bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of Urinary Oxalate with Arylamine Glass-Bound Sorghum Oxalate Oxidase and Horseradish Peroxidase
Authors: Thakur M. , Bhargava A.K. , Pundir C.S.
Published: September 2016

We describe an enzymic colourimetric method for determination of oxalate level in urine using arylamine glass-bound sorghum leaf oxalate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase. The method is based on quantification of H2O2 generated from oxidation of urinary oxalate by immobilized oxalate oxidase, by a colour reaction consisting of 4-aminophnazone, phenol and immobilized peroxidase as chromogen. Minimum detection limit of the method was 0.05 mmol/l. Analytical recovery of added oxalate in urine was 96.8± 3.0% (mean ±S.D.). Within and between day coefficient of variation (CV) for urinary oxalate in urine were < 3.5% and <6.46 % respectively. The urinary oxalate values in apparently healthy and urinary stone formers as measured by the present method were correlated with those by modified Sigma Kit method (r= 0.929). The method has the advantages that it provides ca 200 times reuse of oxalate oxidase and peroxidase and free from interferences by Cl- and NO3- normally found in urine. Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(3): 346-351
Western Blot Method Evaluation for Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infections against H. pylori Ag in Stool Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay in Adult Egyptian Patients
Authors: Rashed Mohamed E. , M.M. Amer , Elnakeeb Mostafa , Omer Waleed Saeed
Published: September 2016

Helicobacter pylori infection is tremendous medical burden especially in developing countries. Various immunological tests are available for diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Western blot method is proven to be promising for Precise, easy reading, sensitive and specific detection of H. pylori infections, besides it also permits the detection for the different virulence factors of CagA / VacA positive strains (type I). The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of commercial Western Blot (WB) method in the serological diagnosis of H. pylori infections against the H. pylori Ag in stool (HpSAg) using commercial enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) in adult dyspeptic Egyptian patients. Also we investigated the prevalence of virulence factors, cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) in the infected patients. Samples from 46 adult dyspeptic Egyptian patients were tested by the two methods. WB test gave accurate confirmed result with (82.6% accuracy and 89.5% sensitivity) compared to HpSAg test. Also the results indicated a high seroprevalence of cagA- and vacA-positive virulent H. pylori type I strains in adult infected population indicate that such strains may be common in this population and responsible for the majority of H. pylori infection among adult Egyptians. We concluded that WB method could be useful for the confirmatory detection of antibody profiles to H. pylori antigens and virulence factors in adult Egyptian patients.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(3): 352-358
The Impact of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Growth and Physiological Parameters of Cowpea Plants Grown under Salt Stress Conditions
Authors: Abdel-Fattah Gamal M. , Rabie G. Hassan , Lamis D. Shaaban , Rabab A. Metwally
Published: September 2016

A pot experiment was conducted to examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on growth, nutrition and some physiological aspects of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) plants grown at different salinity concentrations (0, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mM NaCl). Under saline condition, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculation significantly increased growth responses, photosynthetic pigments, nutrient contents, proline and total soluble protein of cowpea plants compared to non-AM ones. Those stimulations were related to the levels of mycorrhizal colonization in the associated plants. Interestingly, high proline, chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzymes in AM plants could be important for salt alleviation in plants growing in saline soils.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(3): 372-379
Does Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Leadership Style Matter? An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship among CEO Leadership Style, Job Satisfaction and Profitability in Nepali Financial Institutions
Authors: Uprety Raju
Published: September 2016

The impact of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) leadership style on the profitability of an organization has been a major concern of much academic research work in the past. However, there seems to be no consensus on this issue. It is generally believed that leaders influence organizational performance through those they lead. Therefore, employee job satisfaction is hypothesized to have a mediating effect on the relationship between the CEO leadership style and the profitability of an organization. This study, conducted among 136 employees of 17 finance companies in Nepal during December 2013, found a very weak relationship between the CEO leadership style and the profitability of an organization. The study also refuted the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between the CEO leadership style and the profitability of an organization. The findings support the contextualists view on the leadership-performance debate. The probable reasons and implications of the findings are discussed.Journal of Business and Management Research Vol.1(2) 2016, pp.1-16
A Retrospective Hospital Based Study In Kathmandu to Assess the Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus
Authors: Bhatta Bibek , Thapa Roshana , Pant Pankaj , Pandeya Dipendra Raj
Published: September 2016

