bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomass and Carbon Stocks of Vegetation in the Marginal Uplands in Inopacan, Leyte, Eastern Visayas (Philippines)
Authors: Come Renezita , Bande Marlito , Camutuhan Manilyn , Alip May Joy , Porazo Rowela
Published: October 2019

Marginal uplands are characterized by unproductive soils and low biodiversity. These areas can be a good storage of carbon for climate change mitigation if rehabilitation measures will be done. This study was conducted to quantify the biomass and carbon storage of various plant species growing in the marginal uplands in Inopacan, Leyte. Sample quadrats measuring 2m x 2m were laid-out inside the one hectare experimental plots established in the site. Various species of grasses, herbs and shrubs were identified inside the quadrats. Using destructive sampling, biomass and carbon content in the above-ground (stems and leaves) and below-ground (roots) were determined. Soil samples were also taken for bulk density value and soil organic carbon content. Results showed that the vegetation was dominated by grass, Imperata cylindrical and shrubs namely: Melastoma malabathricum and Chromolaena odorata was 2.34 Mgha-1 and the roots was 2.28 Mgha-1. Carbon stored in the stems and leaves was 1.05 MgCha-1 and roots contained 1.03 MgCha-1. Soils hold the highest percentage of carbon which amounted to 25.93 MgCha-1. The total carbon stocks in the marginal upland in Inopacan was 28.01 MgCha-1.
Agrobiodiversity of Home Gardens in Selected Marginal Upland Villages of Inopacan, Leyte, Philippines
Authors: Belonias Beatriz , Platino Czarina , Malanguis Jessa
Published: October 2019

Home gardens are subsistence crop production systems that significantly contribute to the socio-ecological resilience of peasant communities reducing vulnerability and ensuring food security. Because of their small size, they are neglected repositories of biological diversity. This paper describes the agrobiodiversity and management of home gardens in about 79 households in three marginal upland villages of Inopacan, Leyte. Semi-structured interviews and actual home garden visits were done to collect data. Results show that home gardens studied had high species diversity and exhibited a multilayered structure. A total of 171 species in 74 families and 146 genera were documented. The composites (Asteraceae) had the most number of genera and species followed by the orchids (Orchidaceae), legumes (Fabaceae) and aroids (Araceae). More than 70% of the species were exotics which were mostly ornamental plants. Erect herbs were the most common, followed by trees, shrubs, herbaceous vines and epiphytes. Majority of the species were ornamentals followed by fruit trees, medicinal plants, vegetables and spice plants, grown primarily for home use (62%) rather than as source of income. Established and managed by family members who provide free labor, the gardens mostly utilized cost-free planting materials and with no fertilizer or pesticide application.
Evaluation of Different Cropping Systems for Marginal Uplands in Inopacan, Leyte
Authors: Alcober Ed Allan , Ratilla Melanie , Capuno Othello , Valenzona Jorge S.
Published: October 2019

Low crop productivity in most marginal uplands is primarily due to poor agro-ecological conditions. There is a need to improve farming practices of upland farmers to improve their quality of life thus, the study was conducted in the marginal uplands of Brgy. Linao, Inopacan, Leyte, Philippines from February to July 2013, to determine the best cropping system that would improve crop productivity and to promote the best cropping system technology to upland farmers. The experimental units were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments were intercropping (upland rice + mungbean, corn + mungbean) and monocropping (upland rice, corn and mungbean). The growth and yield parameters were not significantly influenced by the cropping systems. Thus, crop growth and development in either intercropping or monocropping schemes were comparable. However, corn + mungbean gave a land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.53, which means that such cropping system is more productive than growing corn or mungbean as monocrop. On the other hand, growing upland rice alone was more productive than upland rice + mungbean as indicated by a LER of 0.93.Corn + mungbean gave a net income of PhP8,452.18 per hectare.
Evaluation of Appropriate Storage Technologies for Shelf-life Improvement of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Roots for Marginal Upland Farmers
Authors: Quevedo Marcelo , Ramos Arsenio , Sta. Iglesia Ness Marie
Published: October 2019

Fast deterioration of roots after harvest is on of the major challenges in cassava production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of simple cassava storage techniques in minimizing postharvest losses. Four storage techniques, namely: 1) box storage with moist sawdust as packing medium; 2) box storage with moist rivers and as packing medium; 3) packing in wet jute sack; and 4) unpacked control were evaluated. Data on physical and chemical characteristics as well as sensory qualities of stored cassava roots were assessed. Cassava root var. ‘Macan’ deterioration in terms of vascular streaking and root decay and weight loss were minimized by packing the roots with moist river sand and sawdust. Moist river sand prolonged the shelf life of cassava roots for 30 days with very minimal degree of vascular streaking. Unpacked roots (control) lasted only for 6 days in storage due to severe vascular streaking and root decay while those packed in wet jute sacks lasted for 15 days. Sugar contents of cassava roots increased with time of storage while starch content decreased. Sensory qualities of the roots stored in boxes with moist river sand and sawdust for 30 to 60 days were as acceptable as or more acceptable than those of the freshly harvested roots when boiled.
Pool Boiling Heat Transfer from Aluminum Alloy Circular Surface Using Al2O3 and CuO Water Based Nano-fluids
Authors: Fahmy Adel A. , Abdel Aziz Ali A.
Published: October 2019

