bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stanislav Krakov: Phenomenology of the inner consciousness of combat
Authors: Koprivica Caslav
Published: January 2015

In this text, the work of Serbian writer Stanislav Krakov, between the two
world wars, the famous, and later, due to ideological divisions, repressed
and forgotten figure, is ovserverd through the lens of philosophy of
existence and phenomenology. The ?philosophical? significance of Krakov?s
autobiographical war prose, which in the aesthetic, especially
formal-innovative aspect, represented the pinnacle of the genre of that time
Serbian literature, is that it can be viewed as a first-class document of
phenomenological introspection of a man in situation of mortal combat; and
the ragne his prose of his prose is, in some respects, without exaggeration,
comparable to war prose of Ernst J?nger. But besides his authentic
documentality, Krakov?s writing is characterized by brilliant insights. So,
on the one hand, Krakov can be viewed as a thinker of war and corporeality
avant lettre, and, on the other hand, the interpretative contextualization of
his prose within the aforementioned philosophical tradition helps us to
better understand his literature.
Advisory opinion of the international court of justice in the “wall case” in the service of a possible solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Authors: Ganic Senad
Published: January 2015

The Arab-Israeli conflict even today represents one of the most complex
problems facing the international community. The biggest controversy of the
problem lies in the conflicting interpretations of the reasons offered by
both sides. The way to overcome this impasse, is precisely the way recourse
to international institutions. For this reason, the surprising fact is, that
one very important decision of The International Court of Justice, it seems,
remained unjustly neglected, especially if we take into account the
importance of the issues which the Court dealt and the beneficial impact that
this decision may have in the process of resolving the conflict in the Middle
East. We believe that Advisory Opinion on Legal Consequences of the
Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory hides the way to
a possible solution of this exhausting conflict. To consider because it comes
to a legal analysis of the situation, which was given by the authorities in
whose objectivity we supposed not to suspect as we supposed not to doubt on
the objectivity of international law. Therefore, we consider it important to
once again remind the decision, believing that in this way we can help to
better understand the nature of this conflict, but also the reasons which
indicate its possible peaceful solution.
Evaluation of paintings: Effects of lectures
Authors: Stojilovic Ivan , Markovic Slobodan
Published: January 2015

This study investigated the influence of lectures about the Renaissance and
abstract art on ratings of paintings from these two periods in art history.
The study included two sessions. In the first, 72 naive participants rated
the representational and abstract paintings. In the second session
participants were divided into three groups: one received a lecture on
Renaissance art, one attended a lecture on abstract art, and one group
attended no lecture. Afterwards, the three groups rated a new, parallel set
of paintings. Three first-order factors were extracted: Aesthetic experience,
Relaxation tone, and Arousal. However, the higher order General Aesthetic
Experience factor explained a much higher amount of variance than the
first-order factors, indicating its strong and generalized influence on na?ve
participants? experience with artworks. After the lecture on abstract art the
participants rated paintings, especially abstract, as more aesthetically
pleasing than the participants who attended the lecture on Renaissance art or
the group without a lecture. Proposed explanation for this is that the na?ve
observers` ratings of abstract paintings are more susceptible to the
influence of style-related information. When rating abstract artwork na?ve
observers may be significantly influenced by additional information gathered
outside of the artwork.
Comparative Study of an Enhanced Oil Recovery process with various chemicals for Naharkatiya Oil Field
Authors: Hazarika Kalpajit , Gogoi Subrata Borgohain
Published: January 2015

This paper reports the effect of using black liquor whose main constituent is Na- lignosulfonate, which is the effluent from Nagaon paper Mill, Jagiroad, Assam, along with Alkali and Co-surfactant in enhanced crude oil recovery from Upper Assam porous media. In this paper an attempt has been done to study the change in Inter Facial Tension (IFT) with different concentration of Surfactant and also a comparative study has been done determine the change in IFT with or without Alkali and Co-Surfactant. Increasing the surfactant concentration reduces the IFT, hence increases the recovery efficiency. Alkali changes the Wettability of reservoir rock and reduces the surfactant adsorption and also act as an in-situ surfactant production.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11047 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 432-436
Biophysical and Characterizations of Silver Nanoparticles used as Salmonella typhi Detector
Authors: Ahmed Hala Moustafa
Published: January 2015

The present study mainly focuses of combined action of Nepali hog plum as well as citrate synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and Amikacin, as an antibiotic. The synergistic actions of citrate stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs with chem) were compared with that of Nepali hog plum Choerospondia saxillaris (Lapsi) synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs with plant), together with action of antibiotic onselected bacterial strains of Salmonella typhi. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized through UV-Vis spectroscopy, Transmission electronmicroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique. The size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was measured by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11127 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 510-515
Estimation of Native Nutrient Supplying Capacity of Soil for Improving Wheat (Triticum Asestivum L.) Productivity in Chitwan Valley, Nepal
Authors: Adhikari A.R. , Adhikari K. R. , Regmi A.P. , McDonald A.
Published: January 2015

