bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oil, chitosan, and ethanol production by dimorphic fungus Mucor indicus from different lignocelluloses
Authors: Satari Behzad , Karimi Keikhosro , Zamani Akram 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDMucor indicus is a dimorphic fungus capable of producing ethanol, with numerous advantages compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.RESULTSCellulose solvent‐ and organic solvent‐based lignocellulosic fractionation (COSLIF) enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis yield and especially the initial hydrolysis rate. Effects of the fungal morphology on the major metabolites, i.e., ethanol and biomass ingredients (fatty acids and chitosan) were investigated. Purely yeast‐like form yielded 78–92% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield with 0.43–0.64 g L−1 h−1 productivity, whereas fermentation by purely filamentous form resulted in the yield and productivity of 48–66% and 0.3–0.4 g L−1 h−1, respectively. Beside ethanol, the fungus produced a large amount of chitin‐chitosan (62–67% of the fungal alkali insoluble materials) in filamentous form, while the value was 41–45% for yeast‐like form. Furthermore, yeast‐like cells produced nutritionally valuable fatty acids at a rate higher than that by filamentous form (3.7 and 2.7%, respectively). Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega‐6, was the dominant fatty acid available in the biomass with both morphologies.CONCLUSIONSThe fermentation products were significantly dependent on the fungus morphology but not on the lignocellulose type. Yeast‐like cells exhibited better performance in ethanol and oil production, whereas the filamentous cells produced higher amounts of chitosan. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of enzymatic high temperature prehydrolysis on the subsequent cellulose hydrolysis of steam‐pretreated spruce in high solids concentration
Authors: Hämäläinen Joonas , Granström Tom , Mollerup Filip , Wang Yawei , Xiong Hairong , Turunen Ossi 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDHigh‐temperature enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose has been studied recently with promising results. High temperatures can improve reaction rates and mass transfer, and lower viscosity. Tests were made to determine how short high‐temperature prehydrolysis steps affect the final hydrolysis with commercial cellulase mixture.RESULTSContinuous mixing improved the hydrolysis of 3% Avicel by Pyrococcus horikoshii endoglucanase (PhEG) at 70°C but not at 100°C. Differences in the temperature effect between 90°C and ∼103°C were much higher than between 70°C and 90°C. It was essential that the dosed enzyme activity was the same at each temperature, meaning lower volumetric amount of enzyme at higher temperature. PhEG prehydrolysis (2 h) of steam pretreated spruce before final hydrolysis by commercial cellulase mixture was more efficient at 100°C than at 80°C, improving the total enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by 15–30%. Xylanase and mannase prehydrolysis at 80°C (2 h) improved the cellulase hydrolysis by 20–33%, while all three enzymes together improved the final enzymatic yield by 50–70%.CONCLUSIONA temperature of 100–105°C provides clear process advantages for enzymatic treatments when compared with 70–90°C. Enzymatic high‐temperature prehydrolysis could be applicable to circumvent the problems of high viscosity and to reduce the required amount of cellulases in the subsequent hydrolysis. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Changes in Faculty Members’ Instructional Beliefs while Implementing Model‐Eliciting Activities
Authors: Moore Tamara J. , Guzey S. Selcen , Roehrig Gillian H. , Stohlmann Micah , Park Mi Sun , Kim Young Rae , Callender Hannah L. , Teo Hon Jie 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBackground EngineeringFaculty members should adopt effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. The beliefs of faculty members about instructional practice are an important construct in determining what and how they teach.PurposeThis study investigates the effect of faculty members’ involvement in model‐eliciting activities on their beliefs about classroom instruction. This study is guided by the following research question: How do faculty members’ beliefs about teaching, learning, and assessment change through the use of model‐eliciting activities (MEAs)?Design/MethodUsing a multicase study design, four engineering faculty members from across the United States were studied while they developed, implemented, and assessed MEAs. Data were collected from sources including semistructured interviews about teaching beliefs and practices, a demographics and academic background survey, and biweekly surveys on MEA implementation and beliefs. Yearly interviews were coded using a rubric that classifies beliefs on a scale from instructor‐centered to student‐centered.ResultsOver the course of the three‐year study, the beliefs of all four faculty members shifted towards a more student‐centered view of teaching. The faculty members indicated that they were able to emphasize teamwork, real‐world practice, problem‐solving skills, timely feedback, constructed knowledge, communication, active learning, formative assessment, and the discipline of engineering through the use of MEAs.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that developing and implementing MEAs can help both experienced and beginning faculty members change their beliefs toward a student‐centered view of instruction.