The present work aims to study the effect of nano-particles volume fraction of nano-fluid on the heat transfer during pool boiling with different values of heat flux. The concentration ratios by volume in demineralized water are taken as 0.02 %, 0.20 %, 0.40 %, 0.60, and 0.80 % for Al2O3 nano-particles and 0.02 %, 0.06 %, and 0.20 % for CuO nano-particles. Heat transfer coefficients for pool boiling were established experimentally for different values of volume fraction and heat flux. The heating element is made from an aluminum alloy (AL 6061) with a circular smooth surface of 100 mm diameter and 10 mm thickness. The nano-particles porous layer that builds up during boiling is observed by a scanning electron microscope of the heated surface before and after the boiling. The results demonstrate that the heat transfer rate depends on the concentration ratios and heat flux. Using nano-particles decreases the pool boiling heat transfer in comparison with demineralized water. Due to the deposition of nano-particles on the heated surface, lower heat transfer is obtained for a lower bubble departure compared with demineralized water for the small wall superheat.
Editorial
Authors: Sirkeci Ibrahim
Published: October 2019

In this issue, the first paper is by Argun Abrek Canbolat and deals with extended consciousness in a literature review. The second contribution is by Philip L. Martin and looks at the Trump administration's migration policies in the US. Carsten Schaefer examines and discusses the Chinese efforts to control and utilise diaspora. The last paper by Peter O’Brien discusses the borders and irregular migration.
Working apart together: The impact of immigration on Spanish class structure
Authors: Stanek Mikolaj , Requena Miguel
Published: October 2019

In this article, we explore how the massive incorporation of the foreign-born population into the labour market during the economic expansion in Spain and the subsequent destruction of employment in the period of the economic downturn have contributed to changes in Spanish class structure. Drawing on data from the Labour Force Survey we estimate an entropy-based segregation index in order to assess the extent to which the unevenness of the distribution of natives and immigrants within social classes has contributed to the overall demographic composition of social class structure. Our results reveal that in the period of economic expansion the segregation of the class structure increased as a result of the concentration of immigrant population in specific classes. In contrast, during the economic crisis this process has been reversed: the uneven class distribution between natives and immigrants has levelled out and segregation among natives has decreased.
VIEWPOINT Grasping the Fear: How Xenophobia Intersects with Climatephobia and Robotphobia and how their Co-production Creates Feelings of Abandonment, Self-pity and Destruction
Authors: Paerregaard Karsten
Published: October 2019

The aim of this article is to discuss an issue that has been on my mind for several years: the fear that fuels the rightist populist movements in Europe and America. As we all know, xenophobia is at the heart of the political rhetoric of Lega in Italy, Vox in Spain, Rassemplement National in France, UKIP in UK, Die Freiheitspartei in Austria, Alternative für Deutschland in Germany, Vlaams Belang in Belgium, Partij voor de Vrijheid in Holland, the nationalist parties of Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries, and, of course, the Republican Party led by President Trump in the US. In Europe, anti-Muslim sentiments have become a driver of rightist populism in many countries, and in America, Mexicans and other Latino groups are recurring targets of Trump’s many tweets. But even though I agree that xenophobia is crucial to the surge of populism in the Western world, I believe other equally important sentiments of fear co-produce the image of foreigners as a threat. Two such elements are the threats that a future climate disaster and the introduction of AI (artificial intelligence) represent to our lives and livelihoods.
Photo-identification of horseshoe whip snakes (Hemorrhois hippocrepis, Linnaeus, 1758) by a semi-automatic procedure applied to wildlife management
Authors: Rotger Andreu
Published: October 2019

Photo-identification is an increasingly used method for the study of animal populations. Natural marks such as coloration or scale pattern to identify individuals provide an inexpensive and less invasive alternative to conventional tagging methods. Photo-identification has previously been used to distinguish individual snakes, usually by comparing the pileus region. Nevertheless, this method is seldom used in capture-recapture studies. We show the effectiveness of photo-identification in snakes using specific software for individual recognition applied to a wildlife control study of horseshoe whip snakes. Photos were analysed with Automatic Photo Identification Suite (APHIS), which allowed us to compare the variability of head scale patterns surrounding the parietal shields instead of the traditional method of using large scale groups of the pileus. APHIS correctly identified 100 % of recaptures of snakes. Although further studies are needed, the variability of the surrounding scales of the pileus region seems a robust method to identify and differentiate individuals.
State, BUMN (State Owned Enterprises - SOEs) and Role of Law in Economic Development: A Theoretical Approach
Authors: Syahrul Ansari Teuku
Published: October 2019

