bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Solubility of Organosolv Lignin in γ‐Valerolactone/Water Binary Mixtures
Authors: Lê Huy Quang , Zaitseva Anna , Pokki Juha‐Pekka , Ståhl Marina , Alopaeus Ville , Sixta Herbert 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe solubility of lignin in a mixture of γ‐valerolactone (GVL) and water at different weight ratios was measured using the Hildebrand solubility parameters. Based on the molecular structure of lignin, its solubility parameter (δ‐value) was calculated as 25.5 MPa1/2. The δ‐value for aqueous GVL solvent increased from 23.1 MPa1/2 for pure GVL to 45.6 MPa1/2 for pure water. Therefore, the lignin solubility was predicted to increase with increasing GVL concentration in the aqueous mixture up to approximately 92–96 wt % of GVL. A ternary diagram describing the phase behavior of water–GVL–lignin mixtures at room temperature was constructed based on the experimental results. The three‐component system exhibited a complex behavior with a liquid–liquid and solid–liquid–liquid phase split. The efficiency of the selected fractionation trials in a previous work was validated using the ternary solubility diagram. A promising recovery pathway and lignin isolation method were deduced from the results of this work.
Telomere content measurement in human hematopoietic cells: Comparative analysis of qPCR and Flow‐FISH techniques
Authors: Wand Taylor , Fang Mike , Chen Christina , Hardy Nathan , McCoy J. Philip , Dumitriu Bogdan , Young Neal S. , Biancotto Angélique 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAbnormal telomere lengths have been linked to cancer and other hematologic disorders. Determination of mean telomere content (MTC) is traditionally performed by Southern blotting and densitometry, giving a mean telomere restriction fragment (TRF) value for the total cell population studied. Here, we compared a quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction approach (qPCR) and a flow cytometric approach, fluorescence in situ hybridization (Flow‐FISH), to evaluate telomere content distribution in total patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells or specific cell populations. Flow‐FISH is based on in situ hybridization using a fluorescein‐labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) (CCCTAA)3 probe and DNA staining with propidium iodide. We showed that both qPCR and Flow‐FISH provide a robust measurement, with Flow‐FISH measuring a relative content longer than qPCR at a single cell approach and that TRF2 fluorescence intensity did not correlate with MTC. Both methods showed comparable telomere content reduction with age, and the rate of relative telomere loss was similar. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Support for the elevational Rapoport's rule among seed plants in Nepal depends on biogeographical affinities and boundary effects
Authors: Feng Jianmeng , Hu Xiaokang , Wang Jie , Wang Yanmei 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAs one of the most important hypotheses on biogeographical distribution, Rapoport's rule has attracted attention around the world. However, it is unclear whether the applicability of the elevational Rapoport's Rule differs between organisms from different biogeographical regions. We used Stevens’ method, which uses species diversity and the averaged range sizes of all species within each (100 m) elevational band to explore diversity‐elevation, range‐elevation, and diversity‐range relationships. We compared support for the elevational Rapoport's rule between tropical and temperate species of seed plants in Nepal. Neither tropical nor temperate species supported the predictions of the elevational Rapoport's rule along the elevation gradient of 100–6,000 m a.s.l. for any of the studied relationships. However, along the smaller 1,000–5,000 m a.s.l. gradient (4,300 m a.s.l. for range‐elevation relationships) which is thought to be less influenced by boundary effects, we observed consistent support for the rule by tropical species, although temperate species did not show consistent support. The degree of support for the elevational Rapoport's rule may not only be influenced by hard boundary effects, but also by the biogeographical affinities of the focal taxa. With ongoing global warming and increasing variability of temperature in high‐elevation regions, tropical taxa may shift upward into higher elevations and expand their elevational ranges, causing the loss of temperate taxa diversity. Relevant studies on the elevational Rapoport's rule with regard to biogeographical affinities may be a promising avenue to further our understanding of this rule.