Background Hepatitis B is a major public health issue in Nepal. Acute as well chronic Hepatitis B infection can lead to different hepatic manifestation ranging from acute liver failure, aplastic anemia and liver cirrhosis to liver cancer. Although, there is a presence of high burden of viral hepatitis in Nepal but little have been studied about it. So this study was aimed to obtain the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B among all the patients: outpatient as well as patient in different wards visiting a tertiary care hospital.Methods This was a retro prospective study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in which the data was obtained from the university register. The data documents the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B. In this study we have assessed total of 240 samples all of which were processed at Microbiology and Pathology laboratory using commercially available kits. Data were cleaned manually and analyzed using SPSS vs. 20.Results Out of 240 samples assed, 158 were males and 82 females and we found a total viral hepatic burden of 4.19% (10 samples).The mean age group of our study was 47 years (9 years to 85 years). Out of HBsAg screened positive population, HBV was seen mostly in males (90%) whereas lesser in female (10%).Conclusions Viral hepatitis usually does not follow any seasonal pattern so emphasis must be given to pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis so that we can prevent people from casualties caused via viral hepatitis.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.3-6
Proportion and factors affecting for post-natal care utilization in developing countries: A systematic review
Authors: Adhikari Chiranjivi , Yadav Rajesh Kumar , Timilshina Purnima , Ojha Renuka , Gaire Deepika , Ghimire Ashmita
Published: September 2016

Background: Majority of neonatal and maternal mortalities occur in developing countries. Moreover, around half of both mortalities occur in immediate postnatal period. Postnatal care utilization is aimed to reduce both mortalities and promote their health status.Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar and HINARI between Jan 1, 2006 and Apr 31, 2014. Cross-sectional studies, surveys published in English language with finding of percentage of and factors affecting postnatal care utilization were included in the analysis. Weighted percentage with 95% CI was calculated to summarize the proportion. Odds ratio of minimum and maximum value was used to summarize associated factors. P-value <0.01 was taken as cut-off for significance of associated factors.Results: Of 45 accessed and reviewed full-text articles, nine included in the review. The studies were conducted in seven countries and total postnatal mothers in all samples were 49385. The weighted percentage of postnatal service utilization was 36.0 (95% CI, 22.5-49.5). Mother’s and husband’s higher educational level; higher wealth quintile of the family; occupation; mother's age at last delivery; number of ANC visit; and number of pregnancy were found associated with postnatal care utilization.Conclusion: The data that only around one in every three mothers utilizing post-natal care shows that scaling-up and improving the service is imperative. The education including literacy programs for both mother and husband; scaling-up of 4th ANC visit; creating earning opportunities for mothers and focusing the mothers of 20-30 years age group would be some intervening areas, however, further evaluation and reviews from interventional designs are suggested before reaching the firm conclusion.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.14-19
Health Service Utilization by Elderly Population in Urban Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Gurung L.B. , Paudel G. , Yadav U.N.
Published: September 2016

Background The elderly population is in increasing trend all over the world. Elderly people experience many physiological, biological and psychological changes. The general objective of the study is to assess the utilization of health care services among the elderly population of Butwal sub-metropolitan city.Methods A quantitative descriptive-cross sectional study, with a total number of 212 elderly people residing in Butwal sub-metropolitan city, was selected for the study purpose. The study period was from March to October 2015. The samples were randomly selected from the sampling frame of 3 different wards of Butwal sub-metropolitan city. Information was collected using an interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to identify the factors associated with the utilization of health care services among elderly population.Results Our findings reveal that 84.4% of elderly people visited to the health facility during past 1 year. There were more females (50.9%) than males (49.1%). Majority of elderly people were diagnosed with one of the chronic ailment; were under regular medication. More than 4/5th (84.9%) of older adults rated “satisfactory” to their health condition. Monthly family income, chronic disease, elderly on medication and self-rated health status are statistically significant with utilization of health care services at 95% level of confidence.Conclusions The finding suggests that monthly family income, chronic disease, elderly on medication and self rated health are strongly associated with utilization of health care services by elderly people. Thus the study suggests further interventions to improve the health care service utilization by elderly people.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.27-36
Factors associated with Myopia among Children at Eye Hospital Kathmandu
Authors: Bista Beenu , Shrestha Soni , Gyawali Bipanda
Published: September 2016

Myopia is the most prevalent refractive error among the children leading to blindness. The prevalence rate is increased since few years back due to increase in modern technologies and mode of study among children. This descriptive cross sectional study aims to explore factors contributing to myopia among children visiting refractive clinic/refractive department of Nepal Eye Hospital. Non probability purposive sampling method and 206 children were used for this study. Structured questionnaire were used along with the children and their parents. Chi-square test was used for finding the association with the contributing factors. The study population varies between the ages of 5 to 17 years with the mean age±12 and mostly affecting the children above 10 years. Myopia is significantly associated with religion, ethnicity, heredity, parent’s level of education. Income status of family, reading at dim light is significantly associated with myopia as p-value is <0.0001. Myopia in children attending refractory OPD of Nepal Eye Hospital was associated with heredity, socio-economic status and level of education of parent; continue reading, additional classes, watching video/ television, using computer or cell phone, sports (football, cricket), dim light and not associated with residential area, type of school, night lightness, dietary pattern and ocular hygiene; therefore parents along with children and teachers should be given awareness program about early screening and its preventive measures.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.61-69
Sensitivity of Lane Position and Steering Angle Measurements to Driver Fatigue
Authors: Zhang Hui , Wu Chaozhong , Huang Zhen , Yan Xinping , Qiu Tony Z.
Published: September 2016