In developing the Business Judgment System for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs, Persero) in Indonesian Economic Law, it is necessary to elaborate on the theory of the role of law in economic development. According to J.D. Mrs. Hart has three elements that must be developed in the legal system so that the law plays a role in economic development, namely predictability, stability, justice (fairness). The role of the law, basically refers to the main purpose of the law, which is to create an orderly society. Order and balance in society need to be achieved, so that human interests will be protected in achieving their goals. In general, the law functions to divide rights and obligations, regulate how to solve legal problems and maintain legal certainty. The role of the law basically refers to the main objective of the law, which is to create an orderly society. Order and balance in society need to be achieved, so that human interests will be protected in achieving their goals. In general, the law functions to divide rights and obligations, regulate how to solve legal problems and maintain legal certainty. The focus of this paper is the interaction of Indonesian corporate law in the Indonesian Economic Law system in the management of state-owned enterprises, as one of the corporations with legal status to be able to compete globally, because this principle is a universal principle. Corporate law and globalization interact in the same social space and interests. With these interactions, it allows various possibilities, such as integration, incoordination (partial merging), competition (each running alone), conflict (conflicting), and avoidance (one of the laws avoids the enforcement of other laws).
Effects of hydropriming on seed germination, seedling growth and yield of bitter gourd
Authors: Tania Shaila Shermin , Hossain Md. Mokter , Hossain M Abul
Published: October 2019

The experiment was conducted to find out the effects of hydropriming on seed germination, seedling growth and yield of bitter. Two single factor experiments were conduced at the laboratory and field of Seed Science and Technology Department following completely randomized design with three replications and randomized complete block design with five replications, rspectively. The experiments comprised six soaking treatments viz. T0: untreated (control), T1: tap water (around 25º ± 2º C) for overnight, T2:cold water (12ºC) for 5 min, T3: cold water (12ºC) for 10min, T4:cold water (12ºC) for 15min, T5: hot water (45ºC) for 5 min and T6: hot water (45ºC) for 10min soaking. The highest germination (88.0%) was obtained from T5 treatment and the lowest germination  (30.0%) was recorded in control treatment. It was also observed that T5 treatment exehibited superior performances in respect of most of the parameters studied in the laboratory as well as in fiield experiment as compeared to control treatment. In respect of fruit yield per plant, maximum number of fruits obtained from T5 treatment (16 fruits/plant) followed by T6 (14 fruit/plant), T1 (12 fruit/plant), T2 (12.0 fruit/plant), T3 (11.2 fruit/plant) and T4 (11.2 fruit/plant) and the minimum number of fruits per plant recorded from the control treatment (7.6). From the findings of these study it can be concluded that bitter gourd seeds soaked in hot water at 45ºC for 5 min could improve seed germination, expedite seedling growth and eventually increase the yield of fruit.
J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 281–287, 2019
Field efficacy of some new insecticides against brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis (Guen.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and their toxic effects on natural enemies
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Wasif , Das Gopal , Uddin Mohammad Mahir
Published: October 2019

Brinjal is susceptible to attack of various insect pests from seedling to fruiting stage. Among these, brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis (Guen.) is the most destructive pest and is considered to be the limiting factor in quantitative as well asqualitative harvest of brinjal fruits. In the present study, efficacy of some new insecticides viz. Pine 6 WG (Emamectin benzoate + Abamectin), Heron 5 EC (Lufenuron), Belt 24 WG (Flubendiamide) and Cyclone 2.5 EC (Lambda-cyhalothrin) were evaluated against brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB) in field condition from the period of October, 2015 to April, 2016. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) having three replications and two concentrations of each of the insecticides. A total of three spraying was given and finally a cumulative mean was found out. Data were collected on percent shoot infestation, percent fruit infestation, marketable fruit yield (t/ha) and abundances of natural enemies per plant. Results clearly showed that all the insecticides significantly reduced BSFB infestation as well as increased marketable fruit yield compared to the untreated control. The highest shoot (27.40%) and fruit (55.93%) infestation were recorded from control plots. On the other hand, the lowest shoot (6.71%) and fruit (11.58%) infestation were recorded from Pine 6 WG treated plots @ 0.50 g/L that was followed by Heron 5 EC @ 1.0 ml/L (6.89% shoot; 14.51% fruits), Cyclone 2.5 EC @ 1.5 ml/L (15.73% shoot and 16.45% fruits) and Belt 24 WG @ 0.50 g/L (9.53% shoot and 25.47% fruits), respectively. Similar trend was found in case of marketable fruit yield as well.  Pine 6 WG and Heron 5 EC were found to be comparatively safe for both ladybird beetle and lynx spiders as their abundances were not changed significantly compared to untreated control. In contrast, the application of Belt 24 WG and Cyclone 2.5 EC has reduced 50 to 60% of the ladybird beetle and lynx spiders populations in brinjal eco-system. The results suggested that two biopesticides viz., Pine 6 WG and Heron 5 EC can be used successfully against BSFB considering minimum shoot and fruit infestation, higher fruit yield and less toxicity to natural enemies in brinjal eco-system.
J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 319–324, 2019
Inhibitory effect of Zingiberaceae essential oils against Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae
Authors: Saripah B. , Hajjar M. L. S. Noor , Alias A. , Zhang A.
Published: October 2019