Reliability of U‐shaped steel dampers used in base‐isolated structures subjected to biaxial excitation
Authors: Ene Diana , Yamada Satoshi , Jiao Yu , Kishiki Shoichi , Konishi Yoshinao 
Published: September 2016

SummaryA reliable performance of anti‐seismic devices when the upper‐structure is subjected to strong biaxial seismic excitation is of vital importance to ensure the latter doesn't reach critical behavior. U‐shaped steel dampers are hysteretic devices used to dissipate the earthquake‐induced energy of base‐isolated structures. In the framework of performance‐based design, which is gaining more and more recognition, it is of particular importance to assess the performance of base‐isolated structures with such dampers under different intensity levels of bidirectional ground motion. To achieve this goal, an analytical model able to simulate the bidirectional displacement response of an isolation system is adopted. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is used to obtain the relation between the earthquake‐induced bidirectional damage of U‐shaped steel dampers and different intensity levels of the considered records. The performance of the dampers is categorized into 5 levels delimited by 4 limit states for which fragility curves are derived. The results obtained using the bidirectional approach are quantitatively compared to those given by employing an in‐plane model (widely used in current design practices in Japan) with the purpose of assessing whether the latter provides unconservative estimates of the performance of the dampers. The main conclusion is that, for large seismic intensities, the safety margin against fracture of the dampers is significantly overestimated when an in‐plane model is adopted. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Natural remedies for non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug‐induced toxicity
Authors: Simon Jerine Peter , Evan Prince Sabina 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe liver is an important organ of the body, which has a vital role in metabolic functions. The non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac causes hepato‐renal toxicity and gastric ulcers. NSAIDs are noted to be an agent for the toxicity of body organs. This review has elaborated various scientific perspectives of the toxicity caused by diclofenac and its mechanistic action in affecting the vital organ. This review suggests natural products are better remedies than current clinical drugs against the toxicity caused by NSAIDs. Natural products are known for their minimal side effects, low cost and availability. On the other hand, synthetic drugs pose the danger of adverse effects if used frequently or over a long period. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystal structure of a class‐mu glutathione S‐transferase from whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei: structural changes in the xenobiotic binding H‐site may alter the spectra of molecules bound
Authors: Juárez‐Martínez Ariadna B , Sotelo‐Mundo Rogerio R , Rudiño‐Piñera Enrique 
Published: September 2016

AbstractGlutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) are dimeric proteins that play a key role in phase II cellular detoxification. Here, the first crystal structure of a GST class‐mu from marine crustacean shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is reported at a resolution of 2.0 Å. The coordinates reported here have the lowest sequence identity with previously reported GSTs class‐mu deposited at the Protein Data Bank (PDB), although they have subtle conformational differences. One key feature of GST class‐mu from L. vannamei is the active site crevice markedly reduced when it is compared with other GSTs class‐mu. This finding together with the chemical change of residues into the cavity (F112 and Y210) points to a particular specialization in which smallest xenobiotics with nonstandard chemical characteristics can be bound to the H‐site. This suggests that marine organisms have evolved structural strategies to provide efficient selectivity toward xenobiotics to be disposed of by the phase II detoxification process.
