bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Omani Burqa’ vs. Decorated Façade of Modern Omani House; the Case of Salalah, Dhofar Region, Oman
Authors: Yapicioglu Balkiz , Cazacova Liudmila
Published: March 2019

Visiting Oman, one firstly encounters wide roads and exaggerated decorations of house façades—situated behind high walls. These broad roads and decorated dwellings are unlike traditional Omani architecture which can be identified as very sensitive to scale and climate. Omani architecture can also be visualized from the narrow streets and low height buildings across many well-preserved villages; built using humble mud or stone structures. Another encounter one might have is the traditional ‘Omani burqa.’ It is worn by some Omani women, originally designed for protection from dust and sand, which mimics the features of a falcon. Lately, the ‘Omani burqa’ has developed into a true fashion-item and is used as a ‘face mask’ with different colors and shapes. Fashionable burqas are often decorated with shimmering crystals or diamonds which differs from the traditional design. What is visible behind the ‘burqa’, the ‘eye’, and the ‘burqa’ itself, become quite embellished, subsiding the importance of the other parts of the face. The façade design of a modern Omani house and its walls are like the modern ‘burqa’ and the ‘eye’. Even though the house is separated from the street by high walls, the importance of visual access from the street to façade can be perceived from the highly decorated house façades, and decorated walls at the same time. This study—using visual analysis of house façades in Salalah, Oman—attempts to identify the architectural elements used in architectural design. These elements are repeated all over Oman, to accentuate visibility from the street to the façade. Eventually, the study concludes that the importance of the visuality from the street to the façade, in a changing ‘closed’ society, is the leading factor for the embellishment of the wall and the façades, rendering the overall design behind the wall insignificant.
The Role of Architectural Education in Promoting Urban Heritage: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Helmy Mona
Published: March 2019

Today, introducing Urban Heritage into the architectural education curriculum is becoming an important component of the learning experience. It strengthens the sense of belonging, national pride, and cultural identity of students as an active and remarkable part of their history that guides their future. Urban Heritage allows previous generations a better understanding of their long and rich history. The main objective for introducing Urban Heritage into the architectural education was to link heritage practice with teaching and research activities, as well as to create synergies between the educational activities and the surrounding community in order to ensure the preservation and the appreciation of the heritage. As part of Hekma School of Design and Architecture, the architecture department at Dar Al- Hekma University reflected its mission “To graduate professionals in the field of architecture and equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills, focusing on sustainable design while preserving the cultural and aesthetic values of Saudi Arabia.” within the curriculum. The mission was materialized through a set of interdisciplinary and co-curricular activities and initiatives for the promotion, conservation and revitalization of urban heritage in Saudi Arabia. Those actions were determined to create a dynamic environment for social, cultural and economic development at large. The plan was also to strengthen students’ appreciation of urban heritage through the sharing and exchanging of knowledge, skills, and experience between the pedagogical activities and the real practices for mutual enrichment. Often, each activity was dedicated to a given heritage theme. The activities are structured in thematic subjects covering many areas, such as heritage and sustainable development, theory and practices of conservation, adaptive re-use of heritage buildings, inter-disciplinary research investigations, heritage for dialogue, and reconciliation, among other themes. The creation of the architecture curriculum in the fields of urban heritage was the first step to share knowledge and competencies, and to encourage professors and students' participation in heritage safeguarding projects. Besides, this program tends to promote inter-cultural dialogues through heritage appreciation. The paper investigates the challenges associated with studying heritage in architecture, as well as opportunities for students to be more excited about studying heritage, develop their skills, and be self-motivated. It is expected that the paper will analyze Dar Al-Hekma University educational experience in integrating urban heritage within the architectural education curriculum among other national and international experiences. It will evaluate related teaching approaches and draw thoughtful conclusions in order to use this unique pedagogical process and learning outcomes in enhancing the heritage appreciation and its practices.
Urban Agriculture: a Regenerative Urban Development Practice to decrease the Ecological Footprints of Cities
Authors: Rashed Rowaida
Published: March 2019

Modern cities are characterised by intense human interactions and economic activities that- in many cases- have little or no consideration of the surrounding environment. Every day, the process of urbanisation is becoming more resource-intensive, and the results are grave, including, climate change, the loss of natural fertility of farmland and the loss of biodiversity all over the world. High consumption modern lifestyles are mainly fossil-fuel powered, relying on resources from the world’s ecosystems: a practice that increases the ecological footprints of cities. This paper aims at exploring means of decreasing the ecological footprints of cities: regenerative urban development practices being some of them. By concentrating on one of these practices, namely urban agriculture, the paper demonstrates how it would be possible to decrease the ecological footprints of cities through its integration on the city level.