The parameter value chosen to measure driving performance affects the accuracy of the estimated fatigue level. Methods to analyze the sensitivity of these parameter values were proposed. Standard deviation of lane position (SDLP) and steering reversal rate (SRR) were considered to assess fatigue, and the sensitivity of these parameters was analyzed from the time domain and value domain. Thirty-six male drivers participated in a field test. Lane position, steering wheel angle data, and self-reported fatigue level (scored on the Karolinska sleepiness scale) were recorded. SDLP results indicate that the maximum average coefficient with fatigue level reached .11, with a unified statistical interval of 202 s when the consecutive analysis method was used; the maximum average coefficient was .12 with a unified interval of 120 s when the maximum analysis method was used. SRR results indicate that a steering angle difference of 6° was the most sensitive threshold for driver fatigue level and has an average correlation coefficient of .42, which demonstrated that SRR was more reliable than SDLP for monitoring fatigue level. With the use of the optimal parameter value, the variation results of SDLP and SRR at each fatigue level were examined, and results indicate that driving ability was impaired as fatigue level increased. The methods and results can be applied to analyses of fatigued or drowsy driving.
Governance of Public–Private Partnerships and Infrastructure Delivery: Case of the Milan, Italy, Metro Line M4
Authors: Cohen Remy , Boast Thomas
Published: September 2016

This paper addresses issues in the governance of the public–private partnership (PPP) with a review of a recent case: Metro Line M4 in Milan, Italy. The paper discusses how to optimize the use of public grants by channeling some into the equity of the concessionaire. This approach creates a truly public–private special purpose vehicle (SPV) (i.e., concessionaire) that leaves efficiency incentives to the private party but results in greater public control of funding contributions as well as project costs. The paper demonstrates how public-sector involvement in the concessionaire can reduce the information asymmetry between the public and private sectors during project bidding and negotiation: greater public control of a project’s technical and financial information is a crucial factor in the reduction of project costs. Reduction in information asymmetry and the creation of a public–private SPV (concessionaire) establish a double layer of control over a project, which allows for a more efficient monitoring system during the construction and the operation of the project. The paper shows how the City of Milan developed and negotiated the Line M4 project and left little margin for increased costs, yet ensured an adequate return to the private party. This Milan experience provides lessons to improve effective project delivery in infrastructure development: the method used can create an efficient framework to reduce project costs and to discourage opportunistic behavior during project renegotiations. The potential applicability of the Line M4 governance structure to PPP projects elsewhere, including in the United States, is discussed.
Crowd Financing for Public–Private Partnerships in the United States: How Would It Work?
Authors: Farajian Morteza , Ross Brian
Published: September 2016

The public–private partnership (PPP) model remains a tool that can facilitate private investment to partially resolve the significant funding need to respond to aging infrastructure in the United States. However, the current PPP model does not allow for broad-based public equity investment in PPP projects. The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act in 2012 has led to a rapidly changing legislative and regulatory environment, which enables new ventures to raise equity and debt investment. This new form of investment crowdfunding, or crowd financing, provides flexibility for start-ups to raise low-cost capital from supporters of their project or business. This flexibility also can be used to enhance the PPP model. Given the approach’s novelty and its potential impact on taxpayers, it requires a comprehensive look. This paper introduces an implementation framework for the PPP crowd-financing model and builds on an earlier paper that provided a policy review of the model, with an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This paper also highlights similarities between crowd-financing models that are being implemented in the real estate industry and their applications to PPPs and then describes the current regulatory framework for crowd financing. An outline is provided to show how crowd financing can be implemented for PPPs during procurement, including a discussion of investment types, U.S. Security Exchange Commission exemptions, and crowd financing–platform interaction.
Illustration of a Framework for Benefit–Cost Evaluation of Highway Concession Proposals
Authors: DeCorla-Souza Patrick , Ham Marcel , Timothy Darren
Published: September 2016

Value for money (VFM) analysis is used to evaluate public–private partnership (PPP) concession proposals. However, the VFM approach cannot account quantitatively for benefits to travelers and others from the delivery of a project earlier than would have been possible under conventional procurement. Benefit–cost analysis (BCA) can address this issue and other nonfinancial costs and benefits. In the context of PPP project delivery, BCA may be conducted in three steps, namely, through ( a) project evaluation, with the assumption of conventional delivery of a project on the basis of a financially feasible schedule; ( b) incremental evaluation of an accelerated delivery schedule, with the assumption that the project can be conventionally delivered within the same time frame as would the proposed PPP; and ( c) incremental evaluation of PPP delivery. This project delivery BCA process is demonstrated in this paper with the use of an illustrative highway project.
Price Elasticity of Demand on the High-Speed Rail Lines of Spain: Impact of the New Pricing Scheme
Authors: Hortelano Alejandro Ortega , Guzman Andres Felipe , Preston John , Vassallo Jose Manuel
Published: September 2016

