bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epidemiologic profile of oral squamous cell carcinoma in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Gracia Isadora , Utoro Totok , Supriatno Supriatno , Astuti Indwiani , Heriyanto Didik Setyo , Pramono Dibyo
Published: April 2017

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Oral cancer is a major health problem in the world, indicated by a high incidence of recurrence. In Southeast Asia, oral cancer ranks sixth from all cancers on the human body. The incidence of oral cancer, especially squamous cell carcinoma types, increases every year, but the prognosis and patients life expectancy are still unsatisfying enough and the reports about the profile of oral cancer is still limited.The objective of this research was to get the epidemiological profile of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Methods: The research method was observational analytic with cross-sectional design. All new OSCC cases in three anatomic pathology laboratory installations in Yogyakarta (January 2011-December 2015) were included in this study. Data collected were gender, age, anatomical location, and histology. All data were analyzed using statistical analysis program. Results: OSCC new cases amount increasing each year: 6 cases (6.6%) in 2011, and increased to 24 cases (26.4%) in 2015. Fifty-two of the 91 cases (57.1%) were found on male. The age group with the most cases was found in group of 41-60 years (49.5%). There is no difference in the case distribution by age between male and female. Forty-eight cases were found in the lingual part (52.7%). Histological examination showed 68 cases (74.7%) were well-differentiated carcinoma. Conclusion: OSCC profile in Yogyakarta mostly found in men with anatomical location in the lingual part in the age group above 40 years of age and were having well-differentiated histology.Keywords: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), Epidemiologic profile, Yogyakarta
Power in a “Safe” Space
Authors: Golosky Olivia Marie
Published: April 2017

Safe spaces: recently it’s a phrase that is getting tossed around a lot in the arts world. How does one create a safe space? What does creating a safe space imply? The complexities are many between power dynamics and the welcomeness in a space for all. It can be tough to navigate. Can we achieve equitable, safe spaces without addressing inherent power imbalances and patterns of discrimination?
Dietary Links to Alzheimer's Disease: 1999 Update
Authors: Grant William B.
Published: April 2017

With the republication of Grant (18), the first paper providing epidemiologic evidence linking diet to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is an appropriate time to review the findings and hypotheses therein in light of the subsequent literature. The main findings, that dietary fat and energy in old age are high risk factors, while fish and cereals are risk-reduction factors, have been supported in various recent epidemiologic studies. Diet contri-butes to the development of AD through modulating oxidative stress and inflammation, which is also linked to oxidative stress, but may also arise from series 2 prostaglandins. Thus, as one ages, dietary modifications and additional supplements designed to reduce free radical production and inflammation provide a significant measure of reduction in risk for the development of AD.
Cholinergic Muscarinic Receptor Signaling by the Phosphoinositide Signal Transduction System in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Jope Richard S.
Published: April 2017

Recent years have seen the advent of new methods capable of measuring the activity of receptor-coupled, G-protein-mediated, phosphoino-sitide second messenger production in membranes prepared from postmortem human brain. Considering the interest in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with cholinergic agonists, several investiga-tions have used this new methodology to analyze the functional state of cholinergic muscarinic receptors coupled to phosphoinositide signaling directly in AD brain. Several, but not all, reports indicate that cholinergic agonist-induced phosphoinositide signaling is severely impaired in AD, potentially due to impaired activation of the receptor-coupled G-protein. Ad-ditionally, deficits in AD also have been reported in the two second messenger pathways activated following phosphoinositide hydrolysis, inositol-1,4,5,-triphos-phate receptor binding and protein kinase C activation, indicating further that phosphoinositide signaling is impaired in AD. Sources of limitations in current methodologies and issues for further exploration are discussed. Speculation concerning potential links between cholinergic receptor-linked signaling and early events in the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles is provided. Especially intri-guing is the potential for the development of synergistic neurotoxicity where deficits of phosphoinositide signaling and increased production of Aβ interact to exacerbate alterations in each process that occur in AD, leading to a feed-forward cycle of progressive neuronal dysfunction.
A quantitative assessment of glycolipid and protein associated with paired helical filament preparations from Alzheimer's diseased brain
Authors: Goux Warren J. , Liu Bingcam , Shumburo Abdurahman M. , Parikh Samir , Sparkman Dennis R.
Published: April 2017