Three field experiments were conducted at farmer's field of Torikhet, Gopaljung and Kalyanpur of Chitwan Valley, Nepal during Nov 2011- April 2012 to assess N, P and K supplying capacity of soil. Each experimental site consists of four replications and five treatments laid out in RCB design. Among the five treatments, -N, -P and -K were set to estimate the inherent N, P and K supplying capacity of soil respectively. Highest uptake of N (100 Kg ha-1), P (21 Kg ha-1) and K (84 Kg ha-1) by wheat and highest native N (41 Kg ha-1), P (18 Kg ha-1) and K (72 Kg ha-1) supplying capacity of soil was recorded at Kalyanpur. Similarly, N, P and K required to produce one Mg of wheat grain was found highest in Kalyanpur. Based on the yield obtained in fully fertilized plot, target yield of 5 Mg ha-1 was set. Finally, N, P and K fertilizer needed were calculated on the basis of nutrient required for target yield, NPK supplying capacity of soil and recovery efficiency of NPK from fully fertilized plot. To obtain the target grain yield of 5 Mg ha-1, N: P: K at differential rate of 140: 30.5: 57 Kg ha-1, 140:27:53 Kg ha-1 and 120:22.5:38.5 Kg ha-1 has to be supplied from external source in Torikhet, Gopaljung and Kalyanpur respectively. This research outcome strengthens the fact that spatial variability for soil nutrient supplying exist across the farmer’s field. So it is necessary to estimate that variability for improving wheat productivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11276  Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 478-482
Land Suitability Evaluation for Cereal Crops: A Multicriteria Approach Using GIS at Parbatipur VDC, Chitwan, Nepal
Authors: Neupane B. , Shriwastav C.P. , Shah S.C. , Sah K.
Published: January 2015

A research was conducted to evaluate the suitability of soils of different land unit for cereal crops productions at Parbatipur VDC, Chitwan, Nepal with the integrated use of Geographical Information system (GIS) and Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE).Existing geodatabase information from National Land Use Project (NLUP) was used as data for this research. The database was used to derive crop suitability using vector based index model in GIS along with multi-criteria analysis. The research revealed that for rice cultivation, 1.06 %( 10.70ha) was highly suitable, 51.54 %( 515.89ha) was moderately suitable, 3.39% (33.987 ha) was marginally suitable but 28.28 %( 283.11 ha) was not suitable whereas for wheat cultivation, 7.6 %( 76.73ha) was highly suitable, 44.91% (449.53 ha) was moderately suitable and 4.6% (46.26ha) was marginally suitable, but 27.15% (27.14ha) was not suitable. Similarly, for maize cultivation, 12.07% (120.83ha) was highly suitable, 40.19% (402.25ha) was moderately suitable and 0.53% (5.37ha) was marginally suitable, but 31.54% (315.72ha) was not suitable for maize production. Suitability data of this VDC shows that maize and wheat was highly suitable than rice cultivation. But, the area not suitable for rice, wheat and maize must be allocated for alternative uses to achieve optimum productions and further there must be new research for alternative crops in VDC. Hence, this research is useful to farmers and VDC level planners for optimum crops production. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11279Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 493-500
Swertia chirayita: The Himalayan Herb
Authors: Khanal Supreet , Shakya N. , Nepal N. , Pant D.
Published: January 2015

Swertia chirayita is a native Himalayan herb typically found in the altitude of 1500 to 3100m. Swertia species are commonly used as primary medicines in fever, digestive and enteric diseases; especially S. chirayita is of principal importance. The pharmacological and ethno-medicinal perspective of the plant is well understood traditionally and pharmaceutically. Its secondary metabolites including glycosides and xanthones show promising bioactivity making it a powerful herb. Mixing of Swertia chirayita with its other species is done routinely in chiretta trade. Extensive wild collection and lack of sustainable conservation has led to the vulnerable status of the wild cultivar. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11281 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 389-392
Effect of Carbon Sources on the Biomass Build-Up and Degradation of Rubber Processing Industry Effluent
Authors: Girish K.
Published: January 2015

Rubber processing industry effluent represents a serious environmental pollution problem especially for underground and surface water. Wastewater collected from rubber processing industry was characterized for their pollution characteristics. Analysis showed that the biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total solids (TS), ammonia and phosphate were high when compared to effluent discharge standard for industrial wastewater. Four bacterial species were isolated from the wastes and were identified as Arthrobacter sp., Bacillus sp., Lactobacillus sp., and Pseudomonas sp. A bacterial consortium was constituted by mixing proportionately these four bacteria and used in effluent aerobic biotreatment. Complex carbon sources such as bagasse, corn-cob, rice straw, wheat bran, molasses, corn steep liquor, were screened for their effect on growth of the consortium constituted. Highest biomass production was in molasses followed by rice straw hydrolysate, wheat bran hydrolysate and bagasse hydrolysate. However, the inoculum grown on rice straw and wheat bran hydrolysate caused maximum degradation in terms of reduction in various parameters such as BOD, COD, TDS, TSS, NH4+ and PO43, about 70 to 80% reduction was observed. From the results of the present study it could be inferred that the constituted consortium could effectively be used for the treatment of effluents from rubber processing industry and rice straw and wheat bran hydrolysate could be used for mass production of effective consortium. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11532Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 579-584
Development of Rhamnolipid Based White board cleaner
Authors: Turbekar Reshma , Malik Nagesh , Dey Debarshi , Thakare Deepak
Published: January 2015

