bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of acute toxicity tests and rhizotron experiments to characterize lethal and sublethal control of soil‐based pests
Authors: Agatz Annika , Schumann Mario M , French Bryan W , Brown Colin D , Vidal Stefan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDCharacterizing lethal and sublethal control of soil‐based pests with plant protection products is particularly challenging due to the complex and dynamic interplay of the system components. Here, we present two types of studies: acute toxcity experiments (homogenous exposure of individuals in soil) and rhizotron experiments (heterogeneous exposure of individuals in soil) to investigate their ability to strengthen our understanding of mechanisms driving the effectivness of the plant protection product. Experiments were conducted using larvae of the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera LeConte and three pesticide active ingredients: clothianidin (neonicotinoid), chlorpyrifos (organophosphate) and tefluthrin (pyrethroid).RESULTSThe order of compound concentrations needed to invoke a specific effect intensity (EC50 values) within the acute toxicity tests was chlorpyrifos > tefluthrin > clothianidin. This order changed for the rhizotron experiments because application type, fate and transport of the compounds in the soil profile, and sublethal effects on larvae also influence their effectiveness in controlling larval feeding on corn roots.CONCLUSIONBeyond the pure measurement of efficacy through observing relative changes in plant injury to control plants, the tests generate mechanistic understanding for drivers of efficacy apart from acute toxicity. The experiments have the potential to enhance efficacy testing and product development, and might be useful tools for assessing resistance development in the future. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of alkaloids from Sophora flavescens on osteoblasts infected with Staphylococcus aureus and osteoclasts
Authors: Wang Xuping , Zheng Rongzong , Huang Xiaowen , Mao Zhujun , Wang Nani , Li Hongyu , Wen Chengping , Shou Dan 
Published: March 2018

Chronic osteomyelitis is primarily caused by infection with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Antibiotics are commonly administered; however, it is a challenge to promote bone healing. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of alkaloids from the herbal remedy Sophora flavescens (ASF) on rat calvarial osteoblasts (ROBs) infected with S. aureus and healthy osteoclasts. Cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase, interleukin‐6, and tumour necrosis factor‐α activity was measured in infected ROBs; tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase was evaluated in osteoclasts via enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA and protein expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein 2, runt‐related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B ligand were assessed in infected ROBs through reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analysis, respectively. Results indicated that ASF increased the viability of uninfected ROBs and infected ROBs treated with vancomycin via regulation of bone morphogenetic protein 2, runt‐related transcription factor, osteoprotegerin, and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B ligand mRNA and protein expression levels. In addition, the secretion of the inflammatory factor tumour necrosis factor‐α was decreased and alkaline phosphatase activity was increased, inhibiting the viability of osteoclasts and tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase activity. Therefore, the herbal remedy ASF has potential as a new treatment for chronic osteomyelitis.
Guaranteed in‐control performance of the synthetic chart with estimated parameters
Authors: Hu XueLong , Castagliola Philippe , Ma YiZhong , Huang Weidong 
Published: March 2018

AbstractControl charts are usually investigated under the assumption of known process parameters. In practice, however, the process parameters are rarely known and they have to be estimated from different Phase I data sets. The properties of control charts with estimated parameters are usually investigated with the unconditional average of the average run length. Control chart's performance is known to vary among practitioners because of the use of different Phase I data sets. Considering the between‐practitioners variability in control chart's performance, the standard deviation of the average run length is developed to reevaluate the properties of the synthetic
chart with estimated parameters. Because of the limited amount of Phase I data in practice, the bootstrap method is used as a good adjustment technique for the synthetic
chart's parameters.