Protease resistant paired helical filaments (prcPHF) can be isolated from the brains of Alzheimer's diseased patients. A second type of PHF, A68 PHF, may be extracted in soluble form from brain homogenate and induced to form filaments in vitro. Here we use a variety of analytical techniques to assess the protein, carbohydrate and fatty acid composition of prcPHF and A68 PHF. High-field 1H NMR of both PHF preparations display similar fatty acid and carbohydrate proton resonances, consistent with the presence of a structurally similar glycolipid. Carbohydrate analysis showed that both preparations contained greater than 82% less than 12% C16:1 was significantly lower in A68 PHF than in prcPHF, both preparations contained otherwise similar fatty acid profiles with the most abundant lipid component being oleic acid (C18:1, 29.3 ± 9.0%) followed by palmitic (C16:0, 28.5 ± 5.6%) 17.6 ± 7.5%) preparations revealed a profile reasonably consistent with that previously determined for PHF-tau but significantly higher in glycine and lower in lysine than would be predicted from the cDNA sequence. On a weight per cent basis, protein accounted for about 51% A68 PHF samples but only about 10% Carbohydrate and fatty acid accounted for about 39% A68 PHF samples but 74% preparations showed strong correlations between the total amount of tau protein and fatty acid. These results suggest that a glycolipid component forms an integral part of the PHF structure.
Assessing olfactory abilities with the University of Pennsylvania smell identification test: A rasch scaling approach
Authors: Lange Rense , Donathan Carla L. , Hughes Larry F.
Published: April 2017

The strategy of delaying or retarding the progression of Alzheimer's disease requires early diagnosis and treatment. Previous research indicates that measurement of changes in olfaction and cognition will play an important role in the early detection of AD and in the monitoring of therapy effectiveness. Using the data of 177 subjects, our objective was to study the measurement properties of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) using a Rasch scaling framework. The results indicate that the UPSIT can yield a linear, unbiased, and unidimensional Rasch measure of human smell recognition abilities. As expected, olfactory recognition ability decreased with age, and at the rate of about 0.05 Logits per year. Also, Alzheimer's patients showed a decrease in smell recognition equivalent to that experienced by healthy subjects over the course of 30 years. Hormone replacement therapy was not found to affect healthy women's olfactory recognition ability. Additional diagnostic information can be extracted from the analysis of incorrect responses patterns that is relevant to group membership.
Serum pentosidine as an indicator of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Meli M. , Perier C. , Ferron C. , Parssegny F. , Denis C. , Gonthier R. , Laurent B. , Reynaud E. , Frey J. , Chamson A.
Published: April 2017

Pentosidine, an advanced glycation end product (AGE), was assayed by HPLC in serum proteins from patients with Alzheimer type dementia (AD), patients with diabetes mellitus (D), and healthy (C) age-matched old subjects (mean age from each group = 84 years). Serum pentosidine was significantly different between the three groups despite similar renal function (serum creatinine < 160 μmol/L). In all groups of patients, pentosidine was independent of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and the early glycation marker fructosamine and appeared to be an independent marker, mainly bound to serum albumin. Pentosidine could be an important factor useful for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Identification and Quantification of Sodium Benzoate in Different Brands of Mango Juices Available in Tangail Region, Bangladesh
Authors: Akter Shamoli , Zubair Md Abu , Khan Md Shahinul Haque , Bari Luthfunnesa , Huq Md Azizul , Rashid Mohammad A
Published: April 2017

Chemical preservation has become an increasingly important practice in modern food technology. Sodium benzoate is a permitted food additive in restrictive amounts by international laws, but their content must be declared and must not exceed the established limits by legislation. An experimental study for the level of sodium benzoate in different brands of mango juices available in the markets, stores and shops in Tangail region of Bangladesh was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. A Luna 5 ? C18 (2) 100A column (250 × 4.6 mm) was used for the chromatographic analysis. Chromatographic separation was achieved with isocratic solvent system comprising of sodium acetate and acetic acid buffer (pH =4.0)/acetonitrile in the ratio of 80:20 (1 ml/min) at 37oC and the chromatograms were recorded at 254 nm. The limit of detection and quantification for sodium benzoate was 0.00076 mg/100 ml and 0.00231 mg/100 ml, respectively. Quantification of the selected brand juices revealed that the level of the used sodium benzoate was within the FDA standard range. But by comparing with the Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI), brand-1 and brand-3 of the analyzed juice samples was found to deviate the current legal limits. The percentage recovery was found to be 92.04 ± 1.98 to 98.01 ± 1.91. It was found that some of the brands used excess amount of sodium benzoate which may be harmful for our health.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 20(1): 20-26, 2017
Measuring the Impacts of Quality of Work Life Indicators on the Marketing Representatives of Pharmaceutical Industries
Authors: Huda Kazi Nazmul
Published: April 2017