Uptake of macro nutrients, barium, and strontium by vegetation from mineral soils on carbonatite and pyroxenite bedrock at the Lillebukt Alkaline Complex on Stjernøy, Northern Norway
Authors: Myrvang Mona B. , Hillersøy Maria H. , Heim Michael , Bleken Marina A. , Gjengedal Elin 
Published: September 2016

AbstractCarbonatite originating from the Lillebukt Alkaline Complex at Stjernøy in Northern Norway possesses favorable lime and potassium (K) fertilizer characteristics. However, enrichments of barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) in carbonatite may cause an undesired uptake by plants when applied to agroecosystems. A field survey was carried out to compare concentrations of Ba, Sr, and macronutrients in indigenous plants growing in mineral soil developed on a bedrock of apatite–biotite–carbonatite (high in Ba and Sr) and of apatite–hornblende–pyroxenite (low in Ba and Sr) at Stjernøy. Samples of soil and vegetation were collected from three sites, two on carbonatite bedrock and one on pyroxenite bedrock. Ammonium lactate (AL)‐extracted soil samples and nitric acid microwave‐digested samples of soil, grasses, dwarf shrubs, and herbs were analyzed for element concentration using ICP‐MS and ICP‐OES. Concentrations of magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) in both soil (AL) and plants were equal to or higher compared to values commonly reported. A high transfer of phosphorus (P) from soil to plants indicates that the apatite‐P is available to plants, particularly in pyroxenite soil. The non‐exchangeable K reservoir in the soil made a significant contribution to the elevated K transfer from soil to plant. Total concentrations of Ba and Sr in surface soil exhibited a high spatial variation ranging from 490 to 5,300 mg Ba kg−1 and from 320 to 1,300 mg Sr kg−1. The transfer of AL‐extractable elements from soil to plants increased in the order Ba < Sr < Ca < Mg < K, hence reflecting the chemical binding strength of these elements. Concentrations of Ba and Sr were low in grasses (≈ 20 mg kg−1), intermediate in dwarf shrubs and highest in herbs. Plant species and their affinity for Ca seemed more important in explaining the uptake of Ba and Sr than the soil concentration of these elements. The leguminous plant species Vicia cracca acted as an accumulator of both Ba (1.800 mg kg−1) and Sr (2.300 mg kg−1).
Adequate supply of potassium improves plant water‐use efficiency but not leaf water‐use efficiency of spring wheat
Authors: Jákli Bálint , Tränkner Merle , Senbayram Mehmet , Dittert Klaus 
Published: September 2016

AbstractEnhancing crop water‐use efficiency (WUE) is a major research objective in water‐scarce agroecosystems. Potassium (K) enhances WUE and plays a crucial role in mitigating plant stress. Here, effects of K supply and PEG‐induced water deficit on WUE of spring wheat (Triticum aestivumL. var. Sonett), grown in nutrient solution, were studied. Plants were treated with three levels of K supply (0.1, 1, 4 mM K+) and two levels of PEG (0, 25%). WUE was determined at leaf level (WUEL), at whole‐plant level (WUEP), andviacarbon isotope ratio (δ13C). Effects of assimilation and stomatal conductance on WUELwere evaluated and compared with effects of biomass production and whole‐plant transpiration (EP) on WUEP. Adequate K supply enhanced WUEPup to 30% and by additional 20% under PEG stress, but had no effect on WUEL. EPwas lower with adequate K supply, but this effect may be attributed to canopy microclimate. Shoot δ13C responded linearly to time‐integrated WUELin adequately supplied plants, but not in K‐deficient plants, indicating negative effects of K deficiency on mesophyll CO2diffusion. It is concluded that leaf‐scale evaluations of WUE are not reliable in predicting whole‐plant WUE of crops such as spring wheat suffering K deficiency.