In the present study biosurfactant based white board cleaner was formulated, using column purified rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A rhamnolipid concentration of 0.01% was finalized, as it was efficiently able to remove fresh and aged white board marker stains on white board. The rhamnolipid formulation was found to be stable over a tested span of 6 months and it did not exhibit any cytotoxicity on Human Lung Epithelial Cell Line (L132) and Normal Human Skin Fibroblast (NHSF) cell line. The cleaning efficiency was equivalent to conventional synthetic surfactants, but the biosurfactant based approach is more environment friendly and biocompatible. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11589  Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 570-573
Biodegradation of Plastics: Current Need
Authors: Shrivastava Umesh P.
Published: January 2015

No AbstractDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11807
Introduction to the Leadership Forum
Authors: Koff Harlan , Maganda Carmen
Published: January 2015

Security is one of the most salient issues in Latin America today. Colombian
President Juan Manuel Santos won re-election in June 2014 in a vote
that was essentially a referendum on the peace negotiations that he has
established with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC acronym
in Spanish) in hopes of ending Colombia’s decades-old civil war.
Simultaneously, Mexico has witnessed further upheaval as citizens in
some areas have taken up arms, and received support from the federal
government, in opposition to drug cartels. These are only two examples
of high profi le developments in Latin America related to security issues.
Entrevista a la Sra. Evangelina Arce, activista social y madre de Silvia Arce, desaparecida en Ciudad Juárez en 1998
Authors: Arce Evangelina
Published: January 2015

En octubre 2013, la Asociación de Latinoamericanistas en Bélgica y Luxemburgo
(LABEL) organizó su conferencia internacional anual sobre
“Seguridad Humana y Medioambiental en regiones transfronterizas:
Aproximaciones multidisciplinarias para América Latina”. Dentro de un
contexto de diálogo académico y social en temas de seguridad humana,
los organizadores de la conferencia invitaron a la Señora Evangelina Arce
y al Profesor Alfredo Limas Hernández para discutir sobre el tema de las
mujeres desaparecidas en la Ciudad Juárez (México). LABEL agradece a la
Señora Arce por compartir sus experiencias y al Profesor Limas Hernández
por brindar su análisis. Dentro de este contexto de diálogo académico
previamente mencionado, los organizadores de la conferencia de la Universidad
de Luxemburgo están complacidos de publicar estos escritos en
Regions & Cohesion.
Theorizing borders through analyses of power relationships
Authors: Swiatek Lukasz
Published: January 2015

Peter Gilles, Harlan Koff, Carmen Maganda, Christian Schulz. (Eds.). (2013). Theorizing borders through analyses of power relationships
The incidence of raised intracranial pressure in nonsyndromic sagittal craniosynostosis following primary surgery
Authors: Thomas Gregory P. L. , Johnson David , Byren Jo C. , Judge Andrew D. , Jayamohan Jayaratnam , Magdum Shailendra A. , Richards Peter G. , Wall Steven A.
Published: January 2015

OBJECT

Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is recognized to occur in patients with nonsyndromic isolated sagittal craniosynostosis (SC) prior to surgery. However, the incidence of raised ICP following primary surgery is rarely reported and there appears to be a widely held assumption that corrective surgery for SC prevents the later development of intracranial hypertension. This study reports the incidence of postoperative raised ICP in a large cohort of patients with SC treated by 1 of 2 surgical procedures in a single craniofacial unit.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of all patients with SC who underwent either a modified strip craniectomy (MSC) or calvarial remodeling (CR) procedure under the care of the Oxford Craniofacial Unit between 1995 and 2010 and who were followed up for more than 2 years. The influence of patient age at surgery, year of surgery, sex, procedure type, and the presence of raised ICP preoperatively were analyzed.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventeen children had primary surgery for SC and were followed up for a mean of 86 months. The overall rate of raised ICP following surgery was 6.9%, occurring at a mean of 51 months after the primary surgical procedure. Raised ICP was significantly more common in those patients treated by MSC (13 of 89 patients, 14.6%) than CR (2 of 128 patients, 1.6%). Also, raised ICP was more common in patients under 1 year of age, the majority of whom were treated by MCS. No other factor was found to have a significant effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative raised ICP was found in more than 1 in 20 children treated for nonsyndromic SC in this series. It was significantly influenced by the primary surgical procedure and age at primary surgery. Careful long-term follow-up is essential if children who develop raised ICP following surgery are not to be overlooked.
First Fifty Years of Chemoresistive Gas Sensors
Authors: Neri Giovanni
Published: January 2015

The first fifty years of chemoresistive sensors for gas detection are here reviewed, focusing on the main scientific and technological innovations that have occurred in the field over the course of these years. A look at advances made in fundamental and applied research and leading to the development of actual high performance chemoresistive devices is presented. The approaches devoted to the synthesis of novel semiconducting materials with unprecedented nanostructure and gas-sensing properties have been also presented. Perspectives on new technologies and future applications of chemoresistive gas sensors have also been highlighted.
Geographic Ontologies, Gazetteers and Multilingualism
Authors: Laurini Robert
Published: January 2015