Effects of corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid on torn rotator cuff tendons in vitro and in rats
Authors: Nakamura Hidehiro , Gotoh Masafumi , Kanazawa Tomonoshin , Ohta Keisuke , Nakamura Keiichirou , Honda Hirokazu , Ohzono Hiroki , Shimokobe Hisao , Mitsui Yasuhiro , Shirachi Isao , Okawa Takahiro , Higuchi Fujio , Shirahama Masahiro , Shiba Naoto , Matsueda Satoko 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTCorticosteroids (CS) or hyaluronic acid (HA) is used in subacromial injection for the conservative treatment of rotator cuff tears (RCT); this study addresses the question of how CS and HA affect the tendon tissue and fibroblasts in vitro and in rats. Cell proliferation assays were performed in human tendon fibroblasts from RCT. Rats underwent surgery to create RCT, and the surgical sites were injected with CS or HA. The rotator cuff tendons were subjected to biomechanical testing, microscopic and immunohistochemical analysis of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and ultrastructural analysis. Cell proliferation was significantly decreased with CS in vitro (p < 0.05). Maximal load of CS‐treated tendons was significantly decreased compared with that of HA‐treated tendons (p < 0.05), as well as PCNA+ cells at 2 weeks (p < 0.05). Ultrastructural observations of the CS‐treated rats detected apoptosis of tendon fibroblasts 24 h after surgery. Histological and biomechanical data 4 weeks after surgery were not significant among the three groups. Unlike HA, CS caused cell death, and inhibition of the proliferation of tendon fibroblasts, leading to a delay of tendon healing involved and a subsequent decrease of biomechanical strength at the surgical site. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:1523–1530, 2015.
Is there willingness to buy and pay a surcharge for agro‐ecological products? Case study of the production of vegetables in Xochimilco, Mexico
Authors: Revollo‐Fernández Daniel 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDAround the world there are approximately 2.5 trillion small‐scale farmers, most of them subsistence farmers. In the 1970s the green revolution unfolded, which brought benefits to some producers, but it also brought costs, especially for small producers. Agro‐ecology is presented as an alternative, but it is necessary to examine whether it is accepted in the markets, especially in developing countries.RESULTSThis study proves that there is a potential market, in this case in Mexico, but that it will depend on some socio‐economic variables such as age, income, gender, product information, among others. Similarly, it is evident that buyers are willing to make an additional payment as compensation.CONCLUSIONAgro‐ecology should not be considered as subsistence farming incompatible with the markets. It offers good prospects for increasing production and improving the sustainability of agriculture in marginal areas with few economic resources. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
An integrated molecular docking and rescoring method for predicting the sensitivity spectrum of various serine hydrolases to organophosphorus pesticides
Authors: Yang Ling‐Ling , Yang Xiao , Li Guo‐Bo , Fan Kai‐Ge , Yin Peng‐Fei , Chen Xiang‐Gui 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe enzymatic chemistry method is currently the most widely used method for the rapid detection of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, but the enzymes used, such as cholinesterases, lack sufficient sensitivity to detect low concentrations of OP pesticides present in given samples. Serine hydrolase is considered an ideal enzyme source in seeking high‐sensitivity enzymes used for OP pesticide detection. However, it is difficult to systematically evaluate sensitivities of various serine hydrolases to OP pesticides by in vitro experiments. This study aimed to establish an in silico method to predict the sensitivity spectrum of various serine hydrolases to OP pesticides.RESULTSA serine hydrolase database containing 219 representative serine hydrolases was constructed. Based on this database, an integrated molecular docking and rescoring method was established, in which the AutoDock Vina program was used to produce the binding poses of OP pesticides to various serine hydrolases and the ID‐Score method developed recently by us was adopted as a rescoring method to predict their binding affinities. In retrospective case studies, this method showed good performance in predicting the sensitivities of known serine hydrolases to two OP pesticides: paraoxon and diisopropyl fluorophosphate. The sensitivity spectrum of the 219 collected serine hydrolases to 37 commonly used OP pesticides was finally obtained using this method.CONCLUSIONOverall, this study presented a promising in silico tool to predict the sensitivity spectrum of various serine hydrolases to OP pesticides, which will help in finding high‐sensitivity serine hydrolases for OP pesticide detection. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Normal‐dispersion microcombs enabled by controllable mode interactions