Zingiberaceae (Order: Zingiberales) is recognized as the essential herbaceous species in the tropics. Several species of Zingiberaceae have shown potential in managing some Lepidopteran and Dipteran pests. Currently, there is no report in Malaysia explores the potential use of Zingiberaceae in managing cocoa pests, particularly the Cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella. The study was conducted to evaluate the potential of Zingiberaceae as an adult emergence inhibition of C. cramerella using three locally grown species in Malaysia; Alpinia galanga (galanga), Curcuma longa (turmeric), and Zingiber officinale (ginger). Different ages of the CPB pupa (Days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) were selected and were sprayed with Zingiberaceae essential oils (EOs). Pupa was sprayed with EOs at four different concentrations; 100, 200, 400, and 800 ppm. Observations were carried out after 5 to 7 days, where the percentage of the unhatched pupa and healthy adult was recorded. The percentage of the deformed adults were examined based on the abdomen, the antenna, the wings, and overall deformities. The study was repeated four times for each EOs. Results denoted that the percentage of the unhatched pupa was the highest at C. longa (49.75 % a) and significantly different (p<0.05) with A. galanga (48.00 % b), Z. officinale (40.97 % c) and control treatment (13.59 % d). The highest healthy adult emergence was recorded under the control treatment (75.77 % a), and significantly different with all Zingiberaceae EOs. The overall results denoted that most of the deformities occurred after pupa were treated with the Zingiberaceae EOs at high concentrations (400 and 800 ppm), and engaged with the body and wing deformities. The symptom of adult deformities after treating with EOs may indicate the potential of Zingiberaceae as an adult emergence inhibitor of C. cramerella, and can be possibly used for the development of Zingiberaceae based botanical pesticide in the future.
J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 349–354, 2019
Women employment in agricultural sector: Effects on livelihoods
Authors: Begum Nasrin Nahar , Khan Md. Nazrul Islam , Rahman Sk. Shafiqur , Islam Sheikh Nazrul
Published: October 2019

Women in Bangladesh are involved with agriculture in planting, harvesting and post-harvest processing. Present study investigated the socio-economic, hygienic and maternal health of the women working in agricultural sector (employee) and women who are involved in other works (non-employee) in the same community to evaluate impacts of agriculture on women life style. Data was collected from Chittagong, Dinajpur and Mymensingh district using questionnaire survey. The survey results revealed that medium household size (61.9% and 57.8%), primary education (51.4% and 49.1%), married (93.6% and 91.4%) was dominant among employee and non-employee women, respectively. Average monthly household income and expenditure of the employees were Tk. 11532 and Tk. 8926, respectively while in non-employee women were Tk. 9686 and Tk. 7848, respectively. Most of the employee and non-employee women had facilities for drinking tube-well water (91.9% and 81.5%) and use polli electricity (69.9% and 68.2%) in the areas. This indicates that higher income from agriculture has a positive impact on life style of employee women. Clean house, hand washing, garbage disposal and ingredients wash before cooking constituted highest percentage of the respondents in both cases. Current study revealed that health check during pregnancy, T.T. coverage and normal delivery process was good among the employee women. Body Mass Index (BMI) results revealed that 68.2% employee women was under normal weight while 42.8% non-employee women was underweight. Besides, obesity rate was significantly higher among the non-employee women (25.4%) which is only 2.9% among the employee community. The study observed and suggesting that employee women in agriculture have better life style, more income, hygiene practice, good maternal health and better nutritional status than the non-employee women in the same community.
J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 375–379, 2019
Microcontroller based granular urea application attachment for rice transplanter
Authors: Rahman Md Towfiqur , Alam Md Monjurul , Hossain Md Mosharraf , Al Mamun Muhammad Rashed
Published: October 2019

