bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organic Acids from Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)—A Brief Review of Its Pharmacological Effects
Authors: Izquierdo-Vega Jeannett , Arteaga-Badillo Diego , Sánchez-Gutiérrez Manuel , Morales-González José , Vargas-Mendoza Nancy , Gómez-Aldapa Carlos , Castro-Rosas Javier , Delgado-Olivares Luis , Madrigal-Bujaidar Eduardo , Madrigal-Santillán Eduardo
Published: April 2020

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), also known as jamaica in Spanish, is a perennial plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions, including China, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. It has a long history of uses, mainly focused on culinary, botanical, floral, cosmetic, and medicinal uses. The latter being of great impact due to the diuretic, choleretic, analgesic, antitussive, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-cancer effects. These therapeutic properties have been attributed to the bioactive compounds of the plant, mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and organic acids (citric, hydroxycitric, hibiscus, tartaric, malic, and ascorbic). Most literature reviews and meta-analyses on the therapeutic potential of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Hs) compounds have not adequately addressed the contributions of its organic acids present in the Hs extracts. This review compiles information from published research (in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies) on demonstrated pharmacological properties of organic acids found in Hs. The intent is to encourage and aid researchers to expand their studies on the pharmacologic and therapeutic effects of Hs to include assessments of the organic acid components.
Controlled Release of Retinol in Cationic Co-Polymeric Nanoparticles for Topical Application
Authors: Goudon Fabien , Clément Yohann , Ripoll Lionel
Published: April 2020

Retinol is a compound used in many skin care formulations to act against skin conditions like acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and ichthyosis. While retinol is used as an active ingredient, its efficacy is limited by an extreme sensitivity to light and temperature. Retinol can also generate toxicity at high concentrations. Microencapsulation is an alternative method to help overcome these issues. In this study, we develop a new encapsulation of retinol by solvent evaporation using a cationic polymer. We show that our particles have a narrow size distribution (350 nm), can encapsulate retinol with high efficiency, and protect it from oxidation for at least eight weeks. Finally, to demonstrate that the release of retinol from the particles can be controlled, we performed a kinetic study and showed that the particle releases the drug during 18 h.
Consistency of Trans-Abdominal and Water-Immersion Ultrasound Images of Diseased Intestinal Segments in Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Wang Feiqian , Numata Kazushi , Yonezawa Hiromi , Sato Kana , Ishii Yoshito , Yaguchi Katsuki , Kume Nao , Hashimoto Yu , Nishio Masafumi , Nakamori Yoshinori , Ikeda Aya , Madarame Akira , Hirayama Atsuhiro , Ogashiwa Tsuyoshi , Sasaki Tomohiko , Jin Misato , Hanzawa Akiho , Shibata Naomi , Hashimorto Shinichi , Saigusa Yusuke , Inayama Yoshiaki , Maeda Shin , Kimura Hideaki , Kunisaki Reiko
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study is to clarify whether trans-abdominal ultrasound (TAUS) can reflect actual intestinal conditions in Crohn’s disease (CD) as effectively as water-immersion ultrasound (WIUS) does. This retrospective study enrolled 29 CD patients with 113 intestinal lesions. Five ultrasound (US) parameters (distinct presence/indistinct presence/disappearance of wall stratification in the submucosal and mucosal layers; thickened submucosal layer; irregular mucosal surface; increased fat wrapping around the bowel wall; and fistula signs) that may indicate different states in CD were determined by TAUS and WIUS for the same lesion. Using WIUS as a reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of TAUS were calculated. The degree of agreement between TAUS and WIUS was evaluated by the kappa coefficient. All US parameters of TAUS had an accuracy >70% (72.6–92.7%). The highest efficacy of TAUS was obtained for fistula signs (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy values were 63.6%, 96.0%, and 92.7%, respectively). All US parameters between TAUS and WIUS had a definitive (p ≤ 0.001) and moderate-to-substantial consistency (kappa value = 0.446–0.615). The images of TAUS showed substantial similarity to those of WIUS, suggesting that TAUS may function as a substitute to evaluate the actual intestinal conditions of CD.
Increasing the Device Performance of Recycling Double-Pass W-Ribs Solar Air Heaters
Authors: Ho Chii-Dong , Chang Hsuan , Hong Zih-Syuan , Huang Chien-Chang , Chen Yu-Han
Published: April 2020

The device performance of recycling double-pass solar air heaters with W-ribs by machining on both sides of the absorber plate is investigated experimentally and theoretically. It is emphasized that in comparing various design configurations, they should be compared for the increase of power consumption suffered by the air passing through the collector under the same air mass flow rate and working dimensions. Compared to those of the single-pass and flat-plate double-pass device, both effects of the external recycle and the artificial W-ribs by machining enhance the collector thermal efficiency in this study. This study proposes an optimal design of the recycling W-ribs double-pass device that is expected to consider the compensation between collector thermal efficiency improvement I W due to the external recycle and the increase of power consumption I P , W owing to pumping the air circulation in the two divided subchannels. The evaluation of a higher ratio of I W to I P , W leads to economic benefits. It has been observed that a relative higher ratio of collector thermal efficiency improvement to the increase of power consumption occurs at recycle ratio R = 0.5. The results indicated the turbulent intensity increment with the artificial W-ribs by machining on both sides of the absorber plate could compensate for the increase of power consumption with the consideration of economic feasibility. The operation of a recycling W-ribs solar air heater with two covers in a double-pass mode offers an inexpensive method of improving the collector thermal efficiency by about 76.65%. The advantage of the present device is evident and provides a feasible design to improve the solar air heater of which the promotion in turbulence effectively raises the convective heat-transfer coefficient. The collector thermal efficiency enhancement of the double-pass operation is much higher than that in the smooth plate under different recycle ratios and mass flow rates.
New Insight into Mechanisms of Protein Adaptation to High Temperatures: A Comparative Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Thermophilic and Mesophilic Subtilisin-Like Serine Proteases
Authors: Sang Peng , Liu Shu-Qun , Yang Li-Quan
Published: April 2020