It starts out by briefly defining the environmental problems our cities are facing today, then it moves on to explaining the concept of the ecological footprint. It shows how cities could decrease their ecological footprints through simple practices: such as those of regenerative urban development. This is done through demonstrating regenerative practices in different parts of the world, with a concentration on urban agriculture, as one of the most effective regenerative practices. It then moves on to explaining how it could be integrated within a comprehensive system in cities, so as to improve the environmental condition, to work on decreasing the ecological footprint and to start setting the stage for a regenerative city.
Approach to Accurate Octane Number Calculation for Gasoline Blending
Authors: Metwally Manal Mahmoud
Published: March 2019

The octane number of gasoline is one of the most important measures of gasoline quality to predict accurately the octane ratings of blending gasolines. This measured on a scale that ranges from that equivalent to isooctane (octane number of 100) to that of n-heptane (octane number of zero) octane no is effected by the saturates, aromatics, and olefins contents of gasoline. We take it as a standard and measure octane number by comparison with this standard. The accurate octane blending method will optimize the blending of gasoline components, when gasoline components are blended together, we will calculate the octane number of the blend with different octane number of the component or if the four components are of equal octane number. The blend octane number may be greater than, equal to or less than that calculated from the volumetric average of the octane numbers of the blend components, which indicates nonlinear blending. Blending would be linear if octane number of a blend was equal to that predicted by summing the octane numbers of the components in proportion to their concentrations. In practices, the discrepancies between the octane numbers of blends and the linearly predicted values have been correlated by specific empirical equations and these have been used to correct the linear predictions.
A Proposed Heuristic Optimization Algorithm for Detecting Network Attacks
Authors: Yassin Amr Hassan , Hussien Hany Hamdy
Published: March 2019

Due to the exponential growth of E-Business and computing capabilities over the web for a pay-for-use groundwork, the risk factors regarding security issues also increase rapidly. As the usage increases, it becomes very difficult to identify malicious attacks since the attack patterns change. Therefore, host machines in the network must continually be monitored for intrusions since they are the final endpoint of any network. The purpose of this work is to introduce a generalized neural network model that has the ability to detect network intrusions. Two recent heuristic algorithms inspired by the behavior of natural phenomena, namely, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and gravitational search (GSA) algorithms are introduced. These algorithms are combined together to train a feed forward neural network (FNN) for the purpose of utilizing the effectiveness of these algorithms to reduce the problems of getting stuck in local minima and the time-consuming convergence rate. Dimension reduction focuses on using information obtained from NSL-KDD Cup 99 data set for the selection of some features to discover the type of attacks. Detecting the network attacks and the performance of the proposed model are evaluated under different patterns of network data.
Parametric Approach for Multi-Objective Optimization for Daylighting and Energy Consumption in Early Stage Design of Office Tower in New Administrative Capital City of Egypt
Authors: Toutou Ahmed Mohamed Yousef
Published: March 2019

In the last few years, great improvements have been achieved in building optimization methods. Mustapha Sadeghipour Roudasri and others found new tools ” Ladybug, Honeybee and Butterfly” which could gather many simulation engines and visualization tools ” Energyplus, OpenStudio, Radiance, Daysim, CFD, OpenFOAM, etc ”. Consequently, These simulation engines will integrate with parametric modeling in Grasshopper and multiobjective optimization through Octopus plug-in to form an early stage parametric optimization framework in one canvas. This paper aims at finding the suitable plane shape and building configurations for multi-objective optimization to the daylighting levels and energy consumption of office tower building in the new administrative capital city in Egypt through parametric based optimization method. One of the most commonly used plan shapes of these types of buildings was studied. This shape and many building configurations ”WWR, window material, wall material and shading devices” were parametrically modeled. These Parameters will form many tradeoffs which will be simulated and optimized by the previous framework. Spatial Daylight Autonomy ”SDA300/50%” is examined to optimize Daylighting while Energy Use Intensity ” EUI” is used for energy consumption optimization. Multi-Objective Optimization was performed by genetic algorithms via Octopus plug-in. The near optimum design for plan shape and building configuration to balance between daylighting and energy consumption is achieved and will be a reference model for office tower buildings in this zone in Egypt which is under rapid development. The framework used in this study will guide designers to find effective solutions for early-stage design of office building in one canvas without any conflict between several engines and scripts.
A New Concept Towards Addressing Our Pressing Development Issues through Innovation, Sustainability, and Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Al Kezmazy Hammam Ahmed Hammam
Published: March 2019

Nowadays, not only in Egypt but also globally, the job for life is no longer the norm[1]. For this reason innovation became a must; not just a luxury or something that people or countries can deal with as a source of boasting or showing. Thus, and in order to promote sustainability concept through innovation, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship, this paper suggests some recommendations and introduces some solutions which can help in achieving and getting the most possible outputs and deliverable from the challenges are faced every day. It also proposes a new concept regarding the social entrepreneurship, social problems and development projects; e.g. infrastructure issues. The concept assumes that we have to go through three different ways in parallel when solving our pressing problems. These ways include the benefit from: our previous experiences, others’ successful applied projects, and the continuous follow-up of new technologies under development. Also, it addresses how those three elements can be connected in a sustainable way which ensures the sustainability and the effectiveness of improving them at the same time. In addition, it gives one or more examples in each channel to clarify the situation. Besides, the paper introduces some recommendations such as launching innovation & social entrepreneurship hubs, holding conferences & competitions and supporting R&D projects in order to promote our situation and consolidate our experiences.
[ANT]: A Machine Learning Approach for Building Performance Simulation: Methods and Development
Authors: Abdelrahman Mahmoud M. , Toutou Ahmed Mohamed Yousef
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we represent an approach for combining machine learning (ML) techniques with building performance simulation by introducing four methods in which ML could be effectively involved in this field i.e. Classification, Regression, Clustering and Model selection . Rhino-3d-Grasshopper SDK was used to develop a new plugin for involving machine learning in design process using Python programming language and making use of scikit-learn module, that is, a python module which provides a general purpose high level language to nonspecialist user by integration of wide range supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms with high performance, ease of use and well documented features. ANT plugin provides a method to make use of these modules inside Rhino\Grasshopper to be handy to designers. This tool is open source and is released under BSD simplified license. This approach represents promising results regarding making use of data in automating building performance development and could be widely applied. Future studies include providing parallel computation facility using PyOpenCL module as well as computer vision integration using scikit-image.
Battery Charging Application with Thermoelectric Generators as Energy Harvesters
Authors: Dalala Zakariya M. , Hamdan Zaid S. , Al-Taani Hussein , Al-Addous Mohammad , Albatayneh Aiman
Published: March 2019

