antimicrobial screening was carried out using agar well diffusion method. In this study, nine pathogenic strains were used, including three Gram-positive and six Gram-negative bacteria. Phytochemical screening, total flavonoids, total phenolic and antioxidant activity was tested by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Four phenolic compounds (gallic acid, vanillin, tannic acid and quercetin) were quantified by LC-MS/MS in selected mangrove species.Results:Antimicrobial screening showed Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were most susceptible to ethyl acetate extract as compared to ethanol and methanol extract. Ethyl acetate extract of Avicennia marina and Bruguiera gymnorhiza showed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponins, phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids, which was found to be variable as per the solvent used for extraction. In addition, total phenolics and total flavonoids content with different solvents were found in the range of 11.08 to 196.76 mg GAE/g and 12.92 to 110.3 mg QE/g of extract respectively. Moreover, antioxidant capacities expressed in terms of IC50 (mg/mL) showed that methanol extract exhibited higher antioxidant capacity followed by ethanol extract. LC-MS/MS analysis showed gallic acid and tannic acid are present in higher concentration in Aegiceras corniculatum and Sonneratia caseolaris than other species. The vanillin and quercetin were found in the least concentration.Conclusion:Mangroves species are rich source of antioxidant, phenolics and antimicrobial compounds.
Antimicrobial and Resistance Modifying Activities of Cerevisterol Isolated from Trametes Species
Authors: Appiah Theresa , Agyare Christian , Luo Yinggang , Boamah Vivian E. , Boakye Yaw D. 
Published: August 2018

Background:
The development of resistance by pathogenic microorganisms has renewed the
worldwide search for novel antimicrobial agents. Mushrooms are of recent interest because a wide variety
of biologically active compounds have been isolated from them. This study isolated antimicrobial
compound from two wood decaying mushrooms, Trametes gibbosa and Trametes elegans, and determined
the resistance modifying activities of the isolated compound.

Methods:
Bioactivity guided isolation of active principles from the methanol extract of T. gibbosa and
T. elegans was performed using column and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The
structures of isolated compounds were elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Broth
micro-dilution assay was used to determine the antimicrobial and resistance modifying activities of the
isolated compounds against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella
typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Candida
albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus tamarii.

Results:
Bioactivity guided isolation lead to the isolation of cerevisterol (ergosta-7, 22E-diene-3β5α, 6β-
triol) from both T. gibbosa and T. elegans. The isolated cerevisterol inhibited the growth of S. typhi, S.
aureus and A. niger with MICs of 25 µg/mL each and 50 μg/mL against E. faecalis. The MBCs of
cerevisterol against S. typhi S. aureus, E. faecalis and A. niger were 50, 100, 200 and 100 µg/mL, respectively.
The sub-inhibitory concentration (3 µg/mL) of cerevisterol modified the activity of erythromycin,
ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and amoxicillin either by potentiating or reducing their activities.

Conclusion:
Cerevisterol possesses both antimicrobial and resistance modifying activities.
Preparation and Characterization of FeCo2O4 Nanoparticles: A Robust and Reusable Nanocatalyst for the Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin- 2(1H)-thiones and Thiazolopyrimidines
Authors: Mousavi-Moghadam Farah Sadat , Ghasemzadeh Mohammad Ali 
Published: August 2018

Background:The present research describes a mild and efficient method for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thiones and thiazolopyrimidine via multi-component reactions using FeCo2O4 nanoparticles. It was found that FeCo2O4 nanoparticles act as a powerful and effective catalyst. The prepared catalyst was characterized by the various spectroscopic techniques.Objective:The three-component reaction of thiourea, aromatic aldehydes and ethyl acetoacetate was catalyzed by FeCo2O4 nanoparticles. Next, the prepared 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones were applied for the preparation of thiazolopyrimidines via the reactions of 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)- thiones, chloroacetic acid, and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of FeCo2O4 nanoparticles.Methods:The FeCo2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile one-step method and the structure determination of the catalyst has been done using spectral techniques.:Then, the prepared nanocatalyst was used in the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones and thiazolopyrimidines under solvent-free conditions at 80°C.Results:FeCo2O4 nanoparticles as a magnetic nanocatalyst were applied as a catalyst in the synthesis of some heterocyclic compounds in excellent yields and short reaction times. The average particle size of the catalyst is found to be 30-40 nm. The study on the reusability of the FeCo2O4 nanoparticles showed the recovered catalyst could be reused fifth consecutive times. We propose that FeCo2O4 nanoparticles act as a Lewis acid cause to increase electrophilicity of carbonyl groups of substrates and intermediates to promote the reactions.Conclusion:The present research introduced various advantageous including excellent yields, short reaction times, simple workup procedure and recyclability of the FeCo2O4 NPs in order to the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones and thiazolopyrimidines.
Synthesis of Polyaniline/Zn Bismuthate Nanocomposites and Sensitive Formaldehyde Sensing Performance
Authors: Pei Lizhai , Qiu Fanglv , Ma Yue , Lin Feifei , Fan Chuangang , Ling Xianzhang 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Formaldehyde belongs to important pollutant and is usually found in liquid
environment, such as juices, beer, cleaning products and biological fluid of the human. The electrochemical
sensors using glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with polyaniline/Zn bismuthate
nanocomposites can effectively detect formaldehyde with broad linear range and good reproducibility.