Different languages imply different visions of space, so that terminologies are different in geographic ontologies. In addition to their geometric shapes, geographic features have names, sometimes different in diverse languages. In addition, the role of gazetteers, as dictionaries of place names (toponyms), is to maintain relations between place names and location. The scope of geographic information retrieval is to search for geographic information not against a database, but against the whole Internet: but the Internet stores information in different languages, and it is of paramount importance not to remain stuck to a unique language. In this paper, our first step is to clarify the links between geographic objects as computer representations of geographic features, ontologies and gazetteers designed in various languages. Then, we propose some inference rules for matching not only types, but also relations in geographic ontologies with the assistance of gazetteers.
The Role of Adolescent Nutrition and Physical Activity in the Prediction of Verbal Intelligence during Early Adulthood: A Genetically Informed Analysis of Twin Pairs
Authors: Jackson Dylan , Beaver Kevin
Published: January 2015

A large body of research has revealed that nutrition and physical activity influence brain functioning at various stages of the life course. Nevertheless, very few studies have explored whether diet and exercise influence verbal intelligence as youth transition from adolescence into young adulthood. Even fewer studies have explored the link between these health behaviors and verbal intelligence while accounting for genetic and environmental factors that are shared between siblings. Employing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the current study uses a sample of same-sex twin pairs to test whether youth who engage in poorer fitness and nutritional practices are significantly more likely to exhibit reduced verbal intelligence during young adulthood. The results suggests that, independent of the effects of genetic and shared environmental factors, a number of nutritional and exercise factors during adolescence influence verbal intelligence during adulthood. Limitations are noted and suggestions for future research are outlined.
Hypermethylation of the 16q23.1 Tumor Suppressor Gene ADAMTS18 in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Xu Ben , Zhang Lian , Luo Cheng , Qi Yan , Cui Yun , Ying Jian-Ming , Zhang Qian , Jin Jie
Published: January 2015

To identify tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) silenced by hypermethylation and discover new epigenetic biomarkers for early cancer detection. ADAMTS18, located at 16q23.1, has been reported to be a critical TSG in multiple primary tumors; however, this has not yet been verified in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We explored epigenetic alterations in this gene in ccRCC and analyzed possible clinicopathological associations. We examined ADAMTS18 gene expression and methylation by semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 5 ccRCC-derived cell lines before and after treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AzaC). MSP was further performed for 101 ccRCC primary tumors and 20 adjacent normal tissues. Some cell lines and specimens were examined by subsequent bisulfite genomic sequencing (BGS) and real-time PCR. Further, we analyzed the relationship between the ADAMTS18 gene methylation and clinicopathological features, including short-term disease-free survival (DFS), in patients with ccRCC. ADAMTS18 down-regulation and hypermethylation were detected in the ccRCC-derived cell lines using RT-PCR and MSP. Treatment with 5-AzaC reversed the hypermethylation of the ADAMTS18 gene and restored its expression. Hypermethylation was further detected in 44 of 101 (43.6%) primary tumors and 3 of 20 (15.0%) adjacent normal tissues. However, a significant difference between both groups was observed (p = 0.02). BGS analysis and real-time PCR were subsequently performed to confirm the results of RT-PCR and MSP. Furthermore, the methylation status of ADAMTS18 was not significantly associated with gender, age, location, tumor diameter, pathological stage, nuclear grade or short-term DFS in patients with ccRCC (p > 0.05). The ADAMTS18 gene is often down-regulated by hypermethylation in ccRCC-derived cell lines and primary tumors, indicating its critical role as a TSG in ccRCC. We conclude that ADAMTS18 gene hypermethylation may be involved in the tumorigenesis of ccRCC and may serve as a novel biomarker for this disease.
Cloud Computing-Based TagSNP Selection Algorithm for Human Genome Data
Authors: Hung Che-Lun , Chen Wen-Pei , Hua Guan-Jie , Zheng Huiru , Tsai Suh-Jen , Lin Yaw-Ling
Published: January 2015

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) play a fundamental role in human genetic variation and are used in medical diagnostics, phylogeny construction, and drug design. They provide the highest-resolution genetic fingerprint for identifying disease associations and human features. Haplotypes are regions of linked genetic variants that are closely spaced on the genome and tend to be inherited together. Genetics research has revealed SNPs within certain haplotype blocks that introduce few distinct common haplotypes into most of the population. Haplotype block structures are used in association-based methods to map disease genes. In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm for identifying haplotype blocks in the genome. In chromosomal haplotype data retrieved from the HapMap project website, the proposed algorithm identified longer haplotype blocks than an existing algorithm. To enhance its performance, we extended the proposed algorithm into a parallel algorithm that copies data in parallel via the Hadoop MapReduce framework. The proposed MapReduce-paralleled combinatorial algorithm performed well on real-world data obtained from the HapMap dataset; the improvement in computational efficiency was proportional to the number of processors used.
Characterization of RNA-Like Oligomers from Lipid-Assisted Nonenzymatic Synthesis: Implications for Origin of Informational Molecules on Early Earth
Authors: Mungi Chaitanya , Rajamani Sudha
Published: January 2015