This paper discusses and presents the implementation of a boost converter as power electronic interface to be used with the thermoelectric generator (TEG). The common application for such system is the battery charger. The boundary conditions for battery chargers include the charging current and battery voltage limits which have to be respected throughout the charging process, while the maximization of the power generated from the TEG is a global target that is desired to be met as much as possible. Coordinated control algorithm that collectively combines these constraints is the main focus of this work. Novel global control algorithm is proposed and verified in this paper with detailed analysis that shows the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Dual control loops for the voltage and current of the boost converter will be designed and analyzed to satisfy the source and load demands. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) mode, power matching mode and voltage stabilization mode will be integrated in the control algorithm of the battery charger. This paper puts a schematic design for a system that harvests energy from a thermoelectric generator bank of a TEG1-12611-6.0 TEG modules in order to charge a battery bank of Samsung ICR18650 Batteries using constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) charging profiles.
فرصه التنمیة المستدامة لمناطق الإسكان غیر الرسمیة ذات الكثافة العالیة
Authors: یاسین علاء الدین محمد
Published: March 2019

تعاني المناطق السكنیة غیر الرسمیة من صعوبات، الا ان ھذه المناطق تحمل سمات وفرص نجاح التنمیھ المستدامة، كما أن ھذه المناطق ذات الكثافھ الاعلى یمكن أن یكون لدیھا القدرة الاجتماعیة والاقتصادیة لاستمرار الحیاة

فتوصیات التطویر الشامل أو الإزالة وإعادة الإحلال فتعتبر من الخیال فى ظل نقص الموارد إلى جانب التاثیر السلبي على الأبعادھا الاجتماعیة والاقتصادیة، لذا فنحن نناقش ھنا توافق المناطق غیر الرسمیة ذات الكثافات العالیة والتى تننشر فى المدن المصریة مع

مبادئ التنمیة المستدامة، الفكرة الأساسیھ ان تاخذ من التنمیة المستدامة الأمل في تحویل الكثافه (التي كانت تفسر على أنھا أحد الصعوبات) إلى إمكانیة، ونطرح رؤیة جدیدة لتطویر ھذه المناطق داخل المحتوى الاجتماعى والاقتصادى

فاحترام الواقع محدود الموارد كأحد عناصر التنمیة المستدامة یعطى الرؤیة واستلھام الإمكانیات لتحسن ھذه المجتمعات، والتركیز على تحسین نوعیھ الحیاة للمقییمین فى ھذه المناطق دون التغییر الشامل، والحفاظ على التكوین الاجتماعي والاقتصادي للعمران، والحفاظ على الرصید السكنى المتاح.

الفرضیة تناقش ھل یمكن طرح رؤیة لتطویر المناطق السكنیة ذات الكثافة الأعلى، بالاستفادة من مبادئ التنمیة المستدامة مع احترام محدودیة الموارد والإمكانیات؟، والاھداف ھى الاستفاده من مبادى الاستدامھ لتطویر المناطق السكنیھ ذات الكثافات

الاعلى، واحترام الامكانیات المتاحھ مع محدودیھ الموارد، ومناقشھ اشكالیھ تداخل الاھداف مع مبادئ التنمیة المستدامة وبأقل تكلفه.

اظھرت النتائج والتوصیات الفرصھ المتاحه التى تشكلھا ھذه المناطق السكنیة غیر الرسمیة ذات الكثافات الاعلى للتطویر وتحویل المشكلات الى امكانیات، و توسیع نطاق عمل الاستدامھ وتعدیل الاسالیب التدخل لتاخذ فى الاعتبار بدائل جدید یمكن تطویرھا، وطرح توصیات للابحاث المستقبلى
Towards an Uptake Framework for the Green Building Concept in Ghana: A Theoretical Review
Authors: Anzagira Lee Felix , Badu E. , Duah D.
Published: March 2019