In modern Human Resource Management (HRM) practice, the concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) is relatively a new strategy for employee retention. The idea of QWL is developed upon the increasing importance of reducing employee turnover rate in a highly competitive market. Better QWL practice in sales and marketing oriented companies is inevitable to ensure employee productivity and therefore needs to be studied in detail. The core objective of the study was to measure the impact of QWL variables on the lives of Marketing Representatives (MR) of pharmaceutical companies. First, the variables influencing QWL are elaborated with the help of extensive literature review. Then this study tried to identify the current scenario of QWL Practices in ten renowned pharmaceutical companies through a survey of 112 MRs. This was supplemented with in-depth interviews of HR executives of three different companies. The study discovered job stress as a high priority indicator of QWL. The research also revealed organizational atmosphere based on fairness, experience sharing culture, employee suggestion scheme, opportunity to use skill and satisfactory reward system as influential determinants of QWL. This paper recommends the installation of QWL practices in other pharmaceutical companies with few short and long-term suggestions. There is room for conceptualizing and actualizing standard QWL practice in the Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies. An initiative like this one will encourage discussion and debates in applying much needed QWL practices in other sectors.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 20(1): 46-53, 2017
Abnormalities of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Gao Ju , Wang Luwen , Liu Jingyi , Xie Fei , Su Bo , Wang Xinglong
Published: April 2017

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and devastating neurological disorders characterized by the progressive loss of the structure and function of neurons in the central nervous system or peripheral nervous system. Mitochondria, organelles found in most eukaryotic cells, are essential for neuronal survival and are involved in a number of neuronal functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been demonstrated as a common prominent early pathological feature of a variety of common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo continuous fusion, fission, and transport, the processes of which not only control mitochondrial morphology and number but also regulate mitochondrial function and location. The importance of mitochondrial dynamics in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases has been increasingly unraveled after the identiﬁcation of several key fusion and fission regulators such as Drp1, OPA1, and mitofusins. In this review, after a brief discussion of molecular mechanisms regulating mitochondrial fusion, fission, distribution, and trafficking, as well as the important role of mitochondrial dynamics for neuronal function, we review previous and the most recent studies about mitochondrial dynamic abnormalities observed in various major neurodegenerative diseases and discuss the possibility of targeting mitochondrial dynamics as a likely novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
Green Tea Catechins for Prostate Cancer Prevention: Present Achievements and Future Challenges
Authors: Naponelli Valeria , Ramazzina Ileana , Lenzi Chiara , Bettuzzi Saverio , Rizzi Federica
Published: April 2017

Green tea catechins (GTCs) are a family of chemically related compounds usually classified as antioxidant molecules. Epidemiological evidences, supported by interventional studies, highlighted a more than promising role for GTCs in human prostate cancer (PCa) chemoprevention. In the last decades, many efforts have been made to gain new insights into the mechanism of action of GTCs. Now it is clear that GTCs’ anticancer action can no longer be simplistically limited to their direct antioxidant/pro-oxidant properties. Recent contributions to the advancement of knowledge in this field have shown that GTCs specifically interact with cellular targets, including cell surface receptors, lipid rafts, and endoplasmic reticulum, modulate gene expression through direct effect on transcription factors or indirect epigenetic mechanisms, and interfere with intracellular proteostasis at various levels. Many of the effects observed in vitro are dose and cell context dependent and take place at concentrations that cannot be achieved in vivo. Poor intestinal absorption together with an extensive systemic and enteric metabolism influence GTCs’ bioavailability through still poorly understood mechanisms. Recent efforts to develop delivery systems that increase GTCs’ overall bioavailability, by means of biopolymeric nanoparticles, represent the main way to translate preclinical results in a real clinical scenario for PCa chemoprevention.
An Information Technology Framework for the Development of an Embedded Computer System for the Remote and Non-Destructive Study of Sensitive Archaeology Sites
Authors: Georgiev Iliya , Georgiev Ivo
Published: April 2017