Transplanting and fertilizer application for rice production in Bangladesh are tedious, time consuming and laborious task, and mostly done manually. Mechanical transplanting of rice becoming popular in the country in recent years and few machines have been developed for granular urea deep placement, however, having some limitations. Placing granular urea precisely along with rice transplanting, an attempt was under taken to design and fabricate an electronic control granular urea applicator to be attach with a 4-row walk behind type rice transplanter. Fabrication of the electronic granular urea applicator was done in the workshop of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Physical structure of the attachment was assembled with available parts of BARI granular urea applicator. A DC gear motor was coupled with metering disk shaft to rotate and pick granular urea from hopper. Moreover, its speed was synchronized with the picker speed of the rice transplanter by a microcontroller Arduino Mega 2560. A computer program was developed and compiled successfully into Arduino IDE, where an equation was derived and incorporated into loop control structure. The program can also be used for any kind of applications where variable rate is required. The machine was found successful in test run and laboratory-based experiments. Average spacing of granular urea placement was found 34.71 cm with 1.38% missing hill, Its power requirement was found about 20 W. This innovation provided options for performing granular urea application and rice transplanting, two most laborious tasks simultaneously which might minimize the cost of production as well as human drudgery with an error free manner.
J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 380–387, 2019
Livelihood Analysis of the Char Dwellers Using Capital Asset Framework
Authors: Rahman MA , Siddik MA
Published: October 2019

The study has been carried out in a Riverine Island of the Ganges River in Chapai Nawabganj District of Bangladesh to evaluate the livelihood status and the association between different livelihood capitals and well-being status. Both qualitative and quantitative data are collected through household questionnaire survey and field observation. Most of the surveyed households are found either poor or hard core poor. This study identified five capitals of livelihood i.e. human, social, natural, financial and physical capitals with specific indicators. Family size and education indicators of human capital, organizational attachment of social capital, total and operational land of natural capital, value of livestock, size of savings and loan of financial capital and mobile phone of physical capital are statistically significant with the well-being status. This means higher value of indicators indicate higher the well-being status. Hence, this study assumes that most of the char dwellers are poor or hard core poor because their livelihood capitals and assets are not in satisfactory level. This study suggests providing necessary institutional and organizational supports for strengthening the livelihood of char dwellers.

J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 11(1-2): 27-36 2018
Measuring Service Quality in The Context of Higher Education in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen
Published: October 2019

This paper focuses on the understanding of service quality in the context of Vietnamese universities. It proposes an approach for measuring the quality of the higher education service provided by universities in Vietnam. Firstly, an exploratory study was conducted. Then, the set of items which were generated became the subject of a questionnaire that was then administered to 675 students of a Vietnamese university to determine the dimensions of higher education service quality in this context. The obtained results permit us to appropriate a measurement scale which is slightly different from the SERVQUAL scale widely known as the standard for measuring service quality. The results also show that tangible elements, responsiveness and assurance seem to be three specific dimensions of the higher education service of Vietnamese universities.
FDI and Growth in Vietnam: A Critical Survey
Authors: Tran Thi Anh Dao , Dinh Thi Thanh Binh
Published: October 2019

More than ever, countries at all levels of development seek to leverage FDI for development and adopt measures aimed at improving their investment climate. Despite the exhaustive literature on the topic however, results on growth effects of FDI still remain controversial. Notwithstanding the absence of any robust conclusions on the direction of causality between FDI and growth, most developing countries continue however to pursue policies aimed at encouraging more FDI inflows. This paper provides an overview of economic reforms related to foreign investment in Vietnam as well as the main trends and patterns of FDI inflows. It discusses the literature on FDI, summarizes the main studies which have analyzed the impacts in Vietnam and suggests some research directions.
The Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ Issue and the 1965 System: Comfort Women of the Empire and Two-fold Historical Revisionism
Authors: Chong Young-hwan
Published: October 2019

Since its publication in 2013, Park Yuha’s book Comfort Women of the Empire (Cheguk ŭi wianbu) has become a major point of contention for those concerned with the “comfort women” issue. However, while this book has been frequently cited amidst the recent maelstrom of Japan–Korea relations, the actual content of the book has received insufficient scrutiny. The aim of this article is to concretely examine the content and problematic aspects of Park’s book, building on research that has been carried out since the 1990s into the ‘comfort women’ issue and the question of post-war reparations. Based on the assumption that the Japanese government does not have any legal responsibilities, Park’s book claims that: 1) the “comfort women” victims do not have any right to claim compensation for damages from the Japanese government; 2) even if they did have such a right, the government of the Republic of Korea gave up all rights of claim at the Japan–Korea negotiations that concluded with the Treaty of 1965; and 3) the “economic cooperation” funds that the ROK received as a result of this Treaty were in fact a form of post-war reparations related to the Sino–Japanese War. However, Park has been unable to provide satisfactory grounds for these claims, due to the fact that her book Comfort Women of the Empire does not have an accurate understanding of the preceding research it uses. I argue that Park’s work contains serious methodological flaws, including a failure to define core concepts, such as reparations; the existence of mutually contradictory passages; the arbitrary selection of evidence to support her arguments; and the misuse of previous research. As a result, the book has critical flaws from the standpoint of its fundamental stated aim of promoting historical reconciliation.
Moments of the Future’: Imagining the City and Monuments of Pyongyang in 2050
Authors: Mandić Jelena
Published: October 2019