The Green Building Concept (GBC), has become a topical issue and is receiving global attention as a potential solution to numerous adverse effects of construction activity both climatically and environmentally. Globally, the construction industry alone consumes 50% of all resources, 45% of all Energy and adds to 35% of CO2 emissions. Several developed countries has embraced the GBC as the most formidable solution to the preservation of their natural resources and cutting down on the negative impacts of construction on the climate and environment. However, uptake of the concept in the Ghana Construction industry is very minimal and not at the desired rate with only four (4) certified green buildings. This creates a fragile environment which undermines Ghana’s efforts at realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).A critical review of literature is conducted exploring the implementation of the GBC in Ghana. Through discussions, the research established the present status of the practice in Ghana as well as the drivers responsible for this current state. The implications of these drivers in the Ghana construction industry are discussed as well. For an increased uptake of the concept in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), key measures to ensure rapid uptake are recommended to include; a national education, awareness and publicity campaign, the imposition of mandatory government regulations and policies and the provision of financial and market-based incentives amongst others.
Analysis on the influencing factors of effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water in irrigation districts based on Horton fractal theory
Authors: Liu Dong , Guo Dandan , Fu Qiang , Li Mo , Liu Chunlei , Faiz Muhammad Abrar , Khan Muhammad Imran , Li Tianxiao , Cui Song
Published: March 2019

To study the relationship between the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water and canal system structure including the influences of various factors in irrigation districts, the fractal dimensions of each irrigation district by Horton's law were calculated by using canal data from 20 typical irrigation districts in Heilongjiang Province. The results showed that the fractal dimensions of the three-level irrigation districts were within the general range of the Horton water law. Of the four-level irrigation districts, only the fractal dimension of the Wutong River irrigation district was 3.037, which was beyond the upper limit of approximately 1.23%. Using gray relational analysis, the correlation degrees of four factors such as the effective irrigated area, the water-saving area ratio, the complexity of the canal structure, the channel density with the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water and the fractal dimensions were all above 0.5 in the three- and four-level irrigation districts.
Rational design of reduced graphene oxide film for solar thermal desalination
Authors: Meng Yuan , Li Haibo
Published: March 2019

Solar water evaporation assisted by photothermal membranes is considered to be one of the sustainable and cost-effective strategies for pure water generation and wastewater treatment. In this work, a self-assembled reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film has been prepared and proposed for direct solar thermal desalination. The morphology, structure, absorbance and desalination performance of the rGO film are explored. It is found that rGO film with optimized microstructure delivers an evaporation rate of 0.87 kg m−2 h−1 with solar thermal conversion efficiency of 46% under 1 sun illumination. Moreover, the evaporation rate of rGO film remains at 0.86 kg/m2·h−1 after ten times recycling, demonstrating the superior reusability.
Application of Sugar-Base Anhydro Bridge for Modification of Nucleosides in the 2’- and/or 3’-Positions - Revisited
Authors: Szlenkier Maurycy , Boryski Jerzy
Published: March 2019

The nucleosides modified in the 2’- and/or 3’-position have been known for
years and include important, bioactive compounds such as zidovudine, cytarabine, didanosine,
puromycin, and fludarabine. This group consists of analogs with altered configuration,
2’,3’-dideoxy and 2’,3’-dideoxy-didehydro nucleosides, as well as derivatives with
additional substituents. These compounds are often targeted against viruses and tumors.
The sugar-base anhydro nucleosides have been known since the middle of the 20th century.
However, their application has not yet been fully explored and described. The number
of 2’,3’-dimodified derivatives, obtainable through sugar-base anhydrocyclic synthons,
could be vast, especially taking into consideration various combinations of S-alkyl,
S-aryl, O-alkyl, O-aryl, halogen, triazole, amine and azide substituents in both pyrimidine
and purine nucleosides. Furthermore, application of anhydrocyclic structures can be an efficient method of introducing
isotope labeled groups. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the known methods of
functionalization of the 2’- and/or 3’-position of nucleosides, using anhydrocyclic structures, and also to present
a future outlook for this subject.
Lead (Pb) in Alzheimer’s Dementia: A Systematic Review of Human Case- Control Studies
Authors: Brown Eric E. , Shah Parita , Pollock Bruce G. , Gerretsen Philip , Graff-Guerrero Ariel
Published: March 2019

Background:

Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) has a complex pathophysiology that is incompletely
understood. Chronic, low-level environmental lead (Pb) exposure is associated with cognitive
impairment, hypertension and mortality, and has been proposed as a potential cause of AD.

Objective:

We aimed to review the literature to clarify the potential role of Pb in AD and to guide future
research.

Methods:

Through a series of systematic reviews, we identified case-control studies comparing AD to
controls on 6 measures of Pb exposure or accumulation: blood, bone, cerebrospinal fluid, hair/nail, postmortem
pathology, and urine. We completed meta-analyses where possible.

Results:

The number of identified case-control studies of AD, by measurement method, was: 15 by
blood, 0 by bone, 5 by Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), 3 by hair/nail, 3 by postmortem, and 1 by urine. Two
meta-analyses were possible for 7 studies reporting whole blood Pb and for 8 studies of serum Pb. Both
were negative. The largest study of CSF Pb showed lower levels in AD. Similarly, lower hair Pb levels
were found in AD.