The paper proposes an information technology framework for the development of an embedded remote system for non-destructive observation and study of sensitive archaeological sites. The overall concept and motivation are described. The general hardware layout and software configuration are presented. The paper concentrates on the implementation of the following informational technology components: (a) a geographically unique identification scheme supporting a global key space for a key-value store; (b) a common method for octree modeling for spatial geometrical models of the archaeological artifacts, and abstract object representation in the global key space; (c) a broadcast of the archaeological information as an Extensible Markup Language (XML) stream over the Web for worldwide availability; and (d) a set of testing methods increasing the fault tolerance of the system. This framework can serve as a foundation for the development of a complete system for remote archaeological exploration of enclosed archaeological sites like buried churches, tombs, and caves. An archaeological site is opened once upon discovery, the embedded computer system is installed inside upon a robotic platform, equipped with sensors, cameras, and actuators, and the intact site is sealed again. Archaeological research is conducted on a multimedia data stream which is sent remotely from the system and conforms to necessary standards for digital archaeology.
Hard Real-Time Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing Using an Adaptive Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Mahmood Amjad , Khan Salman , Bahlool Rashed A.
Published: April 2017

In the Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud computing model, virtualized computing resources in the form of virtual machines are provided over the Internet. A user can rent an arbitrary number of computing resources to meet their requirements, making cloud computing an attractive choice for executing real-time tasks. Economical task allocation and scheduling on a set of leased virtual machines is an important problem in the cloud computing environment. This paper proposes a greedy and a genetic algorithm with an adaptive selection of suitable crossover and mutation operations (named as AGA) to allocate and schedule real-time tasks with precedence constraint on heterogamous virtual machines. A comprehensive simulation study has been done to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms in terms of their solution quality and efficiency. The simulation results show that AGA outperforms the greedy algorithm and non-adaptive genetic algorithm in terms of solution quality.
Impact of Copper Loading on NH3-Selective Catalytic Reduction, Oxidation Reactions and N2O Formation over Cu/SAPO-34
Authors: Leistner Kirsten , Brüsewitz Florian , Wijayanti Kurnia , Kumar Ashok , Kamasamudram Krishna , Olsson Louise
Published: April 2017

We developed a procedure for aqueous ion exchange to obtain different Cu loadings of Cu/SAPO-34 (between 0 and 2.6 wt %.) The catalysts were washcoated on monoliths and characterised with respect to their activity and selectivity under standard selective catalytic reduction (SCR), fast SCR, NH3 oxidation and NO oxidation reactions. They were further characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), ultraviolet (UV)-vis spectroscopy and NH3 adsorption. As expected, activity of all reactions increased with copper loading, due to increased number of active sites. However, the N2O formation during standard and fast SCR yielded interesting mechanistic information. We observed that N2O formation at low temperature increased with copper loading for the standard SCR reaction, while it decreased for fast SCR. The low-temperature N2O formation during fast SCR thus occurs predominantly over Brønsted sites. Species responsible for N2O formation during standard SCR, on the other hand, are formed on the copper sites. We further found that the fast SCR reaction occurs to a significant extent even over the H/SAPO-34 form. The Brønsted sites in SAPO-34 are thus active for the fast SCR reaction.
Research and Application of Hybrid Forecasting Model Based on an Optimal Feature Selection System—A Case Study on Electrical Load Forecasting
Authors: Dong Yunxuan , Wang Jianzhou , Wang Chen , Guo Zhenhai
Published: April 2017

The process of modernizing smart grid prominently increases the complexity and uncertainty in scheduling and operation of power systems, and, in order to develop a more reliable, flexible, efficient and resilient grid, electrical load forecasting is not only an important key but is still a difficult and challenging task as well. In this paper, a short-term electrical load forecasting model, with a unit for feature learning named Pyramid System and recurrent neural networks, has been developed and it can effectively promote the stability and security of the power grid. Nine types of methods for feature learning are compared in this work to select the best one for learning target, and two criteria have been employed to evaluate the accuracy of the prediction intervals. Furthermore, an electrical load forecasting method based on recurrent neural networks has been formed to achieve the relational diagram of historical data, and, to be specific, the proposed techniques are applied to electrical load forecasting using the data collected from New South Wales, Australia. The simulation results show that the proposed hybrid models can not only satisfactorily approximate the actual value but they are also able to be effective tools in the planning of smart grids.
The Role of c-MYC in B-Cell Lymphomas: Diagnostic and Molecular Aspects
Authors: Nguyen Lynh , Papenhausen Peter , Shao Haipeng
Published: April 2017

