bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protective effect of dietary fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds and garlic (Allium sativum) on induced oxidation of low-density lipoprotein in rats
Authors: Mukthamba Puttaswamy , Srinivasan Krishnapura 
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Background: Dietary fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and garlic (Allium sativum) have been previously observed to have cardioprotective influence in experimentally induced myocardial infarction in rats. Since low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation is a key factor in the arteriosclerotic process, we evaluated their potential in minimizing the LDL oxidation in rats.

Methods: Fenugreek seeds, garlic, and their combination were included along with a high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks.

Results: Iron-induced oxidation of LDL in vivo was considerably lowered by dietary fenugreek and garlic. The extent of copper-induced oxidation of isolated LDL in vitro was also signiﬁcantly lesser in fenugreek-fed or fenugreek+garlic-fed rats. Anodic electrophoretic mobility of the oxidized LDL on agarose gel in case of spice-fed animals was decreased and hence consistent with the observed protective inﬂuence on LDL oxidation. Dietary fenugreek, garlic, and their combination significantly lowered lipid peroxide levels in plasma, liver, and heart in iron (II)-administered rats. The results suggest that these two dietary spices have protective effect on LDL oxidation under normal situation as well as in hypercholesterolemic situation. The protective effect of the combination of dietary fenugreek and garlic on LDL oxidation both in vivo and in vitro was greater than that of the individual spices.

Conclusions: The protective effect of dietary fenugreek and garlic on LDL oxidation both in vivo and in vitro as evidenced in the present study is suggestive of their cardioprotective potential since LDL oxidation is a key factor in the arteriosclerotic process.
The emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in the pathogenesis and treatment of kidney diseases
Authors: Tam Joseph 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are endogenous lipid ligands that bind to cannabinoid receptors that also mediate the effects of marijuana. The eCB system is comprised of eCBs, anandamide, and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, their cannabinoid-1 and cannabinoid-2 receptors (CB1 and CB2, respectively), and the enzymes involved in their biosynthesis and degradation. It is present in both the central nervous system and peripheral organs including the kidney. The current review focuses on the role of the eCB system in normal kidney function and various diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, that directly contributes to the development of renal pathologies. Normally, activation of the CB1 receptor regulates renal vascular hemodynamics and stimulates the transport of ions and proteins in different nephron compartments. In various mouse and rat models of obesity and type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, eCBs generated in various renal cells activate CB1 receptors and contribute to the development of oxidative stress, inflammation, and renal fibrosis. These effects can be chronically ameliorated by CB1 receptor blockers. In contrast, activation of the renal CB2 receptors reduces the deleterious effects of these chronic diseases. Because the therapeutic potential of globally acting CB1 receptor antagonists in these conditions is limited due to their neuropsychiatric adverse effects, the recent development of peripherally restricted CB1 receptor antagonists may represent a novel pharmacological approach in treating renal diseases.
Utilizing a Photo-Analysis Software for Content Identifying Method (CIM)
Authors: Nejad Nasim Sahraei , Ali Sharghi 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Content Identifying Methodology or (CIM) was developed to measure public preferences in order to reveal the common characteristics of landscapes and aspects of underlying perceptions including the individual's reactions to content and spatial configuration, therefore, it can assist with the identification of factors that influenced preference. Regarding the analysis of landscape photographs through CIM, there are several studies utilizing image analysis software, such as Adobe Photoshop, in order to identify the physical contents in the scenes. This study attempts to evaluate public’s ‘preferences for aesthetic qualities of pedestrian bridges in urban areas through a photo-questionnaire survey, in which respondents evaluated images of pedestrian bridges in urban areas. Two groups of images were evaluated as the most and least preferred scenes that concern the highest and lowest mean scores respectively. These two groups were analyzed by CIM and also evaluated based on the respondent’s description of each group to reveal the pattern of preferences and the factors that may affect them. Digimizer Software was employed to triangulate the two approaches and to determine the role of these factors on people’s preferences. This study attempts to introduce the useful software for image analysis which can measure the physical contents and also their spatial organization in the scenes. According to the findings, it is revealed that Digimizer could be a useful tool in CIM approaches through preference studies that utilizes photographs in place of the actual landscape in order to determine the most important factors in public preferences for pedestrian bridges in urban areas.