A method of human reliability analysis and quantification for space missions based on a Bayesian network and the cognitive reliability and error analysis method
Authors: Chen Jiayu , Zhou Dong , Lyu Chuan , Zhu Xinv 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAnalyses of human reliability during manned spaceflight are crucial because human error can easily arise in the extreme environment of space and may pose a great potential risk to the mission. Although various approaches exist for human reliability analysis (HRA), all these approaches are based on human behavior on the ground. Thus, to appropriately analyze human reliability during spaceflight, this paper proposes a space‐based HRA method of quantifying the human error probability (HEP) for space missions. Instead of ground‐based performance shaping factors (PSFs), this study addresses PSFs specific to the space environment, and a corresponding evaluation system is integrated into the proposed approach to fully consider space mission characteristics. A Bayesian network is constructed based on the cognitive reliability and error analysis method (CREAM) to model these space‐based PSFs and their dependencies. By incorporating the Bayesian network, the proposed approach transforms the HEP estimation procedure into a probabilistic calculation, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of traditional HRA methods in addressing the uncertainty of the complex space environment. More importantly, by acquiring more information, the HEP estimates can be dynamically updated by means of this probabilistic calculation. By studying 2 examples and evaluating the HEPs for an International Space Station ingress procedure, the feasibility and superiority of the developed approach are validated both mathematically and in a practical scenario.
Liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis of halogenated benzoates for characterization of the underlying degradation reaction in Thauera chlorobenzoica CB‐1T
Authors: Franke Steffi , Kümmel Steffen , Nijenhuis Ivonne 
Published: March 2018

RationaleHalogenated benzoic acids occur in the environment due to their widespread agricultural and pharmaceutical use. Compound‐specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) has developed over the last decades for investigation of in situ transformation and reaction mechanisms of environmental pollutants amenable by gas chromatography (GC). As polar compounds are unsuitable for GC analysis we developed a method to perform liquid chromatography (LC)/CSIA for halogenated benzoates.MethodsLC/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) utilizing a LC‐Surveyor pump coupled to a MAT 253 isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a LC‐Isolink interface was applied. For chromatographic separation a YMC‐Triart C18 column and a potassium hydrogen phosphate buffer (150 mM, pH 7.0, 40°C, 200 μL mL−1) were used, followed by wet oxidation deploying 1.5 mol L−1 ortho‐phosphoric acid and 200 g L−1 sodium peroxodisulfate at 75 μL mL−1.ResultsSeparation of benzoate and halogenated benzoates could be achieved in less than 40 min over a concentration range of 2 orders of magnitude. Under these conditions the dehalogenation reaction of Thauera chlorobenzoica 3CB‐1T using 3‐chloro‐, 3‐bromo‐ and 4‐chlorobenzoic acid was investigated resulting in inverse carbon isotope fractionation for meta‐substituted benzoic acids and minor normal fractionation for para‐substituted benzoic acids. Together with the respective growth rates this led to the assumption that dehalogenation of para‐halobenzoic acids follows a different mechanism from that of meta‐halobenzoic acids.ConclusionsA new LC/IRMS method for the quantitative determination of halogenated benzoates was developed and used to investigate the in vivo transformation pathways of these compounds, providing some insights into degradation and removal of these widespread compounds by T. chlorobenzoica 3CB‐1T.
Using partial least square discriminant analysis to distinguish between Islamic and conventional banks in the MENA region
Authors: Sghaier Asma , Ben Jabeur Sami , Bannour Boutheina 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe deterioration of bank profitability poses a threat not only to the interests of consumers and internal staff members but also affects investors who may equally suffer from significant financial losses. It is important to establish an effective system which assists investors in their investment choices. In prior literature, traditional models have been developed, but achieved short‐term performances such as logistic regression and discriminant analysis. This paper applies a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) to distinguish between conventional and Islamic banks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region based on the financial information for the period 2005–2011. This method can successfully identify the non‐linearity and correlations between financial indicators. The results demonstrate superior performance of the proposed method. On one hand, our model can select all financial ratios to distinguish between banks and at the same time identify the most important variables in the distinction process. On the other hand, the proposed model has high levels in terms of accuracy and stability.