In high-temperature environments, thermophilic proteins must possess enhanced thermal stability in order to maintain their normal biological functions. However, the physicochemical basis of the structural stability of thermophilic proteins at high temperatures remains elusive. In this study, we performed comparative molecular dynamics simulations on thermophilic serine protease (THM) and its homologous mesophilic counterpart (PRK). The comparative analyses of dynamic structural and geometrical properties suggested that THM adopted a more compact conformation and exhibited more intramolecular interactions and lower global flexibility than PRK, which could be in favor of its thermal stability in high-temperature environments. Comparison between protein solvent interactions and the hydrophobicity of these two forms of serine proteases showed that THM had more burial of nonpolar areas, and less protein solvent hydrogen bonds (HBs), indicating that solvent entropy maximization and mobility may play a significant role in THM’s adaption to high temperature environments. The constructed funnel-like free energy landscape (FEL) revealed that, in comparison to PRK, THM had a relatively flat and narrow free energy surface, and a lower minimum free energy level, suggesting that the thermophilic form had lower conformational diversity and flexibility. Combining the FEL theory and our simulation results, we conclude that the solvent (entropy force) plays a significant role in protein adaption at high temperatures.
Interactions of the Lysosomotropic Detergent O-Methyl-Serine Dodecylamide Hydrochloride (MSDH) with Lipid Bilayer Membranes—Implications for Cell Toxicity
Authors: Villamil Giraldo Ana-Maria , Eriksson Ida , Wennmalm Stefan , Fyrner Timmy , Ederth Thomas , Öllinger Karin
Published: April 2020

O-methyl-serine dodecylamine hydrochloride (MSDH) is a detergent that accumulates selectively in lysosomes, a so-called lysosomotropic detergent, with unexpected chemical properties. At physiological pH, it spontaneously forms vesicles, which disassemble into small aggregates (probably micelles) below pH 6.4. In this study, we characterize the interaction between MSDH and liposomes at different pH and correlate the findings to toxicity in human fibroblasts. We find that the effect of MSDH on lipid membranes is highly pH-dependent. At neutral pH, the partitioning of MSDH into the liposome membrane is immediate and causes the leakage of small fluorophores, unless the ratio between MSDH and lipids is kept low. At pH 5, the partitioning of MSDH into the membrane is kinetically impeded since MSDH is charged and a high ratio between MSDH and the lipids is required to permeabilize the membrane. When transferred to cell culture conditions, the ratio between MSDH and plasma membrane lipids must therefore be low, at physiological pH, to maintain plasma membrane integrity. Transmission electron microscopy suggests that MSDH vesicles are taken up by endocytosis. As the pH of the endosomal compartment progressively drops, MSDH vesicles disassemble, leading to a high concentration of increasingly charged MSDH in small aggregates inside the lysosomes. At sufficiently high MSDH concentrations, the lysosome is permeabilized, the proteolytic content released to the cytosol and apoptotic cell death is induced.
Quantitative Assessment of Arthritis Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using [11C]DPA-713 Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Yaqub Maqsood , Verweij Nicki J.F. , Pieplenbosch Simone , Boellaard Ronald , Lammertsma Adriaan A. , van der Laken Conny J.
Published: April 2020

Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be started as early as possible to prevent destruction of bone and cartilage in affected joints. A new diagnostic tool for both early diagnosis and therapy monitoring would be valuable to reduce permanent joint damage. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of macrophages is a previously demonstrated non-invasive means to visualize (sub)clinical arthritis in RA patients. We developed a kinetic model to quantify uptake of the macrophage tracer [11C]DPA-713 (N,N-diethyl-2-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5,7-dimethylpyrazolo [1,5-a]pyrimidin-3-yl]acetamide) in arthritic joints of RA patients and to assess the performance of several simplified methods. Dynamic [11C]DPA-713 scans of 60 min with both arterial and venous blood sampling were performed in five patients with clinically active disease. [11C]DPA-713 showed enhanced uptake in affected joints of RA patients, with tracer uptake levels corresponding to clinical presence and severity of arthritis. The optimal quantitative model for assessment of [11C]DPA-713 uptake was the irreversible two tissue compartment model (2T3k). Both Ki and standardized uptake value (SUV) correlated with the presence of arthritis in RA patients. Using SUV as an outcome measure allows for a simplified static imaging protocol that can be used in larger cohorts.
Nifedipine Upregulates ATF6-α, Caspases -12, -3, and -7 Implicating Lipotoxicity-Associated Renal ER Stress
Authors: Peng Chiung-Chi , Chen Chang-Rong , Chen Chang-Yu , Lin Yen-Chung , Chen Kuan-Chou , Peng Robert Y.
Published: April 2020