Fuel Wood Consumption and Species Degradation in South-Western Nigeria: The Ecological Relevance
Authors: Orimoogunje Oluwagbenga O.I. , Asifat Janet 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The continuous dependence of man on fuel and service wood has resulted in serious degradation of the fragile forest ecosystem. Therefore, this study evaluated the sources and patterns of fuel wood and examined the rate of consumption in the study area. This was with the aim to assess the ecological implications of fuelwood consumption on species degradation. The study utilized both, primary and secondary data. Information was extracted from topographic map on the scale of 1: 50,000 and satellites imageries that cover the study area. Questionnaire administration, field observation and weight measurement of fuel wood were carried out. The results showed that the sources of fuel wood for domestic cooking were forest, nearby bush and abandoned farm while the sources of domestic energy were fuel wood (61.17%), charcoal (27%), kerosene (10%), electricity (1.33%) and gas (0.5%). Fuel wood for small scale industries were: forest (49.23%), farmland (34.62) and fallow land (16.15%). The trend of fuel wood consumption was on the high side from 1995 to 2011, it was 58% in 1995, 70% in 2000, 82% in 2005 and 92% in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Many valuable economic tree species such as Triplochiton scleroxylon, Nesogordonia papaverifera, and Cordia spp. are near their extinction. Animals such as antelope, wolf and fox are going into extinction while monkey, grasscutter, hare, rabbit were endemic in the study area. The study concluded that the patterns of fuel wood use and fuel wood saturation presents a great danger for biodiversity products and services.
Monitoring and analysis of nyamulagira volcano activity using modis data: case of the 2011-2012 eruption
Authors: Bagalwa Montfort , Karume Katcho 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
In this paper we analyzed the 2011-2012 eruption of Nyamulagira volcano using MODIS Data. Eruptions have been occurring every 3–4 years throughout the last century. Satellite infrared data, collected by MODIS sensor to estimate pixels thermal anomaly of hot spots were analized, the radiance emitted at 3,959 and 12.02μm for each pixel and the thermal emissions at Nyamulagira feall into three distinct radiating regimes released during the 2011–2012 eruption. Initial activity was detected on 6 November, at 19:55 UTC, with a large thermal anomaly with 28 pixels approximately on the north flank of the volcano. The anomaly was limited to the north flank. The anomaly reached a maximum size of 1188 pixels in January 2012. The size and intensity of the anomaly rapidly diminished to first April 2012 were no more than 2 piixels indicate the end of eruption.
Degradation of PVDF-based composite membrane and its impacts on membrane intrinsic and separation properties
Authors: Lee Mei Jiun , Ong Chi Siang , Lau Woei Jye , Ng Be Cheer , Ismail Ahmad Fauzi , Lai Soon Onn 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
In this work, an attempt was made to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation period on the intrinsic and separation properties of composite membrane composed of organic polyvinylidene fluoride and inorganic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles by exposing the membrane to UV-A light for up to 250 h. The changes on membrane structural morphologies and chemical characteristics upon UV exposure were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared, respectively. It was observed that some cracks and fractures were formed on the membrane outer surface when it was exposed to 120-h UV light. Further increase in UV irradiation time to 250 h had caused membrane structure to collapse, turning it into powder form. Filtration experiments showed that the permeate flux of irradiated membrane was significantly increased from 10.89 L/m2 h to 21.84 L/m2 h (>100% flux increment) while oil rejection decreased with increasing UV exposure time from 0 h to 120 h. Furthermore, the mechanical strength and thermal stability of irradiated membrane were also reported to decrease with increasing UV exposure time, suggesting the negative impacts of UV light on the membrane overall stability. This research is of particular importance to evaluate the suitability and sustainability of polymeric membrane, which is widely considered as the host for photocatalyts and used for wastewater treatment process under UV irradiation.