The possibility of reconciliation between the two Koreas and a potential change of the political regime in North Korea raises the question of the urban futures of North Korean cities, which at the moment serve as a stage for power consolidation through the monumental propaganda of the present regime. This paper examines an urban design project that imagines urban future of Pyongyang in 2050 and its colossal socialist era monuments after an assumed unification. Instead of erasing the socialist past of the city by removing the existing monuments (which was the practice in other socialist countries), this project proposes adding new layers of monuments that would represent and commemorate the new political and economic realities of ‘unification,’ and at the same time preserve the identity and legibility of the city. This alternative strategy was made possible by combining design thinking with the scenario technique utilized in Future Studies. Within the framework of the established scenario and politico-economic circumstances it compels, the method of writing History of the future was developed as a tool for envisioning an urban reality of 2050 Pyongyang, from which the Grid of Moments project would arise. The resulting project, conceived within the fictional story, allows historical and future ideologies, represented by the historical and new monuments, to coexist in Pyongyang through concurrent and respective acknowledgement. In this way, the role of architecture is shifted from serving the political regime towards acting as a social critique, as well as inducing a social transformation. These thought strategies were enabled by approaching design through scenario and storytelling method developed within it, as it left space for more imagination and creativity, and introduced a degree of objectivity to the design process by allowing different ideologies to be considered.
Actinobacteria Derived from Algerian Ecosystems as a Prominent Source of Antimicrobial Molecules
Authors: Djinni Ibtissem , Defant Andrea , Kecha Mouloud , Mancini Ines
Published: October 2019

Actinobacteria, in particular “rare actinobacteria” isolated from extreme ecosystems, remain the most inexhaustible source of novel antimicrobials, offering a chance to discover new bioactive metabolites. This is the first overview on actinobacteria isolated in Algeria since 2002 to date with the aim to present their potential in producing bioactive secondary metabolites. Twenty-nine new species and one novel genus have been isolated, mainly from the Saharan soil and palm groves, where 37.93% of the most abundant genera belong to Saccharothrix and Actinopolyspora. Several of these strains were found to produce antibiotics and antifungal metabolites, including 17 new molecules among the 50 structures reported, and some of these antibacterial metabolites have shown interesting antitumor activities. A series of approaches used to enhance the production of bioactive compounds is also presented as the manipulation of culture media by both classical methods and modeling designs through statistical strategies and the associations with diverse organisms and strains. Focusing on the Algerian natural sources of antimicrobial metabolites, this work is a representative example of the potential of a closely combined study on biology and chemistry of natural products.
Spray Drying of Blueberry Juice-Maltodextrin Mixtures: Evaluation of Processing Conditions on Content of Resveratrol
Authors: Leyva-Porras César , Saavedra-Leos María Zenaida , Cervantes-González Elsa , Aguirre-Bañuelos Patricia , Silva-Cázarez Macrina B. , Álvarez-Salas Claudia
Published: October 2019

Resveratrol is an antioxidant abundant in red fruits, and one of the most powerful inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress (OS) produced by human metabolism. The effect of the spray drying processing conditions of blueberry juice (BJ) and maltodextrin (MX) mixtures was studied on content and retention of resveratrol. Quantitatively, analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that concentration of MX was the main variable influencing content of resveratrol. Response surface plots (RSP) confirmed the application limits of maltodextrins based on their molecular weight, where low molecular weight MXs showed a better performance as carrying agents. After qualitatively comparing results for resveratrol against those reported for a larger antioxidant molecule (quercetin 3-D-galactoside), it was observed a higher influence of the number of active sites available for the chemical interactions, instead of stearic hindrance effects.
Phytochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Oudneya Africana L. Leaves Extracts: Evaluation Effects on Fatty Acids and Proteins Oxidation of Beef Burger during Refrigerated Storage
Authors: Hajlaoui Hafedh , Arraouadi Soumaya , Mighri Hedi , Chaaibia Mouna , Gharsallah Néji , Ros Gaspar , Nieto Gema , Kadri Adel
Published: October 2019

Five Oudneya Africana (OA) leaves extracts were screened for their total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), condensed tannins (CTC) content, as well as their antioxidant capacity. The highest amount of TPC (661.66 ± 0.08 mg GAE/g), TFC (344.68 ± 0.44 mg QE/g) and TCT (90.18 ± 0.49 mg CE/g) was recorded to ethanol, acetone, and dichloromethane extracts, respectively. For 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (22.00 ± 0.03 µg/mL) and Reducing Power Assay (FRAP) (269.00 ± 0.01µg/mL) assays, ethanol extract showed the potent activity, while with ABTS test, acetone extract was the most active (761.15 ± 0.09 µg/mL). HPLC-MS analysis of acetonic and ethanolic extracts reveals the predominance of quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and rutin compounds. The addition effect evaluation of OA extracts in beef burger preservation demonstrates the powerful effect (p < 0.05) of acetonic and ethanolic ones (0.03%) to inhibit lipids oxidation during storage for 10 days, given by the lowest increase in Thiobarbituric Acid-reactive Substances (TBARS) values as compared to the (−) control with a significant difference between free thiols values. In addition, these two extracts appear to be effective (p < 0.05) for pH stability, color, and sensory parameters as compared to (+) and (−) controls and aqueous extract. Hamburger odour was considered as a dependent variable in multiple linear regression analysis, where the models results showed that physicochemical parameters determine more burger odour than sensorial ones.
Hepatoprotective Effect of the Ethanol Extract of Illicium henryi against Acute Liver Injury in Mice Induced by Lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Islam Md Sodrul , Yu Hui , Miao Lingyan , Liu Zhaoying , He Yanfei , Sun Hongxiang
Published: October 2019