Nifedipine (NF) is reported to have many beneficial effects in antihypertensive therapy. Recently, we found that NF induced lipid accumulation in renal tubular cells. Palmitic acid-induced renal lipotoxicity was found to be partially mediated by endoplasmic reticular (ER) stress, while it can also be elicited by NF in kidney cells; we examined the induction of suspected pathways in both in vitro and in vivo models. NRK52E cells cultured in high-glucose medium were treated with NF (30 µM) for 24–48 h. ER stress-induced lipotoxicity was explored by staining with thioflavin T and Nile red, transmission electron microscopy, terminal uridine nick-end labeling, and Western blotting. ER stress was also investigated in rats with induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) fed NF for four weeks. NF induced the production of unfolded protein aggregates, resulting in ER stress, as evidenced by the upregulation of glucose-regulated protein, 78 kDa (GRP78), activating transcription factor 6α (ATF6α), C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), and caspases-12, -3, and -7. In vitro early apoptosis was more predominant than late apoptosis. Most importantly, ATF6α was confirmed to play a unique role in NF-induced ER stress in both models. CKD patients with hypertension should not undergo NF therapy. In cases where it is required, alleviation of ER stress should be considered to avoid further damaging the kidneys.
ALDH1A1 Inhibits Chicken Preadipocytes’ Proliferation and Differentiation via the PPARγ Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Zhang Jing , Cai Bolin , Ma Manting , Luo Wei , Zhang Zipeng , Zhang Xiquan , Nie Qinghua
Published: April 2020

ALDH1A1 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1) is a crucial protein in retinoids’ metabolism, and the lack of ALDH1A1 inhibits the fat deposition in mice. However, whether ALDH1A1 has a similar effect on chickens’ fat-depot is still unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of ALDH1A1 in chickens’ adipogenesis. The immortalized chicken preadipocyte 1 (ICP1) cell line and chicken primary preadipocytes isolated from abdominal fat were used to perform a series of experiments in vitro to elucidate the effects of ALDH1A1. In addition, lentivirus was used to verify the results of cell experiments in vivo. The data showed that overexpression of ALDH1A1 significantly weakened the proliferation of preadipocytes and suppressed the differentiation of preadipocytes through the PPARγ pathway, and the knockdown experiments had the opposite results. Moreover, chickens injected with overexpression lentivirus had higher abdominal fat percentage, a bigger size of lipid droplets, and higher triglyceride content in abdominal fat, and chickens injected with interfering lentivirus had the opposite situation. We proved that ALDH1A1 not only inhibited the proliferation and differentiation of chickens’ preadipocytes in vitro, but also inhibited the fat-depot of chickens in vivo, which was completely opposite the function of ALDH1A1 in mice, indicating that ALDH1A1 may have a different mechanism that is still unknown.
Post-Traumatic Sepsis Is Associated with Increased C5a and Decreased TAFI Levels
Authors: Vollrath Jan Tilmann , Marzi Ingo , Herminghaus Anna , Lustenberger Thomas , Relja Borna
Published: April 2020

Background: Sepsis frequently occurs after major trauma and is closely associated with dysregulations in the inflammatory/complement and coagulation system. Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) plays a dual role as an anti-fibrinolytic and anti-inflammatory factor by downregulating complement anaphylatoxin C5a. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between TAFI and C5a levels and the development of post-traumatic sepsis. Furthermore, the predictive potential of both TAFI and C5a to indicate sepsis occurrence in polytraumatized patients was assessed. Methods: Upon admission to the emergency department (ED) and daily for the subsequent ten days, circulating levels of TAFI and C5a were determined in 48 severely injured trauma patients (injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 16). Frequency matching according to the ISS in septic vs. non-septic patients was performed. Trauma and physiologic characteristics, as well as outcomes, were assessed. Statistical correlation analyses and cut-off values for predicting sepsis were calculated. Results: Fourteen patients developed sepsis, while 34 patients did not show any signs of sepsis (no sepsis). Overall injury severity, as well as demographic parameters, were comparable between both groups (ISS: 25.78 ± 2.36 no sepsis vs. 23.46 ± 2.79 sepsis). Septic patients had significantly increased C5a levels (21.62 ± 3.14 vs. 13.40 ± 1.29 ng/mL; p < 0.05) and reduced TAFI levels upon admission to the ED (40,951 ± 5637 vs. 61,865 ± 4370 ng/mL; p < 0.05) compared to the no sepsis group. Negative correlations between TAFI and C5a (p = 0.0104) and TAFI and lactate (p = 0.0423) and positive correlations between C5a and lactate (p = 0.0173), as well as C5a and the respiratory rate (p = 0.0266), were found. In addition, correlation analyses of both TAFI and C5a with the sequential (sepsis-related) organ failure assessment (SOFA) score have confirmed their potential as early sepsis biomarkers. Cut-off values for predicting sepsis were 54,857 ng/mL for TAFI with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.7550 (p = 0.032) and 17 ng/mL for C5a with an AUC of 0.7286 (p = 0.034). Conclusion: The development of sepsis is associated with early decreased TAFI and increased C5a levels after major trauma. Both elevated C5a and decreased TAFI may serve as promising predictive factors for the development of sepsis after polytrauma.
Effects of Reduced Ambient Pressure and Beam Oscillation on Gap Bridging Ability during Solid-State Laser Beam Welding
Authors: Köhler Markus , Tóth Tamás , Kreybohm Andreas , Hensel Jonas , Dilger Klaus
Published: April 2020