Prebiotic polymerization had to be a nonenzymatic, chemically driven process. These processes would have been particularly favored in scenarios which push reaction regimes far from equilibrium. Dehydration-rehydration (DH-RH) cycles are one such regime thought to have been prevalent on prebiotic Earth in niches like volcanic geothermal pools. The present study defines the optimum DH-RH reaction conditions for lipid-assisted polymerization of nucleotides. The resultant products were characterized to understand their chemical makeup. Primarily, our study demonstrates that the resultant RNA-like oligomers have abasic sites, which means these oligomers lack information-carrying capability because of losing most of their bases during the reaction process. This results from low pH and high temperature conditions, which, importantly, also allows the formation of sugar-phosphate oligomers when ribose 5'-monophosphates are used as the starting monomers instead. Formation of such oligomers would have permitted sampling of a large variety of bases on a preformed polymer backbone, resulting in “prebiotic phosphodiester polymers” prior to the emergence of modern RNA-like molecules. This suggests that primitive genetic polymers could have utilized bases that conferred greater N-glycosyl bond stability, a feature crucial for information propagation in low pH and high temperature regimes of early Earth.
Characteristics of PVDF Membranes Irradiated by Electron Beam
Authors: Jaleh Babak , Gavary Negin , Fakhri Parisa , Muensit Nakatan , Taheri Soheil
Published: January 2015

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were exposed vertically to a high energy electron beam (EB) in air, at room temperature. The chemical changes were examined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphologies were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and showed some changes in the pore size. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis represented an increase in the thermal stability of PVDF due to irradiation. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) showed the presence of free radicals in the irradiated PVDF. The effect of EB irradiation on the electrical properties of the membranes was analyzed in order to determine the dielectric constant, and an increase in the dielectric constant was found on increasing the dose. The surface hydrophilicity of the modified membrane was characterized by water contact angle measurement. The contact angle decreased compared to the original angle, indicating an improvement of surface hydrophilicity. Filtration results also showed that the pure water flux (PWF) of the modified membrane was lower than that of the unirradiated membrane.
Insights into Animal and Plant Lectins with Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Dias Renata , Machado Leandro , Migliolo Ludovico , Franco Octavio
Published: January 2015

Lectins are multivalent proteins with the ability to recognize and bind diverse carbohydrate structures. The glyco -binding and diverse molecular structures observed in these protein classes make them a large and heterogeneous group with a wide range of biological activities in microorganisms, animals and plants. Lectins from plants and animals are commonly used in direct defense against pathogens and in immune regulation. This review focuses on sources of animal and plant lectins, describing their functional classification and tridimensional structures, relating these properties with biotechnological purposes, including antimicrobial activities. In summary, this work focuses on structural-functional elucidation of diverse lectin groups, shedding some light on host-pathogen interactions; it also examines their emergence as biotechnological tools through gene manipulation and development of new drugs.
Decreasing pH Results in a Reduction of Anthocyanin Coprecipitation during Cold Stabilization of Purple Grape Juice
Authors: Manns David , Siricururatana Passaporn , Padilla-Zakour Olga , Sacks Gavin
Published: January 2015

Anthocyanin pigments in grape juice can coprecipitate with potassium bitartrate (KHT) crystals during cold stabilization, but factors that reduce these adsorptive losses are not well understood. We hypothesized that coprecipitation on a % w/w basis should be decreased at lower pH. In initial experiments, model juice solutions containing an anthocyanin monoglucoside extract and varying pH values were subjected to cold-storage to induce KHT crystallization, and anthocyanins in the resulting precipitant were characterized by HPLC. The pH of the model juice was directly correlated with the % w/w concentration of anthocyanins in the KHT crystals, with a maximum observed at pH 3.40 (0.20% w/w) and a minimum at pH 2.35 (0.01% w/w). A pH dependency was also observed for anthocyanin-KHT coprecipitation in purple Concord grape juice, although the effect was smaller. Coprecipitation was significantly greater for anthocyanin monoglucosides and acylated anthocyanins as compared to anthocyanin diglucosides at pH > 3.05, but coprecipitation of mono- and acylated forms declined more sharply at lower pH values.
A New Z-axis Resonant Micro-Accelerometer Based on Electrostatic Stiffness
Authors: Yang Bo , Wang Xingjun , Dai Bo , Liu Xiaojun
Published: January 2015