Reduced travel time, regional cohesion, economic development, and environmental benefits were some of the reasons given to develop a high-speed rail (HSR) network in Spain. Since the first high-speed line in Spain opened in 1992, HSR has been a part of the travel experience, despite recent concerns raised about the lack of demand and low occupancy rates of HSR trains compared with those in other countries. In February 2013, Renfe Operadora, Spain’s state-owned transport company, implemented a new pricing scheme, which reduced ticket prices by at least 11% and introduced flexibility in their purchase. In this research, the effects of the new scheme were analyzed, and the impact on the shift in transport modes was substantiated through consideration of a discrete choice model. As a consequence of this policy, occupancy rates were increased hugely. Although apparently ticket price was not regarded by users as the main reason to travel by HSR, the price elasticity of demand turned out to be high. Given the transport modes that competed with HSR, the effects were quite different. For short routes connecting small- and medium-sized cities with big metropolitan areas, growth in demand was achieved at the expense of the car and the bus, whereas for long routes connecting large cities in which air transport was available, the growth occurred mainly at the expense of air transportation, and induced demand also was triggered. Finally, when the owner of the infrastructure and the train operating companies were managed by the government, the rail infrastructure fee policy set may have prompted unfair competition with other transport modes.
Noise Reduction of Steel Cord Conveyor Belt Defect Electromagnetic Signal by Combined Use of Improved Wavelet and EMD
Authors: Ma Hong-Wei , Fan Hong-Wei , Mao Qing-Hua , Zhang Xu-Hui , Xing Wang
Published: September 2016

In order to reduce the noise of a defect electromagnetic signal of the steel cord conveyor belt used in coal mines, a new signal noise reduction method by combined use of the improved threshold wavelet and Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is proposed. Firstly, the denoising method based on the improved threshold wavelet is applied to reduce the noise of a defect electromagnetic signal obtained by an electromagnetic testing system. Then, the EMD is used to decompose the denoised signal and then the effective Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) is extracted by the dominant eigenvalue strategy. Finally, the signal reconstruction is carried out by utilizing the obtained IMF. In order to verify the proposed noise reduction method, the experiments are carried out in two cases including the defective joint and steel wire rope break. The experimental results show that the proposed method in this paper obtains the higher Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) for the defect electromagnetic signal noise reduction of steel cord conveyor belts.
Characterization, Long-Range Transport and Source Identification of Carbonaceous Aerosols during Spring and Autumn Periods at a High Mountain Site in South China
Authors: Jia Hong-yan , Wang Lei , Li Peng-hui , Wang Yan , Guo Li-qiong , Li Tao , Sun Lei , Shou You-ping , Mao Tian-yu , Yi Xian-liang
Published: September 2016

PM10 (particulate matter) samples were collected at Mount Lu, a high elevation mountain site in south China (August and September of 2011; and March, April and May of 2012). Eight carbonaceous fractions of particles were analyzed to characterize the possible carbonaceous emission sources. During the sampling events, daily average concentrations of PM10 at Mount Lu were 97.87 μg/m3 and 73.40 μg/m3 in spring and autumn, respectively. The observed mean organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) concentrations during spring in PM10 were 10.58 μg/m3 and 2.58 μg/m3, respectively, and those in autumn were 6.89 μg/m3 and 2.40 μg/m3, respectively. Secondary organic carbon concentration was 4.77 μg/m3 and 2.93 μg/m3 on average, accounting for 28.0% and 31.0% of the total OC in spring and autumn, respectively. Relationships between carbonaceous species and results of principal component analysis showed that there were multiple sources contributing to the carbonaceous aerosols at the observation site. Through back trajectory analysis, it was found that air masses in autumn were mainly transported from the south of China, and these have the highest OC but lowest EC concentrations. Air masses in spring transported from northwest China bring 7.77 μg/m3 OC and 2.28 μg/m3 EC to the site, with lower levels coming from other sites. These air mass sources were featured by the effective carbon ratio (ECR).
Technical Guidelines to Extract and Analyze VGI from Different Platforms
Authors: Juhász Levente , Rousell Adam , Jokar Arsanjani Jamal
Published: September 2016