In recent decades, beam welding processes have been set up as a key technology for joining applications in automotive engineering and particularly in gearbox manufacturing. Due to their high beam quality, energy efficiency, reliability as well as flexible beam guidance, modern solid-state lasers offer numerous advantages, but also pose increased requirements on the production and positional accuracy of the components for the joining process. In particular, small-focus diameters present a challenge for components with process-induced tolerances, i.e., disc carriers in automatic transitions. Furthermore, welding processes utilizing solid-state lasers show an increased spatter formation during welding at high welding speeds. Accordingly, the primary objective of the presented work consists in extending the current areas of application for solid-state laser beam welding in gearbox manufacturing through an improved process reliability regarding tolerance compensation and spatter formation. Therefore, this experimental study aimed to describe the effects of a dynamic beam oscillation in combination with a reduced ambient pressure in the process environment on both gap bridging ability and spatter formation during the laser beam welding of case hardening steel. For basic process evaluations, laser beam welding at reduced ambient pressure and laser beam welding with dynamic beam oscillation were initially studied separately. Following a basic process evaluation, samples for 2 mm full-penetration-welds with varying gap sizes were analyzed in terms of weld seam geometry and weld spatter formation.
Influence of Tailored Surfaces and Superimposed-Oscillation on Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming Operations
Authors: Behrens Bernd-Arno , Tillmann Wolfgang , Biermann Dirk , Hübner Sven , Stangier Dominic , Freiburg Dennis , Meijer Alexander , Koch Sergej , Rosenbusch Daniel , Müller Philipp
Published: April 2020

Producing complex sheet metal components in fewer process steps motivated the development of the innovative forming process called sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF). In this process, sheet metal forming and bulk-metal forming are combined to create a unique forming process in which a component with external and internal gearing is produced in three production steps. However, the high degrees of deformation that occur using high-strength steels and the number of different process steps result in high process forces, strongly limiting the service life of tools. To reduce the forming force during SBMF processes, tool and process modifications were investigated. Therefore, plane-strain compression tests were conducted to examine the influence of a CrAlN PVD coating and tailored surfaces produced by high-feed milling (HF) of tool-active elements on the material flow of the specimens. In addition to the tool-sided modifications, the influence of an oscillation overlay during the forming process was investigated. Based on the results of the compression tests, the surfaces of the active tool elements of the SBMF process were modified in order to transfer the basic experimental results to the production of a functional component. The friction is thus adapted locally in the SBMF process.
Fractional-Order PI Control of DFIG-Based Tidal Stream Turbine
Authors: Chen Hao , Xie Wei , Chen Xiyang , Han Jingang , Aït-Ahmed Nadia , Zhou Zhibin , Tang Tianhao , Benbouzid Mohamed
Published: April 2020

This study mainly investigates the current and speed control strategies of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), which is applied to a tidal stream turbine (TST). Indeed, DFIG using integer-order PI (IOPI) controller has been widely proposed in the applications with a similar system, especially in wind energy conversion system (WECS). However, these conventional controllers cannot deal with the problems caused by the parameter variations satisfactorily under complex and harsh operation conditions, and may even deteriorate the performance. As a result, a fractional-order PI (FOPI) controller is considered to improve the efficiency and performance of DFIG-based TST in this paper. The FOPI controller, developed from the traditional IOPI controller and the fractional calculus theory, has a lot of prominent merits in many aspects, such as robustness, stability, and dynamic performance. In this paper, the proposed control strategies are embedded into the whole TST model which contains the tidal stream turbine, and the generator. The obtained simulation results demonstrate the prominent effectiveness and advantages of the proposed strategies compared with the conventional IOPI controller in terms of overshoot, static error, adjustment time, and robustness. It implies that FOPI controller could be a good candidate in TST applications.
XBT, ARGO Float and Ship-Based CTD Profiles Intercompared under Strict Space-Time Conditions in the Mediterranean Sea: Assessment of Metrological Comparability
Authors: Bordone Andrea , Pennecchi Francesca , Raiteri Giancarlo , Repetti Luca , Reseghetti Franco
Published: April 2020

Accurate measurement of temperature and salinity is a fundamental task with heavy implications in all the possible applications of the currently available datasets, for example, in the study of climate changes and modeling of ocean dynamics. In this work, the reliability of measurements obtained by oceanographic devices (eXpendable BathyThermographs, Argo floats and Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensors) is analyzed by means of an intercomparison exercise. As a first step, temperature profiles from XBT probes, deployed by commercial ships crossing the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas during the Ship of Opportunity Program (SOOP), were matched with profiles from Argo floats quasi-collocated in space and time. Attention was then paid to temperature/salinity profiling Argo floats. Since Argo floats usually are not recovered and should last up to five years without any re-calibration, their onboard sensors may suffer some drift and/or offset. In the literature, refined methods were developed to post-process Argo data, in order to correct the response of their profiling CTD sensors, in particular adjusting the salinity drift. The core of this delayed-mode quality control is the comparison of Argo data with reference climatology. At the same time, the experimental comparison of Argo profiles with ship-based CTD profiles, matched in space and time, is still of great importance. Therefore, an overall comparison of Argo floats vs. shipboard CTDs was performed, in terms of temperature and salinity profiles in the whole Mediterranean Sea, under space-time matching conditions as strict as possible. Performed analyses provided interesting results. XBT profiles confirmed that below 100 m depth the accordance with Argo data is reasonably good, with a small positive bias (close to 0.05 °C) and a standard deviation equal to about 0.10 °C. Similarly, side-by-side comparisons vs. CTD profiles confirmed the good quality of Argo measurements; the evidence of a drift in time was found, but at a level of about E−05 unit/day, so being reasonably negligible on the Argo time-scale. XBT, Argo and CTD users are therefore encouraged to take into account these results as a good indicator of the uncertainties associated with such devices in the Mediterranean Sea, for the analyzed period, in all the climatological applications.
Immunostimulatory Effect of Sulfated Galactans from the Green Seaweed Caulerpa cupressoides var. flabellata
Authors: Barbosa Jefferson da Silva , Sabry Diego Araújo , Silva Cynthia Haynara Ferreira , Gomes Dayanne Lopes , Santana-Filho Arquimedes Paixão , Sassaki Guilherme Lanzi , Rocha Hugo Alexandre Oliveira
Published: April 2020

Sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) obtained from green seaweeds are structurally heterogeneous molecules with multifunctional bioactivities. In this work, two sulfated and pyruvated galactans were purified from Caulerpa cupressoides var. flabellata (named SP1 and SP2), and their immunostimulatory effect was evaluated using cultured murine macrophage cells. Both SPs equally increased the production of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. NMR spectroscopy revealed that both galactans were composed primarily of 3)-β-d-Galp-(1→3) units. Pyruvate groups were also found, forming five-membered cyclic ketals as 4,6-O-(1’carboxy)-ethylidene-β-d-Galp residues. Some galactoses are sulfated at C-2. In addition, only SP2 showed some galactose units sulfated at C-4, indicating that sulfation at this position is not essential for the immunomodulatory activity of these galactans. Overall, the data showed that the galactans of C. cupressoides exhibited immunostimulating activity with potential therapeutic applications, which can be used in the development of new biomedical products.
Biocontrol of Rice Seedling Rot Disease Caused by Curvularia lunata and Helminthosporium oryzae by Epiphytic Yeasts from Plant Leaves
Authors: Limtong Savitree , Into Parichat , Attarat Panchapond
Published: April 2020

Seedling rot disease in rice leads to significant loss in the production of seedlings. This research was conducted to explore yeasts that could be used as biological control agents against rice seedling rot disease caused by Curvularia lunata and Helminthosporium oryzae. In total, 167 epiphytic yeast strains were evaluated, revealing that 13 of these yeast strains demonstrated antagonistic activities against fungal pathogens and either C. lunata DOAC 2313 or H. oryzae DOAC 2293. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biofilm produced were possible antagonistic mechanisms in vitro for all the antagonistic yeast strains. Using nursery trays in a greenhouse, this study evaluated the control of rice seedling rot disease caused by these two fungal pathogens using antagonistic yeasts, identified in the present study and from our previous study. Torulaspora indica DMKU-RP31 and Wickerhamomyces anomalus YE-42 were found to completely control rice seedling rot disease caused by both of these fungal pathogens. Furthermore, W. anomalus DMKU-RP04 revealed 100% disease control when the disease was caused by H. oryzae. This is the first report on using antagonistic yeasts to control rice seedling rot disease caused by C. lunata and H. oryzae. These three antagonistic yeasts also showed promising potential for development as biocontrol agents against rice seedling rot disease caused by fungi.
Sampling and Mass Detection of a Countable Number of Microparticles Using on-Cantilever Imprinting
Authors: Nyang’au Wilson Ombati , Setiono Andi , Schmidt Angelika , Bosse Harald , Peiner Erwin
Published: April 2020

Liquid-borne particles sampling and cantilever-based mass detection are widely applied in many industrial and scientific fields e.g., in the detection of physical, chemical, and biological particles, and disease diagnostics, etc. Microscopic analysis of particles-adsorbed cantilever-samples can provide a good basis for measurement comparison. However, when a particles-laden droplet on a solid surface is vaporized, a cluster-ring deposit is often yielded which makes particles counting difficult or impractical. Nevertheless, in this study, we present an approach, i.e., on-cantilever particles imprinting, which effectively defies such odds to sample and deposit countable single particles on a sensing surface. Initially, we designed and fabricated a triangular microcantilever sensor whose mass m0, total beam-length L, and clamped-end beam-width w are equivalent to that of a rectangular/normal cantilever but with a higher resonant frequency (271 kHz), enhanced sensitivity (0.13 Hz/pg), and quality factor (~3000). To imprint particles on these cantilever sensors, various calibrated stainless steel dispensing tips were utilized to pioneer this study by dipping and retracting each tip from a small particle-laden droplet (resting on a hydrophobic n-type silicon substrate), followed by tip-sensor-contact (at a target point on the sensing area) to detach the solution (from the tip) and adsorb the particles, and ultimately determine the particles mass concentration. Upon imprinting/adsorbing the particles on the sensor, resonant frequency response measurements were made to determine the mass (or number of particles). A minimum detectable mass of ~0.05 pg was demonstrated. To further validate and compare such results, cantilever samples (containing adsorbed particles) were imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the number of particles through counting (from which, the lowest count of about 11 magnetic polystyrene particles was obtained). The practicality of particle counting was essentially due to monolayer particle arrangement on the sensing surface. Moreover, in this work, the main measurement process influences are also explicitly examined.
Can We Accurately Measure Axial Segment Coordination during Turning Using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)?
Authors: Khobkhun Fuengfa , Hollands Mark A. , Richards Jim , Ajjimaporn Amornpan
Published: April 2020