Pomegranate juice prevents development of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation
Authors: Noori Maryam , Jafari Bahar , Hekmatdoost Azita 
Published: September 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe effects of pomegranate juice (PJ) on the risk factors of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have been reported previously; however, the effects on NAFLD and its prevention have not yet been clarified. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of PJ consumption with respect to the prevention of NAFLD/NASH development. Sprague–Dawley rats were fed either a high‐fat, high sugar diet (model group); a high‐fat, high sugar diet plus PJ (model+PJ); or a chow diet ad libitum for 7 weeks. Serum levels of fasting glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, liver enzymes, insulin and hepatic tumor necrosis factor‐α and tissue growth factor‐β gene expression were determined. Hepatic histology was examined by hemotoxylin and eosin staining.RESULTSThe model+PJ group had significantly lower hepatic steatosis, ballooning, lobular inflammation and portal inflammation (P < 0.001); lower hepatic pro‐inflammatory and pro‐fibrotic gene expression (P < 0.001); and lower plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.026), aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.041), insulin (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.041) and glucose (P = 0.009) compared to the model group; however, weight gain, food intake and plasma high‐density lipoprotein levels were not significantly different between these two groups.CONCLUSIONThe data obtained in the present study indicate that the regular consumption of PJ can prevent NAFLD even in the presence of the other risk factors such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and high energy, fat and sugar intakes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
The effects of animal age, feeding regime and a dietary beta‐agonist on tenderness of three beef muscles
Authors: Moholisa Ennet , Hugo Arno , Strydom Phillip E , van Heerden Ina 
Published: September 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDAnimal age as determined by number of permanent incisors (p. i.) is used in classification of beef carcasses to describe expected meat tenderness. However, animals differing in age are reared under different production systems (pasture or feedlot). In addition to age, other factors associated with particular production systems may also influence the palatability of meat. Therefore, the effects of age combined with feeding regime and the supplementation of a beta‐agonist (zilpaterol) on the tenderness of M. longissimus lumborum (LL), M. semitendinosus (ST) and M. biceps femoris (BF) muscles were investigated.RESULTSTenderness of LL cuts was least affected by age but zilpaterol significantly decreased tenderness and ageing potential. Tenderness of high‐collagen cuts (BF and ST) was negatively affected by age due to reduced collagen solubility. The effect of zilpaterol on these cuts was less significant and BF and ST cuts of the grain‐fed A‐age animals (0 p. i.) supplemented with zilpaterol (AZ) were more tender than the same cuts of grass‐fed animals with 1–2 p. i. (AB‐age) and grass‐fed animals with 3–6 p. i. (B‐age) according to Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and sensory analysis for tenderness.CONCLUSIONThis study indicates that beta‐agonists may influence variation in tenderness within an age class more than age or feeding regime. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Surface Disturbance and Erosion by Pigs: A Medium Term Assessment for the Monsoonal Tropics
Authors: Hancock G R , Lowry JBC , Dever C 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIntroduced pigs (Sus scrofa) are recognised as having significant environmental impacts. Here, we quantify the effect of feral pigs in a catchment (undisturbed by Europeans) in the monsoonal tropics of northern Australia. Field data collected over a 5‐year period showed that the areal extent of pig disturbance ranged from 0·3 to 3·3% of the survey area (average 1·2%, σ = 0·9%). Mass of exhumed material was considerable and ranged from 4·3 to 36·0 Mg ha−1 y−1 (average 10·9 Mg ha−1 y−1). The excavations produce surface roughness which acts as sediment traps. Over the 5‐year study period, there was no evidence to suggest that pigs produce any rill or gully erosion. There does not appear to be any relationship between rainfall amount and area disturbed or volume of material exhumed. However, a significant positive relationship was observed between number of disturbances and rainfall. The location of any disturbance appears to be random and has no relationship with topography or geomorphic attributes such as slope, upslope contributing area or wetness indices derived from a high‐resolution digital elevation model of the site. While pigs are disturbingly relatively large volumes of soil, there is no clear evidence to support any increase in local erosion and soil structural change may be occurring slowly and only be observable over the long term. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polyphosphoesters: New Trends in Synthesis and Drug Delivery Applications
Authors: Yilmaz Zeynep Ergul , Jérôme Christine 
Published: September 2016