An increasing number of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and social media platforms have been continuously growing in size, which have provided massive georeferenced data in many forms including textual information, photographs, and geoinformation. These georeferenced data have either been actively contributed (e.g., adding data to OpenStreetMap (OSM) or Mapillary) or collected in a more passive fashion by enabling geolocation whilst using an online platform (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, or Flickr). The benefit of scraping and streaming these data in stand-alone applications is evident, however, it is difficult for many users to script and scrape the diverse types of these data. On 14 June 2016, a pre-conference workshop at the AGILE 2016 conference in Helsinki, Finland was held. The workshop was called “LINK-VGI: LINKing and analyzing VGI across different platforms”. The workshop provided an opportunity for interested researchers to share ideas and findings on cross-platform data contributions. One portion of the workshop was dedicated to a hands-on session. In this session, the basics of spatial data access through selected Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and the extraction of summary statistics of the results were illustrated. This paper presents the content of the hands-on session including the scripts and guidelines for extracting VGI data. Researchers, planners, and interested end-users can benefit from this paper for developing their own application for any region of the world.
Toward Culturally Sustaining Leadership: Innovation beyond ‘School Improvement’ Promoting Equity in Diverse Contexts
Authors: Santamaría Lorri , Santamaría Andrés
Published: September 2016

Whilst school principals and educational leaders are increasingly constrained by standardized assessment results and student achievement, persistent achievement gaps continue to separate poor and historically underserved students from their wealthier mainstream peers in the United States (US) and similar countries. Unprecedented levels of cultural, linguistic, ethnic, racial, and gender school diversity underscore these phenomena. As a result, leadership for ‘school improvement’ has become the norm and as evidenced by chronic academic disparities, ineffective. This review article considers culturally sustaining leadership as an innovative practice to promote and advance equity in schools.
The Alleviation of Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms in Changbai Larch (Larix olgensis) Seedlings by the Application of Exogenous Organic Acids
Authors: Song Jinfeng , Markewitz Daniel , Liu Yong , Liu Xingping , Cui Xiaoyang
Published: September 2016

Exogenous organic acids are beneficial in protecting plants from the stress of heavy metal toxins (e.g., Pb) in soils. This work focuses on the potential role of organic acids in protecting Changbai larch (Larix olgensis) seedlings from the stress of growing in nutrient deficient soil. The seedlings were planted in a nutrient rich or deficient soil (A1 horizon of a Haplic Cambisol without organic acid as the nutrient rich control, or fully-mixed A1 + B horizons in a proportion of 1:2 as deficient) in pots in a greenhouse. In A1 + B horizons the seedlings were treated daily with concentrations of oxalic or citric acid (OA or CA) at a rate approximately equivalent to 0, 0.04, 0.2, 1.0, or 2.0 mmol·kg−1 of soil for 10, 20, and 30 days. Nutrient deficiency stressed the seedlings as indicated by lipid peroxidation and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves significantly increasing, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, proline, photosynthetic pigment contents, and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) decreasing. The stress increased in controls over the application periods. When nutrient deficient plants were exposed to an organic acid (especially 5.0 or 10.0 mmol·L−1 for 20 days), the stress as indicated by the physiological parameters was reversed, and survival rate of seedlings, and biomass of root, stem, and leaf significantly increased; CA was more effective than OA. The results demonstrate that exogenous organic acids alleviate nutrient deficiency-induced oxidative injuries and improve the tolerance of L. olgensis seedlings to nutrient deficiency.
Presence of a Prophage Determines Temperature-Dependent Capsule Production in Streptococcus pyogenes
Authors: Brown Leslie , Kim Jeong-Ho , Cho Kyu
Published: September 2016

A hyaluronic acid capsule is a major virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Streptococcus pyogenes. It acts as an anti-phagocytic agent and adhesin to keratinocytes. The expression of the capsule is primarily regulated at the transcriptional level by the two-component regulatory system CovRS, in which CovR acts as a transcriptional repressor. The covRS genes are frequently mutated in many invasive strains, and a subset of the invasive CovRS mutants does not produce a detectable level of the capsule at 37 °C, but produces a significant amount of the capsule at sub-body temperatures. Here, we report that a prophage has a crucial role in this capsule thermoregulation. Passaging CovR-null strains showing capsule thermoregulation using a lab medium produced spontaneous mutants producing a significant amount of the capsule regardless of incubation temperature and this phenotypic change was caused by curing of a particular prophage. The lab strain HSC5 contains three prophages on the chromosome, and only ΦHSC5.3 was cured in all spontaneous mutants. This result indicates that the prophage ΦHSC5.3 plays a crucial role in capsule thermoregulation, most likely by repressing capsule production at 37 °C.
A Sensor Web and Web Service-Based Approach for Active Hydrological Disaster Monitoring
Authors: Zhai Xi , Yue Peng , Zhang Mingda
Published: September 2016

Rapid advancements in Earth-observing sensor systems have led to the generation of large amounts of remote sensing data that can be used for the dynamic monitoring and analysis of hydrological disasters. The management and analysis of these data could take advantage of distributed information infrastructure technologies such as Web service and Sensor Web technologies, which have shown great potential in facilitating the use of observed big data in an interoperable, flexible and on-demand way. However, it remains a challenge to achieve timely response to hydrological disaster events and to automate the geoprocessing of hydrological disaster observations. This article proposes a Sensor Web and Web service-based approach to support active hydrological disaster monitoring. This approach integrates an event-driven mechanism, Web services, and a Sensor Web and coordinates them using workflow technologies to facilitate the Web-based sharing and processing of hydrological hazard information. The design and implementation of hydrological Web services for conducting various hydrological analysis tasks on the Web using dynamically updating sensor observation data are presented. An application example is provided to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach over the traditional approach. The results confirm the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach in cases of hydrological disaster.
Identification of Protein–Protein Interactions via a Novel Matrix-Based Sequence Representation Model with Amino Acid Contact Information
Authors: Ding Yijie , Tang Jijun , Guo Fei
Published: September 2016