Effects of bottom ash and granulated blast furnace slag as fine aggregate on abrasion resistance of concrete
Authors: Bilir Turhan , Yüksel Isa , Topcu Ilker Bekir , Gencel Osman 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAbrasion resistance is one of the most important durability properties of concrete. Especially, highway, airport and industrial floor pavements should be resistant to abrasion. Recently, many research studies have been carried out on the utilization of industrial by-products in concrete. Granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) and bottom ash (BA) are two of these by-products. BA is not generally utilized in concrete and has a limited usage. It is mostly dumped, leading to additional costs and environmental problems. On the other hand, both GBFS and BA have potential for concrete production to provide sustainability. They can substitute fine aggregate thanks to their positive effects on concrete durability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the abrasion resistance of concretes produced with GBFS and BA substituting fine aggregate. Three different concrete series were produced by replacing fine aggregate with GBFS, BA and both of them by mixing them at equal ratios. The replacement ratios of by-products were 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% by volume. Compressive strength and Bohme abrasion tests were conducted on series. Results were compared to each other. It can be said that abrasion resistance can be improved by these by-products.
High-resolution fiber-coupled interferometric point sensor for micro- and nano-metrology
Authors: Schake Markus , Schulz Markus , Lehmann Peter 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The determination of surface roughness is a common challenge in
industrial quality assurance. Because tactile techniques like the stylus
method or atomic force microscopy run the risk of damaging the measurement
object there is a high demand for contact-free optical measurements. In this
contribution we demonstrate the feasibility of a high resolution fiber-coupled
interferometric point sensor with periodical path length modulation to
determine the surface profile of rough surfaces. Measurements on two specimens
characterized by different roughness parameters are presented and corrections
for common measurement errors, due to phase ambiguity are
discussed.
Einsatzblock mit einer Mehrfachfixpunktzelle für einen Temperatur-Blockkalibrator
Authors: Marin Sebastian , Hohmann Michael , Schalles Marc , Krapf Gunter , Fröhlich Thomas 
Published: August 2015

Zusammenfassung
Eine Mehrfachfixpunktzelle zur Verwendung in einem Temperatur
Blockkalibrator wurde mittels Finite-Elemente Simulationen mit
ANSYS Workbench und parametrischen Variationen in optiSLang
entworfen. Die Zelle enthält drei reine Materialien, sogenannte
Fixpunktmaterialien, die ihre Fixpunkttemperaturen (Schmelz- und
Erstarrungstemperatur) innerhalb des Arbeitsbereiches des
Blockkalibrratores, 20 ℃ bis 600 ℃
haben. Sie ermöglichen eine in-situ Kalibrierung des unteren
Referenzsensors des Blockkalibrators bei den
Phasenumwandlungstemperaturen der Fixpunktmaterialien. Dieser Artikel
zeigt unterschiedliche mögliche Geometrien der Mehrfachfixpunktzelle,
ihre Optimierung, simulierte Temperaturverläufe während der
Phasenumwandlung und Temperaturfelder, sowie die Bewertung der
Konstruktionsvarianten.
Minimalinvasives, doppelt fasergekoppeltes
Laserhygrometer für die schnelle in-situ Gasanalyse
mit Absorptionslängen im Millimeterbereich
Authors: Klein Alexander , Ebert Volker 
Published: August 2015

Zusammenfassung
Die direkte Absorptionsspektroskopie mittels durchstimmbaren
Diodenlasern (dTDLAS) ist ein vielversprechendes Analysenverfahren
für eine schnelle, hoch-selektive, empfindliche,
kalibrierungsfreie, in-situ Analyse von Gaskomponenten. Für viele
optisch schlecht zugängliche Anwendungen, bspw. in der Prozess-
oder Verbrennungsanalyse, sind jedoch extrem kompakte,
minimalinvasive, fasergekoppelte Sensoren besonders interessant. Dies
gilt vor allem für die schnelle Gasanalyse in Verbrennungsmotoren,
aufgrund der extremen schnell variablen Prozessbedingungen und der
sehr begrenzten Zugangsmöglichkeiten.
Für extrem platzbeschränkte Anwendungen bspw. in der
Motordiagnostik wurde ein neues, dank doppelter Faserkopplung, sehr
kompaktes, Laserhygrometer im kurzwelligen Infrarot entwickelt. Das
sehr schnelle Spektrometer verfügt über einen minimalinvasiven
Sensorkopf, dessen Sensoroptik – mit einem Außendurchmesser von
12 mm – die Größe einer handelsüblichen
Zündkerze hat und in den Motorblock eingeschraubt werden
kann. Dank einer einfach gefalteten, nur 21 mm langen
Wegstrecke, ermöglicht er, stark lokalisierte, in-situ
Wasserdampfmessungen am Zündkerzenport eines Motors, mit kHz
Repetitionsrate und einer Zeitauflösung im μs-Bereich.