Presented in the paper is the design, the simulation, the fabrication and the experiment of a new z-axis resonant accelerometer based on the electrostatic stiffness. The new z-axis resonant micro-accelerometer, which consists of a torsional accelerometer and two plane resonators, decouples the sensing movement of the accelerometer from the oscillation of the plane resonators by electrostatic stiffness, which will improve the performance. The new structure and the sensitive theory of the acceleration are illuminated, and the equation of the scale factor is deduced under ideal conditions firstly. The Ansys simulation is implemented to verify the basic principle of the torsional accelerometer and the plane resonator individually. The structure simulation results prove that the effective frequency of the torsional accelerometer and the plane resonator are 0.66 kHz and 13.3 kHz, respectively. Then, the new structure is fabricated by the standard three-mask deep dry silicon on glass (DDSOG) process and encapsulated by parallel seam welding. Finally, the detecting and control circuits are designed to achieve the closed-loop self-oscillation, to trace the natural frequency of resonator and to measure the system frequency. Experimental results show that the new z-axis resonant accelerometer has a scale factor of 31.65 Hz/g, a bias stability of 727 µg and a dynamic range of over 10 g, which proves that the new z-axis resonant micro-accelerometer is practicable.
Direct Fusion of Geostationary Meteorological Satellite Visible and Infrared Images Based on Thermal Physical Properties
Authors: Han Lei , Wulie Buzha , Yang Yiling , Wang Hongqing
Published: January 2015

This study investigated a novel method of fusing visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) images with the major objective of obtaining higher-resolution IR images. Most existing image fusion methods focus only on visual performance and many fail to consider the thermal physical properties of the IR images, leading to spectral distortion in the fused image. In this study, we use the IR thermal physical property to correct the VIS image directly. Specifically, the Stefan-Boltzmann Law is used as a strong constraint to modulate the VIS image, such that the fused result shows a similar level of regional thermal energy as the original IR image, while preserving the high-resolution structural features from the VIS image. This method is an improvement over our previous study, which required VIS-IR multi-wavelet fusion before the same correction method was applied. The results of experiments show that applying this correction to the VIS image directly without multi-resolution analysis (MRA) processing achieves similar results, but is considerably more computationally efficient, thereby providing a new perspective on VIS and IR image fusion.
Modeling and Development of INS-Aided PLLs in a GNSS/INS Deeply-Coupled Hardware Prototype for Dynamic Applications
Authors: Zhang Tisheng , Niu Xiaoji , Ban Yalong , Zhang Hongping , Shi Chuang , Liu Jingnan
Published: January 2015

A GNSS/INS deeply-coupled system can improve the satellite signals tracking performance by INS aiding tracking loops under dynamics. However, there was no literature available on the complete modeling of the INS branch in the INS-aided tracking loop, which caused the lack of a theoretical tool to guide the selections of inertial sensors, parameter optimization and quantitative analysis of INS-aided PLLs. This paper makes an effort on the INS branch in modeling and parameter optimization of phase-locked loops (PLLs) based on the scalar-based GNSS/INS deeply-coupled system. It establishes the transfer function between all known error sources and the PLL tracking error, which can be used to quantitatively evaluate the candidate inertial measurement unit (IMU) affecting the carrier phase tracking error. Based on that, a steady-state error model is proposed to design INS-aided PLLs and to analyze their tracking performance. Based on the modeling and error analysis, an integrated deeply-coupled hardware prototype is developed, with the optimization of the aiding information. Finally, the performance of the INS-aided PLLs designed based on the proposed steady-state error model is evaluated through the simulation and road tests of the hardware prototype.
Application of Remote Sensors in Mapping Rice Area and Forecasting Its Production: A Review
Authors: Mosleh Mostafa , Hassan Quazi , Chowdhury Ehsan
Published: January 2015

Rice is one of the staple foods for more than three billion people worldwide. Rice paddies accounted for approximately 11.5% of the World’s arable land area during 2012. Rice provided ~19% of the global dietary energy in recent times and its annual average consumption per capita was ~65 kg during 2010–2011. Therefore, rice area mapping and forecasting its production is important for food security, where demands often exceed production due to an ever increasing population. Timely and accurate estimation of rice areas and forecasting its production can provide invaluable information for governments, planners, and decision makers in formulating policies in regard to import/export in the event of shortfall and/or surplus. The aim of this paper was to review the applicability of the remote sensing-based imagery for rice area mapping and forecasting its production. Recent advances on the resolutions (i.e., spectral, spatial, radiometric, and temporal) and availability of remote sensing imagery have allowed us timely collection of information on the growth and development stages of the rice crop. For elaborative understanding of the application of remote sensing sensors, following issues were described: the rice area mapping and forecasting its production using optical and microwave imagery, synergy between remote sensing-based methods and other developments, and their implications as an operational one. The overview of the studies to date indicated that remote sensing-based methods using optical and microwave imagery found to be encouraging. However, there were having some limitations, such as: (i) optical remote sensing imagery had relatively low spatial resolution led to inaccurate estimation of rice areas; and (ii) radar imagery would suffer from speckles, which potentially would degrade the quality of the images; and also the brightness of the backscatters were sensitive to the interacting surface. In addition, most of the methods used in forecasting rice yield were empirical in nature, so thus it would require further calibration and validation prior to implement over other geographical locations.
Modelling the Potential Biogas Productivity Range from a MSW Landfill for Its Sustainable Exploitation
Authors: Rada Elena , Ragazzi Marco , Stefani Paolo , Schiavon Marco , Torretta Vincenzo
Published: January 2015