Camera-based 3D motion analysis systems are considered to be the gold standard for movement analysis. However, using such equipment in a clinical setting is prohibitive due to the expense and time-consuming nature of data collection and analysis. Therefore, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have been suggested as an alternative to measure movement in clinical settings. One area which is both important and challenging is the assessment of turning kinematics in individuals with movement disorders. This study aimed to validate the use of IMUs in the measurement of turning kinematics in healthy adults compared to a camera-based 3D motion analysis system. Data were collected from twelve participants using a Vicon motion analysis system which were compared with data from four IMUs placed on the forehead, middle thorax, and feet in order to determine accuracy and reliability. The results demonstrated that the IMU sensors produced reliable kinematic measures and showed excellent reliability (ICCs 0.80–0.98) and no significant differences were seen in paired t-tests in all parameters when comparing the two systems. This suggests that the IMU sensors provide a viable alternative to camera-based motion capture that could be used in isolation to gather data from individuals with movement disorders in clinical settings and real-life situations.
Improving Census Transform by High-Pass with Haar Wavelet Transform and Edge Detection
Authors: Liaw Jiun-Jian , Lu Chuan-Pin , Huang Yung-Fa , Liao Yu-Hsien , Huang Shih-Cian
Published: April 2020

One of the common methods for measuring distance is to use a camera and image processing algorithm, such as an eye and brain. Mechanical stereo vision uses two cameras to shoot the same object and analyzes the disparity of the stereo vision. One of the most robust methods to calculate disparity is the well-known census transform, which has the problem of conversion window selection. In this paper, three methods are proposed to improve the performance of the census transform. The first one uses a low-pass band of the wavelet to reduce the computation loading and a high-pass band of the wavelet to modify the disparity. The main idea of the second method is the adaptive size selection of the conversion window by edge information. The third proposed method is to apply the adaptive window size to the previous sparse census transform. In the experiments, two indexes, percentage of bad matching pixels (PoBMP) and root mean squared (RMS), are used to evaluate the performance with the known ground truth data. According to the results, the computation required can be reduced by the multiresolution feature of the wavelet transform. The accuracy is also improved with the modified disparity processing. Compared with previous methods, the number of operation points is reduced by the proposed adaptive window size method.
Self-Driving Car Location Estimation Based on a Particle-Aided Unscented Kalman Filter
Authors: Lin Ming , Yoon Jaewoo , Kim Byeongwoo
Published: April 2020

Localization is one of the key components in the operation of self-driving cars. Owing to the noisy global positioning system (GPS) signal and multipath routing in urban environments, a novel, practical approach is needed. In this study, a sensor fusion approach for self-driving cars was developed. To localize the vehicle position, we propose a particle-aided unscented Kalman filter (PAUKF) algorithm. The unscented Kalman filter updates the vehicle state, which includes the vehicle motion model and non-Gaussian noise affection. The particle filter provides additional updated position measurement information based on an onboard sensor and a high definition (HD) map. The simulations showed that our method achieves better precision and comparable stability in localization performance compared to previous approaches.
Percepción estudiantil de la calidad del servicio universitario: caso de una Universidad Ecuatoriana
Authors: Sarmiento Orna Diana Alexandra , Vinueza Martínez Jorge Luis
Published: April 2020

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo mostrar la percepción de los estudiantes sobre la calidad del servicio universitario de una Institución de Educación Superior Ecuatoriana. La metodología de investigación aplicada es de tipo no experimental, seccional y descriptiva, mediante la aplicación de una encuesta de opinión que permitió conocer la percepción de una población aproximada de 3.802 estudiantes de pregrado y 180 de postgrado, respuestas codificadas en un corpus textual para su análisis, cuyos resultados permitieron conocer como criterios más frecuentes las palabras conocimiento (c2=192.6, p<0.0001) y comodidad (c2=135.05, p<0.0001) relacionadas a las dimensiones de calidad del servicio: elementos tangibles, fiabilidad, capacidad de respuesta, seguridad y empatía, que impulsan procesos de mejora para el desarrollo académico universitario público.
New geophysical and geological mapping of the eastern Baffin Bay region, offshore West Greenland
Authors: Gregersen Ulrik , Knutz Paul C. , Hopper John R.
Published: April 2020

The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland has carried out a detailed mapping project in the eastern Baffin Bay region covering c. 200 000 km2 (Fig. 1). The purpose of the study was to update the previous mapping by using the most recent data and provide an improved basis for evaluation of the geological development and hydrocarbon potential of the region. After licensing rounds in 2007–2008 and 2010 considerable new geophysical and geological data were acquired in the region, and the extensive database now includes more than 100 000 km 2D seismic data and a number of wells (Fig. 1). The results of the work are summarised below and suggest deep basins and large ridges with complex structures.
PENGARUH SENAM OTAK TERHADAP FUNGSI KOGNITIF LANSIA DI DUSUN CIOOK KECAMATAN DARMA TAHUN 2019
Authors: Waddin Azay Zayinul , Oktaviani Novia , Hermansyah Heri
Published: April 2020

Penurunan kognitif dan demensia merupakan masalah kesehatan yang paling sering dialami oleh lansia yang berdampak pada hilangnya kemampuan untuk mempertahankan fungsi sosial dan kehidupan mandiri. Beragam pencegahan untuk menghambat penurunan kognitif pada lansia pun telah banyak dilakukan mulai dari terapi farmakologi dengan menggunakan obat-obatan sampai terapi non farmakologi. Salah satu terapi non farmakologi yang dipercaya dapat meningkatkan/mempertahankan kemampuan kognitif lansia adalah senam otak atau yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan brain gym. Senam otak dipercaya dapat membantu mengoptimalkan segala fungsi dari sistem saraf pusat yang ada di otak manusia termasuk di dalamnya adalah optimalisasi fungsi kognitif. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menyelidiki pengaruh dari pemberian intervensi non farmakologis yaitu berupa senam otak terhadap fungsi kognitif lansia di Dusun Ciook Kecamatan Darma.