Identification of protein–protein interactions (PPIs) is a difficult and important problem in biology. Since experimental methods for predicting PPIs are both expensive and time-consuming, many computational methods have been developed to predict PPIs and interaction networks, which can be used to complement experimental approaches. However, these methods have limitations to overcome. They need a large number of homology proteins or literature to be applied in their method. In this paper, we propose a novel matrix-based protein sequence representation approach to predict PPIs, using an ensemble learning method for classification. We construct the matrix of Amino Acid Contact (AAC), based on the statistical analysis of residue-pairing frequencies in a database of 6323 protein–protein complexes. We first represent the protein sequence as a Substitution Matrix Representation (SMR) matrix. Then, the feature vector is extracted by applying algorithms of Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) on the SMR matrix. Finally, we feed the feature vector into a Random Forest (RF) for judging interaction pairs and non-interaction pairs. Our method is applied to several PPI datasets to evaluate its performance. On the S . c e r e v i s i a e dataset, our method achieves 94 . 83 % accuracy and 92 . 40 % sensitivity. Compared with existing methods, and the accuracy of our method is increased by 0 . 11 percentage points. On the H . p y l o r i dataset, our method achieves 89 . 06 % accuracy and 88 . 15 % sensitivity, the accuracy of our method is increased by 0 . 76 % . On the H u m a n PPI dataset, our method achieves 97 . 60 % accuracy and 96 . 37 % sensitivity, and the accuracy of our method is increased by 1 . 30 % . In addition, we test our method on a very important PPI network, and it achieves 92 . 71 % accuracy. In the Wnt-related network, the accuracy of our method is increased by 16 . 67 % . The source code and all datasets are available at https://figshare.com/s/580c11dce13e63cb9a53.
High-Speed Edge Trimming of CFRP and Online Monitoring of Performance of Router Tools Using Acoustic Emission
Authors: Prakash Rangasamy , Krishnaraj Vijayan , Zitoune Redouane , Sheikh-Ahmad Jamal
Published: September 2016

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have found wide-ranging applications in numerous industrial fields such as aerospace, automotive, and shipping industries due to their excellent mechanical properties that lead to enhanced functional performance. In this paper, an experimental study on edge trimming of CFRP was done with various cutting conditions and different geometry of tools such as helical-, fluted-, and burr-type tools. The investigation involves the measurement of cutting forces for the different machining conditions and its effect on the surface quality of the trimmed edges. The modern cutting tools (router tools or burr tools) selected for machining CFRPs, have complex geometries in cutting edges and surfaces, and therefore a traditional method of direct tool wear evaluation is not applicable. An acoustic emission (AE) sensing was employed for on-line monitoring of the performance of router tools to determine the relationship between AE signal and length of machining for different kinds of geometry of tools. The investigation showed that the router tool with a flat cutting edge has better performance by generating lower cutting force and better surface finish with no delamination on trimmed edges. The mathematical modeling for the prediction of cutting forces was also done using Artificial Neural Network and Regression Analysis.
Automated and Multiplexed Soft Lithography for the Production of Low-Density DNA Microarrays
Authors: Fredonnet Julie , Foncy Julie , Cau Jean-Christophe , Séverac Childérick , François Jean , Trévisiol Emmanuelle
Published: September 2016

Microarrays are established research tools for genotyping, expression profiling, or molecular diagnostics in which DNA molecules are precisely addressed to the surface of a solid support. This study assesses the fabrication of low-density oligonucleotide arrays using an automated microcontact printing device, the InnoStamp 40®. This automate allows a multiplexed deposition of oligoprobes on a functionalized surface by the use of a MacroStampTM bearing 64 individual pillars each mounted with 50 circular micropatterns (spots) of 160 µm diameter at 320 µm pitch. Reliability and reuse of the MacroStampTM were shown to be fast and robust by a simple washing step in 96% ethanol. The low-density microarrays printed on either epoxysilane or dendrimer-functionalized slides (DendriSlides) showed excellent hybridization response with complementary sequences at unusual low probe and target concentrations, since the actual probe density immobilized by this technology was at least 10-fold lower than with the conventional mechanical spotting. In addition, we found a comparable hybridization response in terms of fluorescence intensity between spotted and printed oligoarrays with a 1 nM complementary target by using a 50-fold lower probe concentration to produce the oligoarrays by the microcontact printing method. Taken together, our results lend support to the potential development of this multiplexed microcontact printing technology employing soft lithography as an alternative, cost-competitive tool for fabrication of low-density DNA microarrays.
Nanoemulsion Formulations of Fungicide Tebuconazole for Agricultural Applications
Authors: Díaz-Blancas Vianney , Medina Dora , Padilla-Ortega Erika , Bortolini-Zavala Raquel , Olvera-Romero Melissa , Luna-Bárcenas Gabriel
Published: September 2016