A model of biogas generation was modified and applied to the case of a sanitary landfill in Italy. The modifications considered the role of the temperature field normally established within each layer of waste. It must be pointed out the temperature affects the anaerobic biodegradation kinetics. In order to assess the effect of moisture on the waste biodegradation rate, on the bacteria process and then on the methane production, the model was compared with the LandGEM one. Information on the initial water content came from data concerning waste composition. No additional information about the hydrological balance was available. Thus, nine sets of kinetic constants, derived by literature, were adopted for the simulations. Results showed a significant variability of the maximal hourly biogas flows on a yearly basis, with consequences for the collectable amount during the operating period of a hypothetical engine. The approach is a useful tool to assess the lowest and highest biogas productivity in order to analyze the viability of biogas exploitation for energy purposes. This is useful also in countries that must plan for biogas exploitation from old and new landfills, as a consequence of developments in the waste sector.
A method for eliminating bacterial contamination from in vitro moss cultures
Authors: Carey Sarah B. , Payton Adam C. , McDaniel Stuart F.
Published: January 2015

• Premise of the study: Bacterial contamination is a major problem in plant tissue culture, resulting in loss of experimental strains or preventing use of field‐collected isolates. Here we evaluated an agar embedding method for eliminating bacteria from experimental cultures of the mosses Ceratodon purpureus and Physcomitrella patens.

• Methods and Results: We blended moss protonema that had been inoculated with bacteria and embedded the cell fragments in antibiotic‐containing, low‐concentration agar. The plants were placed in a growth chamber and allowed to grow until the moss grew out of the media. The plants were then transferred to new plates and observed for contamination. The embedding method consistently outperformed standard procedures.

• Conclusions: The embedding method places moss in direct contact with antibiotics, arresting bacterial replication and allowing moss to outgrow contamination. We anticipate this method will prove valuable for other plants capable of clonal propagation by blending.
Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite markers for the threatened Arnica montana (Asteraceae)
Authors: Duwe Virginia K. , Ismail Sascha A. , Buser Andres , Sossai Esther , Borsch Thomas , Muller Ludo A. H.
Published: January 2015

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed to investigate population genetic structure in the threatened species Arnica montana.

• Methods and Results: Fourteen microsatellite markers with di‐, tetra‐, and hexanucleotide repeat motifs were developed for A. montana using 454 pyrosequencing without and with library‐enrichment methods, resulting in 56,545 sequence reads and 14,467 sequence reads, respectively. All loci showed a high level of polymorphism, with allele numbers ranging from four to 11 in five individuals from five populations (25 samples) and an expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.192 to 0.648 across the loci.

• Conclusions: This set of microsatellite markers is the first one described for A. montana and will facilitate conservation genetic applications as well as the understanding of phylogeographic patterns in this species.
Formation of stable Si–O–C submonolayers on hydrogen-terminated silicon(111) under low-temperature conditions
Authors: Khung Yit Lung , Ngalim Siti Hawa , Scaccabarozzi Andrea , Narducci Dario
Published: January 2015

In this letter, we report results of a hydrosilylation carried out on bifunctional molecules by using two different approaches, namely through thermal treatment and photochemical treatment through UV irradiation. Previously, our group also demonstrated that in a mixed alkyne/alcohol solution, surface coupling is biased towards the formation of Si–O–C linkages instead of Si–C linkages, thus indirectly supporting the kinetic model of hydrogen abstraction from the Si–H surface (Khung, Y. L. et al. Chem. – Eur. J. 2014, 20, 15151–15158). To further examine the probability of this kinetic model we compare the results from reactions with bifunctional alkynes carried out under thermal treatment (<130 °C) and under UV irradiation, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements showed that under thermal conditions, the Si–H surface predominately reacts to form Si–O–C bonds from ethynylbenzyl alcohol solution while the UV photochemical route ensures that the alcohol-based alkyne may also form Si–C bonds, thus producing a monolayer of mixed linkages. The results suggested the importance of surface radicals as well as the type of terminal group as being essential towards directing the nature of surface linkage.
Entecavir Allows an Unexpectedly High Residual Replication of HBV Mutants Resistant to Lamivudine
Authors: Geipel Andreas , Seiz Pia L , Niekamp Hauke , Neumann-Fraune Maria , Zhang Ke , Kaiser Rolf , Protzer Ulrike , Gerlich Wolfram H , Glebe Dieter ,   The HOPE Consortium
Published: January 2015

Background

Entecavir is an efficient inhibitor of HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) and widely used for therapy of chronic hepatitis B. Entecavir treatment of HBV patients with lamivudine-resistant viral strains, however, often fails, but the mechanism of cross-resistance development is not fully understood.

Methods

Using non-linear regression models, dose– response curves of cloned HBV strains from patients pre-treated with RT inhibitors were established in human hepatoma cell lines after transfection with HBV genomes containing HBV polymerase genes from patient isolates. 50% and 90% inhibitory concentrations (IC50 and IC90) and corresponding antiviral resistance factors (RF50 and RF90) were calculated.

Results

The entecavir dose–response curve of lamivudine-resistant HBV RT mutants rtM204 for the replication of HBV decreased less than expected with increasing drug dose. Remarkably, due to the fat dose–response curves, RF90 values against entecavir of samples with rtM204 substitutions were up to 30x higher than their RF50 values.