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan desain one group pre-post test tanpa kelompok kontrol dengan jumlah sampel 30 orang lansia yang ditentukan dengan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling berdasarkan kriteria inklusi yang telah ditetapkan. Secara keseluruhan 30 orang lansia yang menjadi sampel diberikan intervensi berupa senam otak selama 10-15 menit setiap 2 kali seminggu selama 1 bulan. Pengukuran fungsi kognitif dengan menggunakan Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), dilakukan 2 kali yaitu pada awal sebelum pemberian intervensi dan yang kedua pada tahap akhir pemberian intervensi. Setelah masa pemberian intervensi berakhir dan pengumpulan data terakhir telah selesai, selanjutnya data diolah dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan paired T-test.

Berdasarkan hasil uji perbandingan fungsi kognitif lansia di Dusun Ciook Kecamatan Darma tahun 2019 sebelum dan sesudah melakukan terapi senam otak menunjukkan skor rata-rata 17,76 (fungsi kognitif menurun) pada pretest, dan 23,17 (fungsi kognitif baik) pada posttest dengan p value 0,000.

Terapi senam otak telah terbukti secara statistik memiliki pengaruh yang signifikan dalam meningkatkan fungsi kognitif pada lansia. Dengan demikian hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat disosialisasikan dan diaplikasikan sebagai terapi non farmakologi dalam mencegah kemunduran fungsi kognitif akibat proses penuaan.
TERAPI KOGNITIF : SELF HELP GROUP PADA PASIEN KANKER PAYUDARA
Authors: Rahma Khusana
Published: April 2020

Kanker payudara adalah kejadian kanker tertinggi kedua di dunia. Kanker payudara menimbulkan  masalah meliputi kelelahan gangguan tidur, nyeri, mual dan muntah,menopause dini, penurunan fungsi imunitas dan gangguan fungsi kognitif. Intervensi terapi kognitif  yang digunakan untuk mengelola stres dan mekanisme koping. menganalisis pengaruh terapi kognitif : Self Help Group pada pasien kanker payudara. Quasy Experiment dengan pretest-posttest with control group design. Sampel jumlah 50 responden. Analisis data menggunakan Wilcoxon dan Mann- Withney. Terapi Kognitif : Self Help Group diberikan selama 30 menit selama 3 hari pada kelompok intervensi. hasil penelitian berdasarkan bivariat adalah  terapi kognitif : self help group berpengaruh terhadap stress ( p-value 0,000) dan mekanisme koping (p-value 0,000) pada pasien kanker payudara. Ada pengaruh terapi kognitif : Self Help Group pada Pasien Kanker Payudara.
FAKTOR LINGKUNGAN DAN PERILAKU YANG BERHUBUNGAN DENGAN KEJADIAN DBD PADA BALITA DI KABUPATEN KUNINGAN
Authors: Hardian Didin , Saprudin Nanang , Nengsih Neneng Aria
Published: April 2020

Demam berdarah dengue merupakan penyakit musiman yang memiliki insidensi tingkat mortalitas dan morbiditas yang tinggi. Kejadian demam berdarah dengue hampir bisa ditemukan di semua wilayah di Indonesia. Wilayah kerja Puskesmas Kuningan  merupakan wilayah dengan kejadian demam berdarah dengue tertinggi di Kabupaten Kuningan yang tercatat pada tahun 2018. Faktor perilaku dan lingkungan menjadi salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi kejadian demam berdarah dengue. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengetahui faktor yang berhubungan dengan kejadian DBD pada balita di Kelurahan Cijoho Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Kuningan. Penelitian ini menggunakan survey analitik dengan desain penelitian cross sectional. Populasi penelitian ini adalah orang tua yang memiliki balita dengan sampel sebanyak 100 responden. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan proportionate stratified random sampling. Instrumen yang digunakan yaitu lembar observasi dan kuisioner. Uji bivariat yang digunakan yaitu uji chi square dengan p value 0,05. Hasil penelitian menunjukan sebesar 57 % balita mengalami DBD. Hasil penelitian menunjukan sebesar 84% kepadatan rumah kurang baik dan 44 % keberadaan breeding place baik. Hasil penelitian diperoleh perilaku menutup dan menguras Tempat Penampungan Air sebesar 55 % baik. Perilaku menggantung pakaian sebesar 58 % baik serta perilaku pengelolaan barang bekas sebesar 56 % kurang baik. Hasil uji statistik didapatkan ada hubungan faktor lingkungan seperti kepadatan rumah (p value = 0,003) dan keberadaan breeding place (p value = 0,02). Hasil uji statistik juga menunjukan bahwa semua faktor perilaku seperti praktik menutup TPA (p value =0,011), menguras TPA (p value = 0,003),pengelolaan barang bekas (p value = 0,002) dan kebiasaan menggantung pakaian (p value = 0,021) ada hubungan dengan kejadian DBD. Simpulan penelitian ini ada hubungan faktor lingkungan dan perilaku dengan kejadian DBD pada balita. Saran bagi orang tua agar sering membersihkan semak di luar rumah serta rutin melakukan pengurasan dan menutup tempat penampungan air.  Begitu pula orang tua perlu membiasakan diri tidak menggantung pakaian sembarangan serta membiasakan pengelolaan barang bekas dengan cara mengubur atau membuang barang bekas ke tempat sampah.
PERBANDINGAN EFEKTIVITAS AROMATERAPI LAVENDER DENGAN MUSIK POP TERHADAP KUALITAS TIDUR ANAK YANG MENJALANI HOSPITALISASI
Authors: Nukha Khayatun , Nengsih Neneng Aria , Saprudin Nanang
Published: April 2020