Anhand eines im Rahmen der Arbeit hergestellten, voll
funktionsfähigen Sensorprototyps wurde das spektroskopische,
optische und mechanische Konzept erfolgreich an einer Hochdruckzelle
validiert. Dabei wurde bei 100 μs Zeitauflösung
eine optische Auflösung der Absorbanz von 3E-3 erreicht. Der Sensor ermöglicht hierbei eine kalibrierungsfreie
H2O Messung mit einer Detektionsgrenze von
0.06 Vol.-% und einem Dynamikbereich von
0.1 Vol.-% bis 100 Vol.-%. Druckbereiche
von 0.1–0.5 MPa wurden erfolgreich realisiert, so dass
der Kompressionstakt eines Motors sehr gut untersucht werden
kann. Desweiteren konnten die Unsicherheiten für die H2O
Messung mittels dTDLAS, durch die Bestimmung der benötigten
molekularen Parameter (z. B. Linienstärke) mit hoher Genauigkeit,
maßgeblich verbessert werden.
Eschatologie und Ethik bei Paul Tillich
Authors: Matern Harald 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPaul Tillich’s eschatology is strongly linked to his ethics. In order to understand the theological and philosophical implications of this linkage it is necessary to consult his systematic main works from the 1920’s era. The intellectual environment of the Weimar era was used to apocalyptical descriptions of its present age - which within protestant theology was reflected in eschatological terms. Tillich’s contribution to the eschatological discourse of that time consisted in the development of an eschatology which (while preserving the critical attitude of dialectic theology) was designed to be a transcendental theory reflecting the conditions of the constitution of agency.
Von der Erwartung zur Utopie.
Authors: Sturm Erdmann 
Published: August 2015

AbstractExpectation and utopia are rooted in the ontological structure of man’s being. The struggle for a meaningful society and against a demonized society is a necessary expression for the expectation of the Kingdom of God. In his paper on “The Kingdom of God and History” from 1936, Tillich does not start from man’s ontological structure and his expectation or utopia but from the symbol for the Kingdom of God. In his bi-polar “applied theology” and his doctrine of the kairos he affirms the idea that the Kingdom of God is involved in historical events, in actualization in time.
A Flippase-Mediated GAL80/GAL4 Intersectional Resource for Dissecting Appendage Development inDrosophila
Authors: Smith Brittany N , Ghazanfari Arash M , Bohm Rudolf A , Welch William P , Zhang Bing , Masly John P 
Published: August 2015

AbstractDrosophila imaginal discs provide an ideal model to study processes important for cell signaling and cell specification, tissue differentiation, and cell competition during development. One challenge to understanding genetic control of cellular processes and cell interactions is the difficulty in effectively targeting a defined subset of cells in developing tissues in gene manipulation experiments. A recently developed Flippase-induced intersectional GAL80/GAL4 repression method incorporates several gene manipulation technologies in Drosophila to enable such fine-scale dissection in neural tissues. In particular, this approach brings together existing GAL4 transgenes, newly developed enhancer-trap flippase transgenes, and GAL80 transgenes flanked by Flippase recognition target sites. The combination of these tools enables gene activation/repression in particular subsets of cells within a GAL4 expression pattern. Here, we expand the utility of a large collection of these enhancer-trap flippase transgenic insertion lines by characterizing their expression patterns in third larval instar imaginal discs. We screened 521 different enhancer-trap flippase lines and identified 28 that are expressed in imaginal tissues, including two transgenes that show sex-specific expression patterns. Using a line that expresses Flippase in the wing imaginal disc, we demonstrate the utility of this intersectional approach for studying development by knocking down gene expression of a key member of the planar cell polarity pathway. The results of our experiments show that these enhancer-trap flippase lines enable fine-scale manipulation in imaginal discs.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress–Related Genes in Yellow Catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco: Molecular Characterization, Tissue Expression, and Expression Responses to Dietary Copper Deficiency and Excess