Conclusions

The unexpectedly high IC90 indicates a strong residual replication capacity of lamivudine-resistant HBV rtM204 variants under entecavir therapy, although IC50 values are initially within the therapeutic range of ente-cavir. This characteristic favours rapid selection of additional mutants with overt resistance against entecavir. Thus, the current phenotypic resistance assays should include determination of IC90.
Impact of an Electronic Medical Record on the Incidence of Antiretroviral Prescription Errors and HIV Pharmacist Reconciliation on Error Correction among Hospitalized HIV-Infected Patients
Authors: Batra Rishi , Wolbach-Lowes Jane , Swindells Susan , Scarsi Kimberly K , Podany Anthony T , Sayles Harlan , Sandkovsky Uriel
Published: January 2015

Background

Previous review of admissions from 2009–2011 in our institution found a 35.1% error rate in antiretroviral (ART) prescribing, with 55% of errors never corrected. Subsequently, our institution implemented a unified electronic medical record (EMR) and we developed a medication reconciliation process with an HIV pharmacist. We report the impact of the EMR on incidence of errors and of the pharmacist intervention on time to error correction.

Methods

Prospective medical record review of HIV-infected patients hospitalized for >24 h between 9 March 2013 and 10 March 2014. An HIV pharmacist reconciled outpatient ART prescriptions with inpatient orders within 24 h of admission. Prescribing errors were classified and time to error correction recorded. Error rates and time to correction were compared to historical data using relative risks (RR) and logistic regression models.

Results

43 medication errors were identified in 31/186 admissions (16.7%). The incidence of errors decreased significantly after EMR (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.34, 0.67). Logistic regression adjusting for gender and race/ethnicity found that errors were 61% less likely to occur using the EMR (95% CI 40%, 75%; P<0.001). All identified errors were corrected, 65% within 24 h and 81.4% within 48 h. Compared to historical data where only 31% of errors were corrected in <24 h and 55% were never corrected, errors were 9.4x more likely to be corrected within 24 h with HIV pharmacist intervention ( P<0.001).

Conclusions

Use of an EMR decreased the error rate by more than 50% but despite this, ART errors remained common. HIV pharmacist intervention was key to timely error correction.
De J. R. à John ou les métamorphoses de Hicks, éléments de biographie intellectuelle
Authors: Dostaler Gilles
Published: January 2015

Résumé Hicks a écrit qu’il y avait deux Hicks, un oncle J.R., et son neveu, John. Le neveu, non-néoclassique, n’est pas fier des œuvres de son oncle néoclassique. Ce texte propose une biographie intellectuelle de Hicks depuis le début de sa carrière jusqu’à la publication, en 1939, de Valeur et capital , sans doute son œuvre la plus célèbre et la plus influente. Nous analysons cette évolution à la lumière des commentaires ultérieurs de John sur l’œuvre de J.R. Les métamorphoses de Hicks sont complexes et enchevêtrées, le neveu renouant parfois avec certaines thèses mises en avant par l’oncle au début de sa carrière. Ce texte, où sont évoquées les relations de notre auteur avec Hayek, Myrdal et Keynes, est aussi une contribution à l’analyse des débats théoriques de l’entre-deux-guerres.
La “théorie de la valeur” de Hicks et le multiplicateur d'A. Smith
Authors: Rosier Michel
Published: January 2015

Résumé Dans un texte publié peu avant sa mort, Hicks reformule des idées qu’ils avaient exprimées dès 1942. Il affirme, d’une manière provocante, que la période entre Smith et Keynes constitue une sorte d"’Age noir" pour l’analyse économique. Il affirme aussi que Smith et ses prédécesseurs appartiennent à la même famille d’économistes que Keynes. Pour étayer cette affirmation, il montre qu’il y a chez les prédécesseurs de Smith des multiplicateurs de type keynésien. En revanche, il n’arrive pas à en trouver un chez Smith. Dans cet article, nous montrons qu’il existe bien un multiplicateur smithien et nous en tirons les leçons.
Monnaie, choix individuels et frictions
Authors: Benetti Carlo
Published: January 2015

Résumé L’objectif de cet article est d’évaluer les conséquences de la "simplification" proposée par Hicks en 1935 sur l’analyse actuelle de l’intégration de la monnaie dans la théorie de la valeur. La suggestion méthodologique de Hicks est fondée sur deux concepts centraux : le choix individuel et les frictions. Depuis 1935, le développement de la théorie monétare est caractérisé par la recherche des frictions appropriées pour que, à l’équilibre, les individus choisissent la monnaie. Nous montrons qu’à partir de ces concepts, par ailleurs bien adaptés à l’analyse de la monnaie comme réserve de valeur, il n’est pas possible d’obtenir un modèle où les théories de la monnaie et des prix sont intégrées de manière satisfaisante. Après un examen critique des principaux résultats de la théorie monétaire récente, nous esquissons une solution alternative fondée sur un schéma de formation des prix où la monnaie, comme moyen d’échange, est la condition du système des prix. Dans ce cadre, la monnaie peut être intégrée à la théorie des prix en dehors des concepts hicksiens de choix individuel et de frictions.