Conclusion:

The available case-control studies are insufficient to draw conclusions on the role of Pb in
AD. Most methods do not address long-term or early-life exposure. The preferred measure of chronic Pb
is in bone, which has not been utilized in case-control AD studies. Future research should measure bone
Pb in AD, together with other biomarkers, such as amyloid and tau imaging, and markers of cerebrovascular
pathology.
An Integrated Prediction Method for Identifying Protein-Protein Interactions
Authors: Xu Chang , Jiang Limin , Zhang Zehua , Yu Xuyao , Chen Renhai , Xu Junhai
Published: March 2019

Background:

Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) play a key role in various biological
processes. Many methods have been developed to predict protein-protein interactions and protein
interaction networks. However, many existing applications are limited, because of relying on a large
number of homology proteins and interaction marks.

Methods:

In this paper, we propose a novel integrated learning approach (RF-Ada-DF) with the
sequence-based feature representation, for identifying protein-protein interactions. Our method firstly
constructs a sequence-based feature vector to represent each pair of proteins, viaMultivariate Mutual
Information (MMI) and Normalized Moreau-Broto Autocorrelation (NMBAC). Then, we feed the 638-
dimentional features into an integrated learning model for judging interaction pairs and non-interaction
pairs. Furthermore, this integrated model embeds Random Forest in AdaBoost framework and turns
weak classifiers into a single strong classifier. Meanwhile, we also employ double fault detection in
order to suppress over-adaptation during the training process.

Results:

To evaluate the performance of our method, we conduct several comprehensive tests for PPIs
prediction. On the H. pyloridataset, our method achieves 88.16% accuracy and 87.68% sensitivity, the
accuracy of our method is increased by 0.57%. On the S. cerevisiaedataset, our method achieves
95.77% accuracy and 93.36% sensitivity, the accuracy of our method is increased by 0.76%. On the
Humandataset, our method achieves 98.16% accuracy and 96.80% sensitivity, the accuracy of our
method is increased by 0.6%. Experiments show that our method achieves better results than other
outstanding methods for sequence-based PPIs prediction. The datasets and codes are available at
https://github.com/guofei-tju/RF-Ada-DF.git.
Evaluation of Health Promoting Minerals of A. squamosa L. Based Products
Authors: Bala Shashi , Nigam Vinod K. , Vidyarthi Ambarish S.
Published: March 2019

Background:

Annona squamosa L. (custard apple) is a tropical fruit known for its sweet
taste, distinct flavour, and pleasant, aromatic creamy pulp. The fruit is traditionally used as different
folk medicines by tribal community in India. The present study was focussed on the nutritional properties
of custard apple based products like pulp, juice, jam, jelly and powder.

Methods:

Standard ICP-OES and recognized methods of analysis were used for investigation of
minerals and biochemical constituents of process products of custard apple.

Results:

The proximate analysis showed the highest quantity of vitamin C as 32.5 mg/100g,
16.4 mg/100g, 15.8 mg/100g 16.85 mg/100g and 12.3 mg/100g in pulp, jam, jelly, juice and in
powder with a total sugar content of 20.96, 51.26, 49.83, 13.17 and 33.5 g/100g for pulp, jam, jelly,
juice and powder respectively. The content of calcium in different products of custard apple was
observed as 64.25, 58.15, 55.20, 58.20 and 138.35 mg/100g while, the amount of iron as constituent
was found as 2.8, 2.25, 2.25, 2.65, 5.45 mg/100g respectively. The observed value of potassium in
pulp, juice, jam, jelly and powder was recorded as 428.00, 545.50, 415.0, 411.9 and 1094.5 mg/100g
while the concentration of magnesium was found as 54.5 mg/100g in pulp, 65.0 mg/100g in juice,
45.5 mg/100g in jam, 41.2 mg/100g in jelly and 130.4 mg/100g in powder respectively. The study of
analytes like As, Pb, Ni and Sn in custard apple products were found below the level of toxicity.

Conclusion:

The results obtained suggest that these underutilized fruits could greatly add in the improvement
of the nutrition of consumers and promote good human health.
Sodium Valproate Affect Brain Antioxidant/Oxidant Status in Mice: Ameliorative Effect of Vitamin E and Chrysanthemum fontanesii Extract
Authors: Amrani Amel , Boubekri Nassima , Benaissa Ouahiba , Benayache Fadila , Benayache Samir , Zama Djamila
Published: March 2019

Background:

This study was aimed to evaluate the protective effects of n-butanol extract of
Chrysanthemum fontanesii against oxidative stress induced by sodium Valproate (VPA) in the brain of
female mice in comparison to Vitamin E (Vit E).

Methods:

Mice were divided into 5 groups and treated daily for 12 days. They received VPA (300
mg/kg i.p. injection), C. fontanesii butanolic extract (100 mg/kg), and Vit E (100 mg/kg). Glutathione
Peroxidase Activity (GPx), Reduced Glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidation end products in the
brain were measured.

Results:

Subacute treatment of mice with VPA resulted in a significant increase in oxidative damage. At
a dose of 100 mg/kg, both C. fontanesii and Vit E significantly reduced VPA-induced oxidative stress
by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, increasing brain GSH content, and restoring the activity of GPx.