Adaptive frequency‐hopping schemes for CR‐based multi‐link satellite networks
Authors: Aykin Irmak , Krunz Marwan , Xiao Yong 
Published: March 2018

SummaryIn this paper, we study two dynamic frequency hopping (DFH)–based interference mitigation approaches for satellite communications. These techniques exploit the sensing capabilities of a cognitive radio to predict future interference on the upcoming frequency hops. We consider a topology where multiple low Earth orbit satellites transmit packets to a common geostationary equatorial orbit satellite. The FH sequence of each low Earth orbit–geostationary equatorial orbit link is adjusted according to the outcome of out‐of‐band proactive sensing scheme, performed by a cognitive radio module in the geostationary equatorial orbit satellite. On the basis of sensing results, new frequency assignments are made for the upcoming slots, taking into account the transmit powers, achievable rates, and overhead of modifying the FH sequences. In addition, we ensure that all satellite links are assigned channels such that their minimum signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio requirements are met, if such an assignment is possible. We formulate two multi‐objective optimization problems: DFH‐Power and DFH‐Rate. Discrete‐time Markov chain analysis is used to predict future channel conditions, where the number of states are inferred using k‐means clustering, and the state transition probabilities are computed using maximum likelihood estimation. Finally, simulation results are presented to evaluate the effects of different system parameters on the performance of the proposed designs.
Carbon‐Nanosheet Based Large‐Area Electrochemical Capacitor that is Flexible, Foldable, Twistable, and Stretchable
Authors: Jun Jong Han , Song Hyeonjun , Kim Changsoon , Choi In‐Suk , Jeong Youngjin , Lee Ji‐Hoon 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWith the growing demand for wearable electronics, developing new compatible energy systems is a prominent topic of research. Energy systems mounted on wearable electronics should exhibit high cost efficiency, mechanical robustness, and high electrochemical activity. Herein, all‐carbon‐based large‐area nanocomposites for freely deformable electrochemical capacitors are suggested to address these requirements. The three‐dimensionally integrated, self‐supported nanocomposites consist of activated carbons (ACs) distributed in direct spinning‐derived carbon nanotube (DS‐CNT) sheets without any additives, including conducting agents or binders. Owing to synergetic effects of the highly porous AC particles, high electron transport kinetics of CNTs, and facile ion accessibility resulting from acid treatment, the nanocomposites show a greatly improved specific capacitance of 128 F g−1, compared to that of pristine ACs (62 F g−1), based on the total mass of the electrodes. The exceptional mechanical stability of the nanocomposites, which are attached on prestretched elastomer substrates, is confirmed; only a ≈15% increase in the electrical resistance is observed under a tensile strain of 100%, and the initial resistance is fully recovered after releasing. Finally, the outstanding durability and electrochemical performance of the deformable all‐carbon‐based symmetric capacitors under various mechanical deformations of bending, folding, twisting, and stretching are successfully demonstrated.
Mesoporous Hollow Sb/ZnS@C Core–Shell Heterostructures as Anodes for High‐Performance Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Dong Shihua , Li Caixia , Li Zhaoqiang , Zhang Luyuan , Yin Longwei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractCombining the advantage of metal, metal sulfide, and carbon, mesoporous hollow core–shell Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructures composed of Sb/ZnS inner core and carbon outer shell are rationally designed based on a robust template of ZnS nanosphere, as anodes for high‐performance sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). A partial cation exchange reaction based on the solubility difference between Sb2S3 and ZnS can transform mesoporous ZnS to Sb2S3/ZnS heterostructure. To get a stable structure, a thin contiguous resorcinol‐formaldehyde (RF) layer is introduced on the surface of Sb2S3/ZnS heterostructure. The effectively protective carbon layer from RF can be designed as the reducing agent to convert Sb2S3 to metallic Sb to obtain core–shell Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructures. Simultaneously, the carbon outer shell is beneficial to the charge transfer kinetics, and can maintain the structure stability during the repeated sodiation/desodiation process. Owing to its unique stable architecture and synergistic effects between the components, the core–shell porous Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructure SIB anode shows a high reversible capacity, good rate capability, and excellent cycling stability by turning the optimized voltage range. This novel strategy to prepare carbon‐layer‐protected metal/metal sulfide core–shell heterostructure can be further extended to design other novel nanostructured systems for high‐performance energy storage devices.