Authors: Song Yu-Feng , Luo Zhi , Huang Chao , Chen Qi-Liang , Pan Ya–Xiong , Xu Yi-Huan 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Two endoplasmic reticulum (ER) molecular chaperones [glucose-regulated protein 78 (grp78) and calreticulin (crt)] and three ER stress sensors [PKR-like ER kinase (perk), inositol requiring enzyme (ire)-1α, and activating transcription factor (atf)-6α] cDNAs were first characterized from yellow catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. The predicted amino acid sequences for the yellow catfish grp78, crt, perk, ire-1α, and atf-6α revealed that the proteins contained all of the structural features that were characteristic of the five genes in other species, including the KDEL motif, signal peptide, sensor domain, and effector domain. mRNAs of the five genes mentioned above were expressed in various tissues, but their mRNA levels varied among tissues. Dietary Cu excess, but not Cu deficiency, activated the chaperones (grp78 and crt) and folding sensors in ER, and the UPR signaling pathways (i.e., perk–eif2α and the ire1–xbp1) in a tissue-specific manner. For the first time, our study cloned grp78, crt, perk, ire-1α, and atf-6α genes in yellow catfish and demonstrated their differential expression among tissues. Moreover, the present study also indicated differential regulation of these ER stress–related genes by dietary Cu deficiency and excess, which will be beneficial for us to evaluate effects of dietary Cu levels in fish at the molecular level, based on the upstream pathway of lipid metabolism (the ER) and thus provide novel insights regarding the nutrition of Cu in fish.
Ensemble Learning of QTL Models Improves Prediction of Complex Traits
Authors: Bian Yang , Holland James B 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Quantitative trait locus (QTL) models can provide useful insights into trait genetic architecture because of their straightforward interpretability but are less useful for genetic prediction because of the difficulty in including the effects of numerous small effect loci without overfitting. Tight linkage between markers introduces near collinearity among marker genotypes, complicating the detection of QTL and estimation of QTL effects in linkage mapping, and this problem is exacerbated by very high density linkage maps. Here we developed a thinning and aggregating (TAGGING) method as a new ensemble learning approach to QTL mapping. TAGGING reduces collinearity problems by thinning dense linkage maps, maintains aspects of marker selection that characterize standard QTL mapping, and by ensembling, incorporates information from many more markers-trait associations than traditional QTL mapping. The objective of TAGGING was to improve prediction power compared with QTL mapping while also providing more specific insights into genetic architecture than genome-wide prediction models. TAGGING was compared with standard QTL mapping using cross validation of empirical data from the maize (Zea mays L.) nested association mapping population. TAGGING-assisted QTL mapping substantially improved prediction ability for both biparental and multifamily populations by reducing both the variance and bias in prediction. Furthermore, an ensemble model combining predictions from TAGGING-assisted QTL and infinitesimal models improved prediction abilities over the component models, indicating some complementarity between model assumptions and suggesting that some trait genetic architectures involve a mixture of a few major QTL and polygenic effects.
Developmental Transcriptome for a Facultatively Eusocial Bee,Megalopta genalis
Authors: Jones Beryl M , Wcislo William T , Robinson Gene E 
Published: August 2015

AbstractTranscriptomes provide excellent foundational resources for mechanistic and evolutionary analyses of complex traits. We present a developmental transcriptome for the facultatively eusocial bee Megalopta genalis, which represents a potential transition point in the evolution of eusociality. A de novo transcriptome assembly of Megalopta genalis was generated using paired-end Illumina sequencing and the Trinity assembler. Males and females of all life stages were aligned to this transcriptome for analysis of gene expression profiles throughout development. Gene Ontology analysis indicates that stage-specific genes are involved in ion transport, cell–cell signaling, and metabolism. A number of distinct biological processes are upregulated in each life stage, and transitions between life stages involve shifts in dominant functional processes, including shifts from transcriptional regulation in embryos to metabolism in larvae, and increased lipid metabolism in adults. We expect that this transcriptome will provide a useful resource for future analyses to better understand the molecular basis of the evolution of eusociality and, more generally, phenotypic plasticity.