Conclusion:

It may be concluded that the phytoconstituents present in the n-butanol extract of aerial
parts of C. fontanesii are responsible for the ameliorative effect of brain antioxidant/oxidant status affected
by VPA.
Effects of Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells on Liver Diseases
Authors: Zheng Wenjie , Yang Yumin , Sequeira Russel Clive , Bishop Colin E. , Atala Anthony , Gu Zhifeng , Zhao Weixin
Published: March 2019

Therapeutic effects of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSCs) transplantation have been observed in various disease models. However, it is thought that MSCs-mediated effects largely depend on the paracrine manner of secreting cytokines, growth factors, and Extracellular Vesicles (EVs). Similarly, MSCs-derived EVs also showed therapeutic benefits in various liver diseases through alleviating fibrosis, improving regeneration of hepatocytes, and regulating immune activity. This review provides an overview of the MSCs, their EVs, and their therapeutic potential in treating various liver diseases including liver fibrosis, acute and chronic liver injury, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). More specifically, the mechanisms by which MSC-EVs induce therapeutic benefits in liver diseases will be covered. In addition, comparisons between MSCs and their EVs were also evaluated as regenerative medicine against liver diseases. While the mechanisms of action and clinical efficacy must continue to be evaluated and verified, MSCs-derived EVs currently show tremendous potential and promise as a regenerative medicine treatment for liver disease in the future.
VirDB: Crowdsourced Database for Evaluation of Dynamical Viral Infection Models
Authors: Wasik Szymon , Jaroszewski Marcin , Nowaczyk Mateusz , Szostak Natalia , Prejzendanc Tomasz , Blazewicz Jacek
Published: March 2019

Background:

Open science is an emerging movement underlining the importance of transparent, high quality research where results can be verified and reused by others. However, one of the biggest problems in replicating experiments is the lack of access to the data used by the authors. This problem also occurs during mathematical modeling of a viral infections. It is a process that can provide valuable insights into viral activity or into a drug’s mechanism of action when conducted correctly.

Objective:

We present the VirDB database (virdb.cs.put.poznan.pl), which has two primary objectives. First, it is a tool that enables collecting data on viral infections that could be used to develop new dynamic models of infections using the FAIR data sharing principles. Second, it allows storing references to descriptions of viral infection models, together with their evaluation results.

Methods:

To facilitate the fast population of database and the ease of exchange of scientific data, we decided to use crowdsourcing for collecting data. Such approach has already been proved to be very successful in projects such as Wikipedia.

Conclusion:

VirDB builds on the concepts and recommendations of Open Science and shares data using the FAIR principles. Thanks to this storing data required for designing and evaluating models of viral infections which can be freely available on the Internet.
The Expression Profiles of lncRNAs and Their Regulatory Network During Smek1/2 Knockout Mouse Neural Stem Cells Differentiation
Authors: Yang Qichang , Wu Jing , Zhao Jian , Xu Tianyi , Han Ping , Song Xiaofeng
Published: March 2019

Background:

Previous studies indicated that the cell fate of neural stem cells (NSCs)
after differentiation is determined by Smek1, one isoform of suppressor of Mek null (Smek). Smek
deficiency prevents NSCs from differentiation, thus affects the development of nervous system. In
recent years, lncRNAs have been found to participate in numerous developmental and biological
pathways. However, the effects of knocking out Smek on the expression profiles of lncRNAs
during the differentiation remain unknown.

Objective:

This study is to explore the expression profiles of lncRNAs and their possible function
during the differentiation from Smek1/2 knockout NSCs.

Methods:

We obtained NSCs from the C57BL/6J mouse fetal cerebral cortex. One group of NSCs
was from wildtype mouse (WT group), while another group was from knocked out Smek1/2 (KO
group).

Results:

By analyzing the RNA-Seq data, we found that after knocking out Smek1/2, the
expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs revealed significant changes. Analyses indicated that
these affected mRNAs have connections with the pathway network for the differentiation and
proliferation of NSCs. Furthermore, we performed a co-expression network analysis on the
differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs, which helped reveal the possible regulatory rules
of lncRNAs during the differentiation after knocking out Smek1/2.

Conclusion:

By comparing group WT with KO, we found 366 differentially expressed mRNAs
and 12 lncRNAs. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis on these mRNAs suggested their
relationships with differentiation and proliferation of NSCs. Some of these mRNAs and lncRNAs
have been verified to play regulatory roles in nervous system. Analyses on the co-expression
network also indicated the possible functions of affected mRNAs and lncRNAs during NSCs
differentiation after knocking out Smek1/2.
Dose-Dependent Tissue Distribution of K117, a Bis-pyridinium Aldoxime, in Rats
Authors: Kalász Huba , Karvaly Gellért , Musilek Kamil , Kuca Kamil , Young-Sik Jung , Malawska Barbara , Adeghate Ernest A. , Nurulain Syed M. , Szepesy Judit , Zelles Tibor , Tekes Kornélia
Published: March 2019

Background:

Bis-pyridinium aldoximes are reactivators of the paraoxon-inhibited butyrylcholinesterase enzyme. Paraoxon is the active product of parathion, a widely used insecticide.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to examine the dose-dependent distribution of K117, a bis-pyridinium aldoxime in rat tissues.