Remarkable Enhancement in Sodium‐Ion Kinetics of NaFe2(CN)6 by Chemical Bonding with Graphene
Authors: Li Weijie , Han Chao , Xia Qingbing , Zhang Kai , Chou Shulei , Kang Yong‐Mook , Wang Jiazhao , Liu Hua Kun , Dou Shi Xue 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHexacyanoferrate (Prussian blue, PB)/reduced graphene oxide (PB‐RGO) composites with a synergistic structure (graphene/PB/graphene) and a chemical bond are fabricated using a facile one‐step method that does not require any external chemical reducing agent. Here, Na4Fe(CN)6 is decomposed in an acidic solution to produce Fe2+ ions, which anchor onto the electronegative graphene oxide (GO) layers by electrostatic interaction and then reduce the GO. The formation of an FeOC chemical bond in the composite results in an excellent rate capability of the PB‐RGO composite at room temperature, delivering capacities of 78.1, 68.9, and 46.0 mAh g−1 even at the high rates of 10, 20, and 50 C, with a capacity retention of 70.2%, 63.4%, and 41.0%, respectively. The composite also shows an unprecedentedly outstanding cycling stability, retaining ≈90% of the initial capacity after 600 cycles.
Efficient Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells Enabled by Small‐Molecular Acceptors with a Decreased Fused‐Ring Core
Authors: Bai Weiyun , Xu Xiaopeng , Li Qingya , Xu Yunxiang , Peng Qiang 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTwo A1‐A2‐π‐D‐A2‐A1 structural small‐molecular acceptors with a decreased fused‐ring core, TIDT‐BT‐R2 and TIDT‐BT‐R6, are designed and synthesized by using thiophene‐indenothiophene (TIDT) as the core unit and benzothiadiazole‐rhodanine (BT‐R) as the end groups. The resulting small‐molecular acceptors exhibit the desirably complementary absorptions and well matched energy levels with the low‐bandgap donor copolymer of PTB7‐Th. Compared to TIDT‐BT‐R6, TIDT‐BT‐R2 with shorter side chains exhibits better crystallinity and higher charge carrier mobilities in its blend films. The nonfullerene solar cells (NFSCs) based on TIDT‐BT‐R2 also show higher exciton dissociation efficiency and lower charge recombination, which leads to higher Jsc and fill factor values. As a result, TIDT‐BT‐R2‐based NFSCs show a large Voc of 1.04 V and a high power conversion efficiency of 8.7% with a very low energy loss of 0.55 eV, which is one of the best values for PTB7‐Th‐based binary blend devices.
A Donor Polymer Based on a Difluorinated Pentathiophene Unit Enabling Enhanced Performance for Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Liu Jing , Ma Lik‐Kuen , Lin Haoran , Zhang Lin , Li Zhengke , Law Wai Kit , Shang Ao , Hu Huawei , Ma Wei , Yan He 
Published: March 2018

AbstractFor oligothiophene‐based donor polymers, changing the number of thiophene rings in each repeating unit is a simple and effective approach to tune their optical and electronic properties. While bithiophene‐, terthiophene‐, and quaterthiophene‐based polymers have been widely known and studied, pentathiophene‐based ones are rarely reported. Here, the pentathiophene‐based polymer PT5T, which yields extremely poor device performance with an efficiency of only 0.37%, is synthesized. However, after the introduction of two fluorine atoms to the center thiophene unit, the resulting polymer (PT5T‐2F) yields dramatic improvement in device performance with the fill factor and the power conversion efficiency improved to 70.8% and 9.69%, respectively. The morphological study shows that the difluorinated pentathiophene building block introduces enhanced molecular aggregation and crystallinity of PT5T‐2F, which facilitates the formation of bulk heterojunction blends with higher domain purity. Most importantly, despite its high crystallinity, PT5T‐2F can still produce reasonably small domain sizes in the polymer‐based blend. The results indicate that the difluorinated pentathiophene is a promising building block to construct donor polymers for nonfullerene organic solar cells.