Authors: Xue Xiaoxiao , Xuan Yi , Wang Pei‐Hsun , Liu Yang , Leaird Dan E. , Qi Minghao , Weiner Andrew M. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractWe demonstrate a scheme incorporating dual‐coupled microresonators through which mode interactions are intentionally introduced and controlled for Kerr frequency comb (microcomb) generation in the normal‐dispersion region. Microcomb generation, repetition rate selection, and mode locking are achieved with coupled silicon nitride microrings controlled via an on‐chip microheater. The proposed scheme shows for the first time a reliable design strategy for normal‐dispersion microcombs and may make it possible to generate microcombs in an extended wavelength range (e.g. in the visible) where normal material dispersion is likely to dominate.
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Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Double‐Crystalline Poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)‐block‐poly(2‐iso‐propyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PFDMS‐b‐PiPrOx) Block Copolymers
Authors: Rudolph Tobias , Nunns Adam , Stumpf Steffi , Pietsch Christian , Schacher Felix H. 
Published: July 2015

The step‐wise solution self‐assembly of double crystalline organometallic poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)‐block‐poly(2‐iso‐propyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PFDMS‐b‐PiPrOx) diblock copolymers is demonstrated. Two block copolymers are obtained by copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), featuring PFDMS/PiPrOx weight fractions of 46/54 (PFDMS30‐b‐PiPrOx75) and 30/70 (PFDMS30‐b‐PiPrOx155). Nonsolvent induced crystallization of PFDMS in acetone leads in both cases to cylindrical micelles with a PFDMS core. Afterward, the structures are transferred into water for sequential temperature‐induced crystallization of the PiPrOx corona, leading to hierarchical double crystalline superstructures, which are investigated using scanning electron microscopy, wide angle X‐ray scattering, and differential scanning calorimetry.
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Potential trade‐offs in treatment of premanifest Huntington's disease
Authors: Albin Roger L. , Burke James F. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe potential long‐term consequences of treatments delaying manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases have not been explored. Using Huntington disease (HD) data and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we simulated the effects of therapies with equivalent effects on time to onset of HD and survival with HD. Our results suggest substantial potential trade‐offs in effects of these therapies; significant delays in time to onset of HD were accompanied by significant prolongations of survival after onset of HD. Under a variety of assumptions, treatments delaying onset of HD result in some patients likely to have a greater increase in survival with manifest HD compared to delays in time to onset of HD. Our results suggest that future work in HD should be sensitive to the potential existence of such trade‐offs and that understanding the preferences of HD patients and the broader HD community will be increasingly important. Future research, trial design, and treatment strategies in HD and other mid‐life‐onset neurodegenerative disorders should consider the possibility of trade‐offs in long‐term consequences of disease‐modifying treatments. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Thrombocytosis distinguishes POEMS syndrome from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
Authors: Naddaf Elie , Dispenzieri Angela , Mandrekar Jay , Mauermann Michelle L. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTIntroductionPOEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder, and skin changes) syndrome may be mistaken for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Differentiating the 2 entities is crucial, as there are major treatment implications.MethodsWe compared platelet counts in 136 POEMS patients and 67 CIDP controls.ResultsOf the patients with POEMS, 53.7% had thrombocytosis, compared with 1.5% of those with CIDP (P < 0.0001). The median platelet count in patients with POEMS was 467,000/μl compared with 275,000/μl in those with CIDP (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThrombocytosis is a helpful indicator to prompt clinicians to consider the diagnosis of POEMS syndrome in patients who are thought to have CIDP, and is an important reminder of the increased risk of thrombotic events in POEMS syndrome. Muscle Nerve 52: 658–659, 2015