Tebuconazole (TBZ) nanoemulsions (NEs) were formulated using a low energy method. TBZ composition directly affected the drop size and surface tension of the NE. Water fraction and the organic-to-surfactant-ratio (RO/S) were evaluated in the range of 1–90 and 1–10 wt %, respectively. The study was carried out with an organic phase (OP) consisting of an acetone/glycerol mixture containing TBZ at a concentration of 5.4 wt % and Tween 80 (TW80) as a nonionic and Agnique BL1754 (AG54) as a mixture of nonionic and anionic surfactants. The process involved a large dilution of a bicontinuous microemulsion (ME) into an aqueous phase (AP). Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of the OP//TW80//AP and OP//AG54//AP systems at T = 25 °C were determined to map ME regions; these were in the range of 0.49–0.90, 0.01–0.23, and 0.07–0.49 of OP, AP, and surfactant, respectively. Optical microscope images helped confirm ME formation and system viscosity was measured in the range of 25–147 cP. NEs with drop sizes about 9 nm and 250 nm were achieved with TW80 and AG54, respectively. An innovative low-energy method was used to develop nanopesticide TBZ formulations based on nanoemulsion (NE) technology. The surface tension of the studied systems can be lowered 50% more than that of pure water. This study’s proposed low-energy NE formulations may prove useful in sustainable agriculture.
The Structure–Antimicrobial Activity Relationships of a Promising Class of the Compounds Containing the N-Arylpiperazine Scaffold
Authors: Malík Ivan , Csöllei Jozef , Jampílek Josef , Stanzel Lukáš , Zadražilová Iveta , Hošek Jan , Pospíšilová Šárka , Čížek Alois , Coffey Aidan , O’Mahony Jim
Published: September 2016

This research was focused on in silico characterization and in vitro biological testing of the series of the compounds carrying a N-arylpiperazine moiety. The in silico investigation was based on the prediction of electronic, steric and lipohydrophilic features. The molecules were screened against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis CIT03, M. smegmatis ATCC 700084, M. kansasii DSM 44162, M. marinum CAMP 5644, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, methicillin-resistant S. aureus 63718, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Candida albicans CCM 8261, C. parapsilosis CCM 8260 and C. krusei CCM 8271, respectively, by standardized microdilution methods. The eventual antiproliferative (cytotoxic) impact of those compounds was examined on a human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cell line, as a part of the biological study. Promising potential against M. kansasii was found for 1-[3-(3-ethoxyphenylcarbamoyl)oxy-2-hydroxypropyl]-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride (MIC = 31.75 μM), which was comparable to the activity of isoniazid (INH; MIC = 29.17 μM). Moreover, 1-{2-hydroxy-3-(3-methoxyphenylcarbamoyl)oxy)propyl}-4-(4-fluorophenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride was even more effective (MIC = 17.62 μM) against given mycobacterium. Among the tested N-arylpiperazines, 1-{2-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenylcarbamoyl)oxy)propyl}-4-(3-trifluorometh-ylphenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride was the most efficient against M. marinum (MIC = 65.32 μM). One of the common features of all investigated substances was their insignificant antiproliferative (i.e., non-cytotoxic) effect. The study discussed structure–antimicrobial activity relationships considering electronic, steric and lipophilic properties.
Cytoproliferative and Cytoprotective Effects of Striatisporolide A Isolated from Rhizomes of Athyrium multidentatum (Doell.) Ching on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Authors: Liu Dong-Mei , Sheng Ji-Wen , Wang Si-Hong , Zhang Wei-Fen , Zhang Wei , Zhang Dai-Juan
Published: September 2016

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the proliferative and protective effects of striatisporolide A (SA) obtained from the rhizomes of Athyrium multidentatum (Doell.) Ching on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: Cell viability was measured by the MTT method. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Intracellular ROS was measured by the 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluorescent probe. Results: The viability rate in cells treated with 100 µM SA alone was increased to 128.72% ± 0.19% and showed a significant difference compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, SA augmented the cell viabilities in H2O2-treated HUVECs, and the cell viability was enhanced to 56.94% ± 0.13% (p < 0.01) when pre-incubated with 50 µM SA. The cell apoptosis rates were reduced to 2.17% ± 0.20% (p < 0.05) and 3.1% ± 0.34% (p < 0.01), respectively, after treatment with SA alone or SA/H2O2. SA inhibited the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HUVECs induced by H2O2 and the fluorescent intensity was abated to 9.47 ± 0.61 after pre-incubated with 100 μM SA. Conclusions: The biological activities of SA were explored for the first time. Our results stated that SA exhibited significant cytoproliferative and minor cytoprotective effects on HUVECs. We presume that the mechanisms of the proliferation and protection actions of SA involve interference with the generation of ROS and the cell apoptosis. These findings provide a new perspective on the biological potential of butenolides.
Nanostructured Samarium Doped Fluorapatites and Their Catalytic Activity towards Synthesis of 1,2,4-Triazoles
Authors: Gangu Kranthi , Maddila Suresh , Maddila Surya , Jonnalagadda Sreekantha
Published: September 2016