Materials and Methods:

White male Wistar rats were intramuscularly injected with various doses of K117; the animals were sacrificed 30 minutes after injections. The dose-dependent body distribution of K117 was determined using reversed-phase HPLC.

Results:

Dose-dependent distribution of K117 in body tissues was linear in the serum and other body tissues throughout the whole range of the concentrations studied. However, the of distribution was not observed in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, especially with high doses.

Conclusion:

The body distribution of K117 significantly depends on doses used, the p-value is: 500 nmol, i.m., when applied in the range of 100 to 10,000 nmol.
Effectiveness of Randomized Controlled Field Trial Instructing Parents to Supervise Children on Tooth Brushing Skills and Oral Hygiene
Authors: Zacharias Shukuru , Kahabuka Febronia Kokulengya , Mbawalla Hawa Shariff
Published: March 2019

Background:

Educating parents on supervision of tooth brushing ensures effective plaque removal, healthy gums and attainment of tooth brushing skills.

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of educating parents about children’s tooth brushing supervision on their own knowledge and act of supervision, their children’s tooth brushing skills, plaque score and gingival health.

Methods:

Two arms cluster randomized controlled field trial among 8-9 years primary school pupils and their parents. The intervention trial was an educational leaflet on step by step supervision of children during tooth brushing. The outcomes were; improved tooth brushing skills, oral hygiene status and gingival health, parental awareness and supervision of children’s tooth brushing. Data processing and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0. Frequency distribution for proportions, cross tabulations with Chi-square and adjusted binary logistic regression were performed.

Results:

A total of 237 pupils were followed to completion of the study. The odds of parents being aware and supervising children during tooth brushing were higher in the intervention group at follow-up 4.5 (1.5, 13.4) and 2.4 (1.3, 4.5) respectively. The unadjusted odds for good oral hygiene following intervention was 3.1 (1.4, 6.9) and that of tooth brushing skills 61.8 (7.7, 498.6). On adjusting with parental awareness and supervision of children during tooth brushing, odds of having tooth brushing skills increased to 88.2 (9.2, 847.4).

Conclusion:

Providing education to parents on children tooth brushing supervision effectively improved children’s tooth brushing skills, plaque score and gingival health emanating from awareness and act of supervision improvements revealed on their part.
Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Buriti (Mauritia Flexuosa) Oil: Yield and Antioxidant Compounds
Authors: Silva Jezica P.P. , Rodrigues Antonio M.C. , Silva Luiza H.M.
Published: March 2019

Introduction:

Enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction is considered an emerging green technique that has been applied to different oilseeds.

Objective:

This study aimed to study the enzymatic aqueous extraction process of buriti oil using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) combined with the response surface methodology aiming to obtain higher yield and antioxidant compounds in the oil.

Methods:

The study was carried out in two steps. The first assessed the efficiency of different enzymes (cellulase, pectinase, and protease) and the variables of greater influence in the extraction process, being conducted for each enzyme a CCRD design. The second step was carried out with the enzyme that showed the best performance on the extraction yield, changing the experimental bands of the variables that had greater significance in the first step, with the goal of broadening the spectrum of study. Were also evaluated in this step, total carotenoids, total phenolic compounds, and the antioxidant capacity of the oils extracted.

Results:

In the first experiment, cellulase gave the highest yield, while the most significant variables were temperature and time. For the second design, performed with cellulase, were defined as optimal operating conditions at 55 °C temperature, 2% enzyme concentration and 6 hours extraction. For these conditions, the yield obtained was 76.5%, with total carotenoid concentration of 3,119.5 µg β-carotene.g-1. Analysis of variance was performed and showed the significance of the regression and non-significance of the lack-of-fit (p<0.05). The coefficients of determination of the yield and carotenoid content were 95.6% and 94.5%, respectively. The highest value of total phenolic compounds determined for buriti oil in this study was 254 ± 5 µg GAE.g-1oil, while for the antioxidant capacity was 218.0 ± 0.3 µmol Trolox.g-1oil.

Conclusion:

The enzymatic aqueous extraction process is viable for buriti oil and produced oils with high concentrations of antioxidant compounds.
Study of Acidified Aqueous Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyces
Authors: Piovesana Alessandra , Noreña Caciano P. Zapata
Published: March 2019

Introduction:

Hibiscus calyces are important sources from anthocyanins and pigments. The recovery of these bioactive compounds using non-organic solvents becomes very attractive for the food industry.

Methods:

For this reason, the separation of phenolic compounds by acidified aqueous extraction from hibiscus calyces was studied. The experiments were conducted by a fractional factorial design.