The long‐term effect of energy restricted diets for treating obesity
Authors: Langeveld Mirjam , DeVries J. Hans 
Published: July 2015

ObjectiveTo quantify the effectiveness of diet interventions by systematic review of the long‐term effects of energy restricted diets in individuals with overweight and obesity.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted for all clinical trials studying the effect of energy restricted diets on body weight in individuals with a BMI>25 kg/m2 with a follow‐up of at least 3 years and a minimum of 50 participants. Weight change from baseline and rates of loss to follow‐up at the longest follow‐up were extracted and analyzed using random‐effects models.ResultsWeighted mean weight loss after 3 years follow‐up was 3.5% (95% CI 0.2‐6.8%) (n = 6,163) and after 4 years follow‐up 4.5% (95% CI 4.3‐4.8%) (n = 5,696). Energy restricted diets (n = 1,433) resulted in an average 2.9% (95% CI −3.8 to −2.1%) greater weight loss compared to untreated control groups (n = 1,361). Weight regain was observed in the majority of individuals in all studies. Interpretation of the data is limited by high rates of loss to follow‐up and lack of truly untreated control groups.ConclusionsOn average, the long‐term effect of diets on body weight in individuals with obesity is modest, and the response is highly heterogeneous.
Body mass index trajectories from ages 1 to 20: Results from two nationally representative canadian longitudinal cohorts
Authors: Tu Andrew W. , Mâsse Louise C. , Lear Scott A. , Gotay Carolyn C. , Richardson Chris G. 
Published: July 2015

ObjectiveIn this study, unique body mass index (BMI) trajectories from ages 1 to 20 years were identified; each trajectory according to socio demographic and family characteristics was described.MethodsParticipants came from two national population surveys (n = 7,253;n = 901) and were aged 1‐6 years at baseline. Children were surveyed biennially over eight waves up to 14‐20 years of age. BMI trajectories by sex and survey cohort were identified by group‐based trajectory modeling. After crossvalidating trajectories between survey cohorts, the characteristics of trajectory membership were assessed by multinomial regression.ResultsFour BMI trajectories were found: low, decreasing, medium, and high. The decreasing trajectory was characterized by an overweight or obese childhood followed by a normal‐weight adolescence. The low, medium, and high trajectories were characterized by growth curves culminating, by age 20, to BMI 22.6, 29.3, and 34.9 kg/m2, respectively, for males and 20.6, 24.5, and 32.0 kg/m2, respectively, for females. Factors associated with the high trajectory included ethnicity and paternal education (female only), large for gestational age, rural area residence, and maternal smoking.ConclusionsThe identification and validation of four major trajectories reflect the heterogeneity in patterns of BMI development from 1 to 20 years.
A hybrid method for protein–protein interface prediction
Authors: Hwang Howook , Petrey Donald , Honig Barry 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe growing structural coverage of proteomes is making structural comparison a powerful tool for function annotation. Such template‐based approaches are based on the observation that structural similarity is often sufficient to infer similar function. However, it seems clear that, in addition to structural similarity, the specific characteristics of a given protein should also be taken into account in predicting function. Here we describe PredUs 2.0, a method to predict regions on a protein surface likely to bind other proteins, that is, interfacial residues. PredUs 2.0 is based on the PredUs method that is entirely template‐based and uses known binding sites in structurally similar proteins to predict interfacial residues. PredUs 2.0 uses a Bayesian approach to combine the template‐based scoring of PredUs with a score that reflects the propensities of individual amino acids to be in interfaces. PredUs 2.0 includes a novel protein size dependent metric to determine the number of residues that should be reported as interfacial. PredUs 2.0 significantly outperforms PredUs as well as other published interface prediction methods.