An investigation was conducted into the influence of the amino acids as organic modifiers in the facile synthesis of metal incorporated fluorapatites (FAp) and their properties. The nanostructured Sm doped fluorapatites (Sm-FAp) were prepared by a co-precipitation method using four different amino acids, namely glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine and histidine. The materials were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), N2-adsorption/desorption isotherm, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Under similar conditions, Sm-FAp prepared using different amino acids exhibited distinctly different morphological structures, surface area and pore properties. Their activity as catalysts was assessed and Sm-FAp/Glycine displayed excellent efficiency in the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazole catalyzing the reaction between 2-nitrobenzaldehyde and thiosemicarbazide with exceptional selectivity and 98% yield in a short time interval (10 min). The study provides an insight into the role of organic modifiers as controllers of nucleation, growth and aggregation which significantly influence the nature and activity of the catalytic sites on Sm-FAp. Sm-FAp could also have potential as photoactive material.
Acacetin Protects Mice from Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection by Inhibiting the Activity of Sortase A
Authors: Bi Chongwei , Dong Xiaoyun , Zhong Xiaobo , Cai Hongjun , Wang Dacheng , Wang Lin
Published: September 2016

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major cause of infection in hospitals and communities. Widespread dissemination of multi-drug resistant S. aureus is a serious threat to the health of humans and animals. An anti-virulence strategy has been widely considered as an alternative therapeutic approach. Inhibitors of virulence factors are able to treat S. aureus infections without influencing the growth or viability of bacteria and rarely lead to bacterial resistance. Sortase A (SrtA) is a membrane-associated cysteine transpeptidase that catalyzes up to 25 surface proteins that covalently bind to cell wall peptidoglycans. In S. aureus, most of these surface proteins have been identified as important virulence factors that are vital in bacterial pathogenesis. In the present study, we show that acacetin, a natural flavonoid compound, inhibits the activity of SrtA in S. aureus (IC50 = 36.46 ± 4.69 μg/mL, 128 μM) which affects the assembly of protein A (SpA) to cell walls and reduces the binding of S. aureus to fibrinogen (Fg). The mechanism of the interaction between acacetin and SrtA were preliminarily discussed using molecular dynamics simulations. The results suggested that acacetin adopted a compact conformation binding at the pocket of the SrtA via residues Arg-139 and Lys-140. By performing an animal infection model, we demonstrated that acacetin was able to protect mice from renal abscess formation induced by S. aureus and significantly increased survival rates. Taken together, these findings suggest that acacetin may be a promising candidate for the development of anti-S. aureus drugs.
Parental Encouragement of Healthy Lifestyles for Their Children and Personally Caring about Healthy Lifestyles Is Positively Associated with Children Using Vitamin D Supplements
Authors: Munasinghe Lalani , Yuan Yan , Faught Erin , Willows Noreen , Veugelers Paul
Published: September 2016

Supplement users have better vitamin D status, and parenting is key to promoting a child’s healthy behaviours. We examined the association of parental encouragement of and caring about healthy lifestyles with children’s use of vitamin D supplements and multivitamins. A provincially representative sample of grade 5 students (n = 2686; 10–11 years) and their parents across the province of Alberta, Canada, was surveyed in 2014. Students were asked about use of multivitamins and/or vitamin D supplements. Parents were asked whether they cared about and encouraged healthy lifestyles. Mixed effect multiple logistic regression identified the association of parental responses with children’s use of supplements; 29% and 54% of children took vitamin D supplements and multivitamins, respectively. They were more likely to take vitamin D supplements if their parents cared ‘very much’ vs. ‘not at all/a little bit’ about eating healthy foods (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.89), cared ‘quite a lot’ (OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.17, 2.04) and ‘very much’ (OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.26, 2.21) vs. ‘not at all/a little bit’ about physical activity, and encouraged ‘very much’ vs. ‘not at all/a little bit’ their children to eat healthy foods (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.05, 2.17). Children whose parents personally cared for eating healthy foods were more likely to take multivitamins (‘quite a lot’ and ‘very much’ compared to ‘not at all/a little bit’ (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.13, 2.28 and OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.04, 2.06, respectively). Education and parental encouragement of healthy lifestyles should be part of the public health initiatives to promote supplementation of vitamin D among children.