The root bark of Illicium henryi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat lumbar muscle strain and rheumatic pain. Its ethanol extract (EEIH) has been previously reported to attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute kidney injury in mice. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activities and in vivo protective effects of EEIH against LPS-induced acute liver injury (ALI) in mice as well as explore its molecular mechanisms. The mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with EEIH at the doses of 1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg every day for 5 days. One hour after the last administration, the mice were administered i.p. with LPS (8 mg/kg). After fasting for 12 h, blood and liver tissues were collected to histopathological observation, biochemical assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot analyses. EEIH possessed 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid) disodium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and ferric-reducing antioxidant capacity in vitro. The histopathological examination, serum biochemical analysis, and liver myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity showed that EEIH pretreatment alleviated LPS-induced liver injury in mice. EEIH significantly dose-dependently decreased the mRNA and protein expression levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and COX-2 in liver tissue of LPS-induced ALI mice via downregulating the mRNA and protein expressions of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and inhibiting the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65. Furthermore, EEIH markedly ameliorated liver oxidative and nitrosative stress burden in LPS-treated mice through reducing the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) levels, restoring the decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and up-regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). These results demonstrate that EEIH has protective effects against ALI in mice via alleviating inflammatory response, oxidative and nitrosative stress burden through activating the Nrf2 and suppressing the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathways. The hepatoprotective activity of EEIH might be attributed to the flavonoid compounds such as catechin (1), 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (2), and taxifolin (7) that most possibly act synergistically.
Bis-allylic Deuterated DHA Alleviates Oxidative Stress in Retinal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Rosell Mélissa , Giera Martin , Brabet Philippe , Shchepinov Mikhail S. , Guichardant Michel , Durand Thierry , Vercauteren Joseph , Galano Jean-Marie , Crauste Céline
Published: October 2019

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in developing and accelerating retinal diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, n-3), the main lipid constituent of retinal epithelial cell membranes, is highly prone to radical and enzymatic oxidation leading to deleterious or beneficial metabolites for retinal tissue. To inhibit radical oxidation while preserving enzymatic metabolism, deuterium was incorporated at specific positions of DHA, resulting in D2-DHA when incorporated at position 6 and D4-DHA when incorporated at the 6,9 bis-allylic positions. Both derivatives were able to decrease DHAs’ toxicity and free radical processes involved in lipid peroxidation, in ARPE-19 cells (Adult Retinal Pigment Epithelial cell line), under pro-oxidant conditions. Our positive results encouraged us to prepare lipophenolic-deuterated-DHA conjugates as possible drug candidates for AMD treatment. These novel derivatives proved efficient in limiting lipid peroxidation in ARPE-19 cells. Finally, we evaluated the underlying mechanisms and the enzymatic conversion of both deuterated DHA. While radical abstraction was affected at the deuterium incorporation sites, enzymatic conversion by the lipoxygenase 15s-LOX was not impacted. Our results suggest that site-specifically deuterated DHA could be used in the development of DHA conjugates for treatment of oxidative stress driven diseases, or as biological tools to study the roles, activities and mechanisms of DHA metabolites.
Significant Changes in Metabolic Profiles after Intervention with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 in an Elderly Population
Authors: Alehagen Urban , Johansson Peter , Aaseth Jan , Alexander Jan , Surowiec Izabella , Lundstedt-Enkel Katrin , Lundstedt Torbjörn
Published: October 2019