Prediction of stability changes upon mutation in an icosahedral capsid
Authors: Hickman Samuel J. , Ross James F. , Paci Emanuele 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTIdentifying the contributions to thermodynamic stability of capsids is of fundamental and practical importance. Here we use simulation to assess how mutations affect the stability of lumazine synthase from the hyperthermophile Aquifex aeolicus, a T = 1 icosahedral capsid; in the simulations the icosahedral symmetry of the capsid is preserved by simulating a single pentamer and imposing crystal symmetry, in effect simulating an infinite cubic lattice of icosahedral capsids. The stability is assessed by estimating the free energy of association using an empirical method previously proposed to identify biological units in crystal structures. We investigate the effect on capsid formation of seven mutations, for which it has been experimentally assessed whether they disrupt capsid formation or not. With one exception, our approach predicts the effect of the mutations on the capsid stability. The method allows the identification of interaction networks, which drive capsid assembly, and highlights the plasticity of the interfaces between subunits in the capsid. Proteins 2015; 83:1733–1741. © 2015 The Authors. Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Investigation of quercetin‐induced HepG2 cell apoptosis‐associated cellular biophysical alterations by atomic force microscopy
Authors: Pi Jiang , Li Baole , Tu Lvying , Zhu Haiyan , Jin Hua , Yang Fen , Bai Haihua , Cai Huaihong , Cai Jiye 
Published: July 2015

SummaryQuercetin, a wildly distributed bioflavonoid, has been proved to possess excellent antitumor activity on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, the biophysical properties of HepG2 cells were qualitatively and quantitatively determined using high resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) to understand the anticancer effects of quercetin on HCC cells at nanoscale. The results showed that quercetin could induce severe apoptosis in HepG2 cells through arrest of cell cycle and disruption of mitochondria membrane potential. Additionally, the nuclei and F‐actin structures of HepG2 cells were destroyed by quercetin treatment as well. AFM morphological data showed some typical apoptotic characterization of HepG2 cells with increased particle size and roughness in the ultrastructure of cell surface upon quercetin treatment. As an important biophysical property of cells, the membrane stiffness of HepG2 cells was further quantified by AFM force measurements, which indicated that HepG2 cells became much stiffer after quercetin treatment. These results collectively suggest that quercetin can be served as a potential therapeutic agent for HCC, which not only extends our understanding of the anticancer effects of quercetin against HCC cells into nanoscale, but also highlights the applications of AFM for the investigation of anticancer drugs. SCANNING 38:100–112, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Design of intelligent KNN‐based alarm filter using knowledge‐based alert verification in intrusion detection
Authors: Meng Weizhi , Li Wenjuan , Kwok Lam‐For 
Published: July 2015

AbstractNetwork intrusion detection systems (NIDSs) have been widely deployed in various network environments to defend against different kinds of network attacks. However, a large number of alarms especially unwanted alarms such as false alarms and non‐critical alarms could be generated during the detection, which can greatly decrease the efficiency of the detection and increase the burden of analysis. To address this issue, we advocate that constructing an alarm filter in terms of expert knowledge is a promising solution. In this paper, we develop a method of knowledge‐based alert verification and design an intelligent alarm filter based on a multi‐class k‐nearest‐neighbor classifier to filter out unwanted alarms. In particular, the alarm filter employs a rating mechanism by means of expert knowledge to classify incoming alarms to proper clusters for labeling. We further analyze the effect of different classifier settings on classification accuracy with two alarm datasets. In the evaluation, we investigate the performance of the alarm filter with a real dataset and in a network environment, respectively. Experimental results indicate that our alarm filter can effectively filter out a number of NIDS alarms and can achieve a better outcome under the advanced mode. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.