Methods:
Polyaniline/Zn bismuthate nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ aniline polymerizing
route in aqueous solution. The structure and morphologies of the nanocomposites were analyzed by
X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance for
formaldehyde detection has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) method using polyaniline/
Zn bismuthate nanocomposites modified GCE.

Results:
XRD shows that ZnBi38O58 phase exists in the nanocomposites. Amorphous polyaniline
attaches to the surface of the Zn bismuthate nanorods. The 20wt.% polyaniline/Zn bismuthate nanocomposites
modified GCE shows an irreversible cyclic voltammetry (CV) peak at –0.06 V. The peak
current increases sharply with increased scan rate, formaldehyde concentration and acidity. The electrochemical
response dependences including the linear range, detection limit were analyzed. 20wt.%
polyaniline/Zn bismuthate nanocomposites modified GCE shows low detection limit of 0.0095 µM
and wide linear range of 0.00001-2 mM. The detection limit for formaldehyde decreases from 0.028
µM to 0.0075 µM with the increase in the polyaniline content from 10wt.% to 40wt.%.

Conclusion:
The low detection limit and wide linear range make the nanocomposites modified GCE
valuable for sensor application. Polyaniline/Zn bismuthate nanocomposites are identified as the
prominent electrode materials for sensitive formaldehyde detection.
A Hybrid Security System Based on Bit Rotation and Chaotic Maps
Authors: Al-qdah Majdi 
Published: August 2018

Background:
This paper presents an image security system by combining bit rotation
with block based chaotic maps cryptography.

Methods:
The system uses permutation technique that divides the image into blocks before applying
right/left rotation of bits to the pixel values based on a randomly generated key. Then, the image
blocks are fused together. A scrambling operation followed by chaotic map is applied on the
rotated image to diffuse the image pixels using another randomly generated key. The chaotic map
scatters all the pixel positions in the image. The decryption is the complete reversal operation of
the encryption process.

Results & Conclusion:
The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated using several
metrics: Histograms of both original and cipher images, correlation of adjacent pixels and correlation
between the original and cipher images, Number of Pixel Change Rate (NPCR), Unified Average
Changing Intensity (UACI), Mean Square Error (MSE), and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio
(PSNR). The results indicate a very secure technique to protect all types of images.
Efficient Computing in Image Processing and DSPs with ASIP Based Multiplier
Authors: Sharma Poonam , Dubey Ashwani Kumar , Goyal Ayush 
Published: August 2018

Background:
With the growing demand of image processing and the use of Digital Signal
Processors (DSP), the efficiency of the Multipliers and Accumulators has become a bottleneck to get
through. We revised a few patents on an Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASIP),
where the design considerations are proposed for application-specific computing in an efficient way
to enhance the throughput.

Objective:
The study aims to develop and analyze a computationally efficient method to optimize the
speed performance of MAC.

Methods:
The work presented here proposes the design of an Application Specific Instruction Set
Processor, exploiting a Multiplier Accumulator integrated as the dedicated hardware. This MAC is
optimized for high-speed performance and is the application-specific part of the processor; here it
can be the DSP block of an image processor while a 16-bit Reduced Instruction Set Computer
(RISC) processor core gives the flexibility to the design for any computing. The design was emulated
on a Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and tested for various real-time computing.

Results:
The synthesis of the hardware logic on FPGA tools gave the operating frequencies of the
legacy methods and the proposed method, the simulation of the logic verified the functionality.

Conclusion:
With the proposed method, a significant improvement of 16% increase in throughput
has been observed for 256 steps iterations of multiplier and accumulators on an 8-bit sample data.
Such an improvement can help in reducing the computation time in many digital signal processing
applications where multiplication and addition are done iteratively.
Vibration Fault Diagnosis for Hydroelectric Generating Units Based on the Modified Cuckoo Search Algorithm and Evidence Theory
Authors: Cheng Jiatang , Ai Li , Xiong Yan 
Published: August 2018

Background:
In view of the complex system structure and uncertain factors in the fault
diagnosis of hydroelectric generating units (HGU), it is a difficult problem to design the diagnosis
method rationally.

Objective:
An attempt is made to employ multi-source feature information to improve the accuracy of
fault diagnosis, and the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified by using a diagnostic example.

Methods:
Through the research on recent papers and patents related to fault diagnosis of the HGU, a
hybrid scheme based on the modified cuckoo search algorithm, back-propagation (BP) neural network
and evidence theory are proposed. For this modified version named cuckoo search with fitness information
(CSF), the step factor is adaptively tuned using the fitness value. Next, three diagnostic models
based on BP neural network trained by CSF are used for primary diagnosis. These diagnostic results are
then used as the independent evidence, and the fusion decision is made by using evidence theory.

Results:
Experimental results show that CSF algorithm is better than the original cuckoo search (CS)
and its three variants, and the hybrid method has the highest diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusion:
The proposed hybrid scheme has strong robustness and fault tolerance, and can effectively
classify the vibration faults of hydroelectric generating units