Selenium and coenzyme Q10 (SeQ10) are important for normal cellular function. Low selenium intake leads to increased cardiovascular mortality. Intervention with these substances with healthy elderly persons over a period of four years in a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled prospective study showed reduced cardiovascular mortality, increased cardiac function, and a lower level of NT-proBNP. Therefore, we wanted to evaluate changes in biochemical pathways as a result of the intervention with SeQ10 using metabolic profiling. From a population of 443 healthy elderly individuals that were given 200 µg selenium and 200 mg coenzyme Q10, or placebo daily for four years, we selected nine males on active intervention and nine males on placebo for metabolic profiling in the main study. To confirm the results, two validation studies (study 1 n = 60 males, study 2 n = 37 males) were conducted. Principal component analyses were used on clinical and demographic data to select representative sets of samples for analysis and to divide the samples into batches for analysis. Gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was applied. The metabolite data were evaluated using univariate and multivariate approaches, mainly T-tests and orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS) analyses. Out of 95 identified metabolites, 19 were significantly decreased due to the intervention after 18 months of intervention. Significant changes could be seen in the pentose phosphate, the mevalonate, the beta-oxidation and the xanthine oxidase pathways. The intervention also resulted in changes in the urea cycle, and increases in the levels of the precursors to neurotransmitters of the brain. This adds information to previous published results reporting decreased oxidative stress and inflammation. This is the first-time metabolic profiling has been applied to elucidate the mechanisms behind an intervention with SeQ10. The study is small and should be regarded as hypothesis-generating; however, the results are interesting and, therefore, further research in the area is needed. This study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, with the identifier NCT01443780.
Kinetic Study of CO2 Hydration by Small-Molecule Catalysts with A Second Coordination Sphere that Mimic the Effect of the Thr-199 Residue of Carbonic Anhydrase
Authors: Park DongKook , Lee Man Sig
Published: October 2019

Zinc complexes were synthesized as catalysts that mimic the ability of carbonic anhydrase (CA) for the CO2 hydration reaction (H2O + CO2 → H+ + HCO3−). For these complexes, a tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) ligand mimicking only the active site, and a 6-((bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)pyridin-2-ol (TPA-OH) ligand mimicking the hydrogen-bonding network of the secondary coordination sphere of CA were used. Potentiometric pH titration was used to determine the deprotonation ability of the Zn complexes, and their pKa values were found to be 8.0 and 6.8, respectively. Stopped-flow spectrophotometry was used to confirm the CO2 hydration rate. The rate constants were measured to be 648.4 and 730.6 M−1s−1, respectively. The low pKa value was attributed to the hydrogen-bonding network of the secondary coordination sphere of the catalyst that mimics the behavior of CA, and this was found to increase the CO2 hydration rate of the catalyst.
Protein Expression Profiling Identifies Key Proteins and Pathways Involved in Growth Inhibitory Effects Exerted by Guggulsterone in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells
Authors: Leo Rari , Therachiyil Lubna , Siveen Sivaraman K. , Uddin Shahab , Kulinski Michal , Buddenkotte Joerg , Steinhoff Martin , Krishnankutty Roopesh
Published: October 2019

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading killer cancer worldwide and one of the most common malignancies with increasing incidences of mortality. Guggulsterone (GS) is a plant sterol used for treatment of various ailments such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and arthritis. In the current study, anti-cancer effects of GS in human colorectal cancer cell line HCT 116 was tested, potential targets identified using mass spectrometry-based label-free shotgun proteomics approach and key pathways validated by proteome profiler antibody arrays. Comprehensive proteomic profiling identified 14 proteins as significantly dysregulated. Proteins involved in cell proliferation/migration, tumorigenesis, cell growth, metabolism, and DNA replication were downregulated while the protein with functional role in exocytosis/tumor suppression was found to be upregulated. Our study evidenced that GS treatment altered expression of Bcl-2 mediated the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c which triggered the formation of apoptosome as well as activation of caspase-3/7 leading to death of HCT 116 cells via intrinsic apoptosis pathway. GS treatment also induced expression of p53 protein while p21 expression was unaltered with no cell cycle arrest. In addition, GS was found to inhibit NF-kB signaling in colon cancer cells by quelling the expression of its regulated gene products Bcl-2, cIAP-1, and survivin.
Studies on Novel Methods for Formulating Novel Cross-Linked Hydrogel Films of Hyaluronic Acid
Authors: Rashid Fatimah , Albayati Mustafa , Dodou Kalliopi
Published: October 2019

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural polysaccharide with promising applications in modern cosmetic and nutricosmetic products due to its high-water affinity, which is essential for skin hydration, as well as its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and non-immunogenic nature. In this study, we investigated and optimized the method of crosslinking for formulating novel HA hydrogel films. We used Pentaerythritol Tetra-acrylate (PT) as the cross-linking agent over a range of pH values and used different cross-linking methods (Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, microwaving, and oven heating). The efficacy of the cross-linking reaction was evaluated using swelling studies and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for the characterization of the xerogel HA-PT film formulations. We found that HA-PT cross-linked hydrogels are produced under alkaline conditions (pH 11) but not under neutral or acidic conditions. Cross-linked HA-PT xerogel films using UV-irradiation showed excessive swelling indicative of inadequate cross-linking. The oven and microwaving methods produced HA-PT films with high cross-linking density. FTIR data suggest formation of ester bond between the carbonyl of the HA and hydroxyl group of the PT acrylate group. Overall, the oven method was considered better and easier than UV-radiation/microwave methods because it is safer, user-friendly and eco-friendly, and can process larger batches.