Efficient and simple HPLC method for spiramycin determination in urine samples and in pharmaceutical tablets
Authors: Mahmoudi Abdelghani 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHigh‐performance liquid chromatography was used in the development of a new simple method for the determination of spiramycin in urine and tablets. Experimental and instrumental conditions were first optimized for the separation of this compound and then the method was applied to real samples. The procedure was performed using an isocratic elution on ODB reversed phase C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with UV detection at 231 nm, and a very reasonable resolution was achieved. In urine, the developed method was employed after a simple and fast sample preparation involving pre‐column for clean‐up procedure, and using roxithromycin as internal standard. Linearity, in the range of 0.3–25 μg mL−1 showed a good linear correlation (R2 = 0.9994), with a detection limit down to 30 ng mL−1. In the following step, the quantification of spiramycin was studied in pharmaceutical forms. Results showed a good repeatability and the relative standard deviation was below to 2.18%. Precision was checked at three levels during three consecutive days with intra‐day and inter‐day coefficients of relative standard deviation not exceeding the value of 4.98%. The extraction recovery presented good results with values ranging from 90.12–101.13% for both matrixes.
Forkhead Box M1 Transcriptionally Regulates the Expression of Long Noncoding RNAs Snhg8 and Gm26917 to Promote Proliferation and Survival of Muscle Satellite Cells
Authors: Chen Zhe , Bu Nuping , Qiao Xiaohong , Zuo Zhixiang , Shu Yahai , Liu Zhilong , Qian Zhijian , Chen Jieping , Hou Yu 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Multiple functions have been proposed for transcription factor FoxM1, including the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, apoptosis, and tissue homeostasis. However, the role of FoxM1 in muscle satellite cells (SCs) remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that FoxM1 was essential for the proliferation and survival of SCs. Crucially, we found that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) Snhg8 and Gm26917 significantly regulated the proliferation and apoptosis of SCs, respectively, and these lncRNAs were directly regulated by FoxM1 in SCs. Mechanistically, Snhg8 sustained SCs proliferation by promoting the transcription of ribosomal proteins, while Gm26917 acted as a competing endogenous RNA for microRNA-29b, which accelerated apoptosis of SCs. In mice, conditional knockout of FoxM1 in skeletal muscle resulted in decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis of SCs. Thus, our studies revealed a previously unrecognized role of FoxM1 in SCs and uncovered two lncRNAs, Snhg8 and Gm26917, which function as novel targets of FoxM1 in the regulation of SCs proliferation and survival.
Mechanism of bisphenol AF‐induced progesterone inhibition in human chorionic gonadotrophin‐stimulated mouse Leydig tumor cell line (mLTC‐1) cells
Authors: Feng Yixing , Shi Jiachen , Jiao Zhihao , Duan Hejun , Shao Bing 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBisphenol AF (BPAF) has been shown to inhibit testicular steroidogenesis in male rats. However, the precise mechanisms related to the toxic effects of BPAF on reproduction remain poorly understood. In the present study, a mouse Leydig tumor cell line (mLTC‐1) was used as a model to investigate the mechanism of steroidogenic inhibition and to identify the molecular target of BPAF. Levels of progesterone and the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in cells exposed to BPAF were detected, and expression of key genes and proteins in steroid biosynthesis was assessed. The results showed that BPAF exposure decreased human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)‐stimulated progesterone production in a dose‐dependent manner. The 24‐h IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) value for BPAF regarding progesterone production was 70.2 µM. A dramatic decrease in cellular cAMP concentration was also observed. Furthermore, BPAF exposure inhibited expression of genes and proteins involved in cholesterol transport and progesterone biosynthesis. Conversely, the protein levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) were not altered, and those of progesterone were still decreased upon 22R‐hydroxycholesterol treatment of cells exposed to higher doses of BPAF. Together, these data indicate that BPAF exposure inhibits progesterone secretion in hCG‐stimulated mLTC‐1 cells by reducing expression of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR‐B1) and cytochrome P450 (P450scc) due to the adverse effects of cAMP. However, StAR might not be the molecular target in this process.
Sentence Stems That Support Reading Comprehension
Authors: Rodriguez‐Mojica Claudia , Briceño Allison 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSentence stems are widely used by teachers, but what do we know about developing sentence stems and using them effectively? Sentence stems are intended to facilitate students’ participation in academic conversations and writing and support students to develop the language expected in school, but sometimes the stems do not provide the support intended. The authors explain how to develop supportive sentence stems.