Result and Conclusion:

Four factors were evaluated: temperature, time, stirring speed and enzyme concentration. The extracts produced were subjected to analysis of color (L*,a*,b*andChroma), total monomeric anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity by ABTS and fourteen phenolic compounds were quantified. The results showed that the best condition to obtain hibiscus calyces extract was using an enzyme concentration of 50 µL/1000 g hibiscus extract, 400 rpm of stirring speed at 55 ºC by 4 hours of extraction, that corresponded to concentrations of 17595, 7516, 2568 μg/g, expressed on a dry basis, for total phenolic compounds, delphinidin 3-sambubioside and cyanidin 3-sambubioside, respectively, and antioxidant capacity measured by ABTS of 7.8 µmol of Trolox equivalent per gram.
Bone Mineral Density and Bone Remodeling in Tunisian Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Ben Jemaa Samar , Chtourou Lassaad , Akrout Rim , Chaabouni Khansa , Chaabouni Tarek , Fourati Hela Makni , Amouri Ali , Tahri Nabil , Ayedi Fatma , Baklouti Sofien
Published: March 2019

Background:

A high prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis is observed in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Objective:

The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of bone loss, bone remodeling and risk factors in Tunisian patient with IBD.

Patients and Methods:

The study included 40 patients with IBD and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls subjects. All participants underwent bone densitometry by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at the femoral neck and lumbar spine. Serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin(OC), and urinary degradation products of C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTXI) were measured in all participants to assess the bone metabolism status.

Results:

Twelve (30%) patients were normal, 32.5% were osteopenic and 37.5% were osteoporotic. Osteoporosis was more frequent in IBD patients than controls (p=0.0001). Age and inflammation were associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Mean calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels were similar in both groups. Median 25(OH) D levels were significantly lower in IBD patients compared with controls (p=0.0001). Median urinary CTXI levels were significantly higher in IBD patients compared with healthy controls (p=0.007). No significant differences between IBD patients and controls concerning the median serum OC and PTH levels were found.

Conclusion:

In our study, there is a high prevalence of low BMD in IBD patients and an increase in bone resorption without a change of bone formation. Low BMI and hypovitaminoses D were identified as risk factors for low BMD.
Revisiting The Meaning of A Good Nurse
Authors: Kim Go-Un , Jung Eunyoung , Cho Mikyeong , Han Soo Y. , Jang Mira , Lee Mikyung , Lee Sumi , Suh Yujin , Yun Hye Y. , Kim Sue , Shim Mi So
Published: March 2019

Background:

The health care paradigm is being challenged to put greater emphasis on promoting a healthy lifestyle and provide patient-customized care in a rapidly changing Korean society. Within such changes, it is worthwhile to identify how the meaning of a good nurse may be changing.

Objective:

This study explores the meaning of a good nurse from the perspective of nurses themselves.

Methods:

In-depth interviews were conducted with ten nurses who worked at senior general hospitals or governmental agencies using purposeful sampling. Individual interviews were done until data saturation was reached. The key question was “What does a good nurse mean to you?” After the interview, content analysis was done.

Results:

Six main themes and 16 subthemes were identified. The main themes showed that a good nurse was someone who ‘leans in toward the patient’, ‘provides professional care’, ‘keeps the cornerstone of one’s mind with a positive attitude’, ‘maintains a good relationship with colleagues’, ‘matures with her/his nursing philosophy and conviction’, ‘contributes to society’.

Conclusion:

This study provides basic data for exploring nurses’ self-image as a professional. Specifically, social role and macro level responsibilities were identified with nurses’ internal aspects such as a positive attitude, and nursing philosophy. The necessity of socio-environmental support for nurses was also emphasized. In addition, the results of this study can be used at the policy level to provide a better balance for development of good nursing.
BeaTicket - Beacon Based Ticketing System
Authors: Jain Vanita , Khurana Yogesh , Kharbanda Mayank , Mehta Kanav
Published: March 2019

Objective:

In this paper, we have implemented the Beacon Based Ticketing System,
which uses the bluetooth of the smartphone that senses the Beacon in the bus and interacts with the
backend server to issue a ticket to the user. All the ticket generation and completion process is done
in the background without the interaction of the user. Our model employs Contactless approach for
Ticket Generation unlike the smartcard or token that need to be touched against the terminal.

Method:

The basic model of Beacon based Ticketing System consists of 3 devices: Beacon, Bluetooth
equipped smartphone and server. Whenever a passenger will board a bus, beacon attached to
the bus will broadcast the information which will be detected by an application installed on the user’s
smartphone. There is a unique ID for every beacon and that beacon will be used to uniquely determine
the bus number. The UID will be send to the server which will check for the minimum balance
in the wallet which is integrated into the application itself and generate the ticket correspondingly.
Now when the passenger de-boards the bus, the information is sent again to the server which
deducts the money from the wallet and sends the trip summary back to the user’s device. This system
increases the efficiency of the process and provides comfort and ease to the passengers.

Results:

This model provides Offline Ticket Generation system, it allows the user to travel without
internet access, and as soon it becomes available, the locally stored board and de-board time are sent
to the server, which determines the respective locations, and accordingly the fare is deducted from
the wallet. The Trip History, stores the records of all previous trips and displays them to the user in
reverse chronological order.

Conclusion:

We have successfully implemented a Bus Ticketing System based on Beacon Technology.
The Ticket Generation can be done both offline and online and payment will be made using the wallet
provided to each user, that is integrated in the application itself. Offline Ticket Generation allowed the user
to travel even without internet access. Our model also provided Contactless feature so that the user does
not need to touch the smartphone against any terminal or scan any barcode. Optimizer feature notifies the
user if the bus is nearby so that the user’s waiting time is minimised at the bus stop.