Polymers with repeating phosphoester linkages in the backbone are biodegradable materials that emerge as a promising class of novel biomaterials, especially in the field of drug delivery systems. In contrast to aliphatic polyesters, the pentavalency of the phosphorus atom offers a large diversity of structures and as a consequence a wide range of properties for these materials. In this paper, it is focused on the synthesis of well‐defined polyphosphoesters (PPEs) by organocatalyzed ring‐opening polymerization, improving the functionalities by combination with click reactions, degradation of functional PPEs and their cytotoxicity, and inputs for applications in drug delivery.image
Wearable textile bioinspired antenna for 2G, 3G, and 4G systems
Authors: Silva P. F. , Freire R. C. S. , Serres A. J. R. , Silva P. H. da F. , Silva J. C. 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTWearable antennas present flexible dielectric and microstrip antenna normally used in Wireless Body Area Network systems with medical and no‐medical applications. This article presents a new wearable printed monopole antenna for second generation (2G), third generation (3G), and fourth generation (4G) systems on textile material and laminate cooper to flat cable. The bioinspired geometry of a gynkgo biloba leaf was generated by Gielis formula. The proposed antenna presents a bandwidth of 2.70 GHz, covering the ranges of 2G, 3G, and 4G systems, with an omnidirectional radiation pattern, 3.10 dBi gain, and a HPBW of 102°. Measurements were performed with the antenna nearly on the head, on hand and in the pocket of trousers. The biggest difference, in the resonance frequency, was observed with the antenna on hand, and the antenna nearly on head, showed greater difference in bandwidth. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2818–2823, 2016
Compact super wideband patch antenna design using diversities of reactive loaded technique
Authors: Aziz Siti Zubaidah , Jamlos Mohd Faizal 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTCompact super wideband (SWB) patch antenna using diversities of reactive loaded technique is presented in this paper. The antenna is consists of two U‐slots in the radiating patch with two inverted U‐slot and a triangular slit on the ground plane. By having those structures, a super wide operating bandwidth is produced from 2.43 GHz to 32.93 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 172.5%. Moreover, while only having a compact dimension of 25 × 26 mm2, the proposed antenna still can produced an acceptable gain from 2.73 dBi to 7.35 dBi over the frequency range. This compact SWB antenna is very potential to be used for SWB applications because it provides sufficient impedance bandwidth, high gain and stable radiation pattern that are near omni‐directional pattern. The performance of the proposed antenna is observed and analyzed comprehensively in this letter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2811–2814, 2016
General condition for ladder network prototype with equal terminations
Authors: Wang Kai , Zhang Qingfeng , Xia Fen , Liao Weiwei , Wong Saiwai , Chen Yifan 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTThis article proposes, for the first time, a general condition for the ladder network prototype with equally terminated resistances. A rigorous proof of this theorem is provided. Three fourth‐order examples are subsequently given to illustrate and verify the proposed theorem. The prototype network is then applied to shunt‐stub lowpass filters. An experimental validation is finally provided to prove the validity of the proposed theorem. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2833–2836, 2016
Small‐size dual‐wideband IFA frame antenna closely integrated with metal casing of the LTE smartphone and having decreased user's hand effects
Authors: Wong Kin‐Lu , Wu Yu‐Ching 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTA small‐size frame antenna based on the inverted‐F antenna (IFA) structure to cover 824∼960 and 1710∼2690 MHz for the LTE operation in the metal‐casing smartphone is presented. The antenna uses a short frame section of 53 mm (about 0.16 wavelength at 900 MHz) along the short edge of the metal casing as the IFA's radiating strip. The short frame section is closely integrated with the metal casing with a 2‐mm uniform gap and is easily fit within the short edge thereof. The frame section is connected to a feed circuit board (FCB), on which the IFA's shorting strip, feeding strip and matching network are disposed, to achieve the desired dual‐wideband operation. The FCB does not occupy the planar space on the metal casing and the system circuit board as well. In this regard, the occupied space of the antenna including the radiating frame section and the FCB in the smartphone is minimized. With the proposed antenna structure, effects of the user's hand on the antenna performance are also minimized, mainly because the small size of the antenna leads to no gaps along two long side edges of the metal‐casing smartphone. Details of the antenna structure and its working principle are addressed, and experimental results of the antenna are presented and discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2853–2858, 2016
60 GHz millimeter‐wave transceiver front‐end: Design and implementation
Authors: Shi X. , Xing Y. Y. 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTBased on the microwave integrated circuit and millimeter wave integrated circuit technology, a pair of TX and RX front‐ends operating at 60 GHz are designed and fabricated, with all the functional modules optimized and integrated from the aspect of system application. The integrated front‐end system fulfills the design requirements and provides technical and devices support for its application in short distance wireless communication. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2894–2897, 2016