Gelisah, nyeri, jenuh dan susah tidur merupakan fenomena yang biasa terjadi ketika anak menjalani hospitalisasi. Gangguan tidur jika tidak diatasi dengan baik akan berdampak buruk terhadap status kesehatan serta tumbuh kembang anak dimasa yang akan datang. Adjuvant dari pemberian aromaterapi lavender dan terapi musik pop anak penting diberikan untuk memperbaiki kualitas tidur anak. Mengetahui perbedaan efektivitas aromaterapi lavender dengan terapi musik pop anak terhadap kualitas tidur anak yang menjalani hospitalisasi di Rumah sakit Ciremai Cirebon. Menggunakan quasi experiment, dengan rancangan Static Group Comparison, Pre-test and Post-test Group. Populasi penelitiannya adalah anak usia sekolah yang menjalani hospitalisasi. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan Purposive sampling terhadap 30 responden. Instrumen yang digunakan minyak esensial aromaterapi lavender, diffuser, Mp3 player, headphone, stopwatch, dan kuesioner kualitas tidur. Analisis statistik univariat dengan distribusi frekuensi sedangkan bivariat menggunakan uji wilcoxon Signed Test dan independent sample t test. Terdapat perbedaan sebelum dan sesudah diberikan intervensi antara kedua kelompok dan nilai rerata pada kelompok aromaterapi lavender sebelum dilakukan intervensi 5,40 dan sesudah 12,60. Sedangkan kelompok terapi musik pop anak sebelum diberikan intervensi 5,27 dan sesudah 13,00. Hasil uji Wilcoxon Signed Test kualitas tidur pada aromaterapi lavender dan musik pop anak masing-masing didapatkan nilai p value = 0,001<0,05. Sedangkan hasil uji independent sample t test diperoleh p value 0,606>0,05, artinya tidak terdapat perbedaan efektifitas antara kedua kelompok intervensi tersebut. Tindakan pemberian aromaterapi lavender dengan terapi musik pop anak sama-sama efektif dalam meningkatkan kualitas tidur anak. Perlu adanya SOP rumah sakit khususnya di ruang anak mengenai prosedur manajemen pemenuhan istirahat pada anak saat menjalani hospitalisasi sebagai adjuvant dari atraumatic care yang di pasang dan disosialisasikan kepada perawat anak.
Kajian Stabilitas Lereng dengan Perkuatan Geotekstil dan Dinding Penahan Tanah Kantilever di Ruas Jalan Padang-Lb. Selasih Sumatera Barat
Authors: Alzahri Syahril , Adiguna  , Adhitya Bimo Brata , Sutejo Yulindasari , Rustam Reffanda Kurniawan
Published: April 2020

A typical relatively steep slope makes the Lb. Selasih – Bts. Kota Padang KM.29+650 experienced a landslide in 2017. So, it is necessary to strengthen the slope to overcome the landslide. Alternative slope reinforcement used is reinforcement using cantilever retaining walls or geotextiles. Slope stability analysis before and after were analyzed using the Slope/W program. The output produced by Slope/W program is the value of the safety factor. The safety factor value for the state of the original slope is 1.100. It shows that the slope in the original condition is unstable and vulnerable to landslide hazards. The retaining wall has a height of 11 m and a base plate width of 8 m. The results of the analysis showed that the cantilever retaining wall securely with stands shear, rolling, and bearing capacity of the subgrade with a safety factor value of 1.620; 1.550; 2.160, while geotextile reinforcement has a height of 16 m and an ultimate tensile strength of 200 kN / m. The results of the analysis showed that the reinforcement of the geotextile safely sliding, stability, and bearing capacity of the subgrade with a safety factor value of 1.600; 2.330; 2.860. Both of these reinforcements are safe to stabilize the slope by increasing the value of the slope safety factor by 2.235 for strengthening the cantilevered retaining wall and 2.279 for strengthening the geotextile.
Colação de Grau Solene na UFSM
Authors: Marin Elizara Carolina , Bernardi Veridiana Desordi , Marin Joel Orlando Bevilaqua
Published: April 2020

Nesse artigo, analisamos as relações construídas entre a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, empresas e acadêmicos, para a realização de formaturas solenes. A pesquisa, definida como estudo de caso, foi realizada pela combinação de dois procedimentos metodológicos: análise documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas. A colação de grau solene integra um ritual tradicional que marcou a história da Universidade, desde seus primórdios. Universidade, empresas e formandos construíram uma teia de relações para realizar colações de grau, que interconectam o privado e o público, o ritual acadêmico e o festivo. Embora seja um ato institucional e acadêmico das universidades, nas últimas décadas, a colação de grau foi apropriada pelo campo econômico, que tem agregado efeitos festivos e espetacularizante. Não obstante o contexto histórico em que se encontra, a instituição em análise é privilegiada para assumir o ritual de formatura como acadêmico, público, democrático e inclusivo.