c-MYC is one of the most essential transcriptional factors, regulating a diverse array of cellular functions, including proliferation, growth, and apoptosis. Dysregulation of c-MYC is essential in the pathogenesis of a number of B-cell lymphomas, but is rarely reported in T-cell lymphomas. c-MYC dysregulation induces lymphomagenesis by loss of the tight control of c-MYC expression, leading to overexpression of intact c-MYC protein, in contrast to the somatic mutations or fusion proteins seen in many other oncogenes. Dysregulation of c-MYC in B-cell lymphomas occurs either as a primary event in Burkitt lymphoma, or secondarily in aggressive lymphomas such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, plasmablastic lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, or double-hit lymphoma. Secondary c-MYC changes include gene translocation and gene amplification, occurring against a background of complex karyotype, and most often confer aggressive clinical behavior, as evidenced in the double-hit lymphomas. In low-grade B-cell lymphomas, acquisition of c-MYC rearrangement usually results in transformation into highly aggressive lymphomas, with some exceptions. In this review, we discuss the role that c-MYC plays in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas, the molecular alterations that lead to c-MYC dysregulation, and their effect on prognosis and diagnosis in specific types of B-cell lymphoma.
Epidemiology of Burns in Rural Bangladesh: An Update
Authors: He Siran , Alonge Olakunle , Agrawal Priyanka , Sharmin Shumona , Islam Irteja , Mashreky Saidur , Arifeen Shams
Published: April 2017

Each year, approximately 265,000 deaths occur due to burns on a global scale. In Bangladesh, around 173,000 children under 18 sustain a burn injury. Since most epidemiological studies on burn injuries in low and middle-income countries are based on small-scale surveys or hospital records, this study aims to derive burn mortality and morbidity measures and risk factors at a population level in Bangladesh. A household survey was conducted in seven rural sub-districts of Bangladesh in 2013 to assess injury outcomes. Burn injuries were one of the external causes of injury. Epidemiological characteristics and risk factors were described using descriptive as well as univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The overall mortality and morbidity rates were 2 deaths and 528 injuries per 100,000 populations. Females had a higher burn rate. More than 50% of injuries were seen in adults 25 to 64 years of age. Most injuries occurred in the kitchen while preparing food. 88% of all burns occurred due to flame. Children 1 to 4 years of age were four times more likely to sustain burn injuries as compared to infants. Age-targeted interventions, awareness of first aid protocols, and improvement of acute care management would be potential leads to curb death and disability due to burn injuries.
Old Maids: Aging and Its Impact on Microglia Function
Authors: Koellhoffer Edward , McCullough Louise , Ritzel Rodney
Published: April 2017

Microglia are highly active and vigilant housekeepers of the central nervous system that function to promote neuronal growth and activity. With advanced age, however, dysregulated inflammatory signaling and defects in phagocytosis impede their ability to perform the most essential of homeostatic functions, including immune surveillance and debris clearance. Microglial activation is one of the hallmarks of the aging brain and coincides with age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Age-associated microglial dysfunction leads to cellular senescence and can profoundly alter the response to sterile injuries and immune diseases, often resulting in maladaptive responses, chronic inflammation, and worsened outcomes after injury. Our knowledge of microglia aging and the factors that regulate age-related microglial dysfunction remain limited, as the majority of pre-clinical studies are performed in young animals, and human brain samples are difficult to obtain quickly post-mortem or in large numbers. This review outlines the impact of normal aging on microglial function, highlights the potential mechanisms underlying age-related changes in microglia, and discusses how aging can shape the recovery process following injury.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Oxidative Stress: A Vicious Nexus Implicated in Bowel Disease Pathophysiology
Authors: Chong Wai , Shastri Madhur , Eri Rajaraman
Published: April 2017

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a complex protein folding and trafficking organelle. Alteration and discrepancy in the endoplasmic reticulum environment can affect the protein folding process and hence, can result in the production of misfolded proteins. The accumulation of misfolded proteins causes cellular damage and elicits endoplasmic reticulum stress. Under such stress conditions, cells exhibit reduced functional synthesis, and will undergo apoptosis if the stress is prolonged. To resolve the ER stress, cells trigger an intrinsic mechanism called an unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is an adaptive signaling process that triggers multiple pathways through the endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane transducers, to reduce and remove misfolded proteins and improve the protein folding mechanism, in order to improve and maintain endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis. An increasing number of studies support the view that oxidative stress has a strong connection with ER stress. During the protein folding process, reactive oxygen species are produced as by-products, leading to impaired reduction-oxidation (redox) balance conferring oxidative stress. As the protein folding process is dependent on redox homeostasis, the oxidative stress can disrupt the protein folding mechanism and enhance the production of misfolded proteins, causing further ER stress. It is proposed that endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress together play significant roles in the pathophysiology of bowel diseases.
From Lipid Homeostasis to Differentiation: Old and New Functions of the Zinc Cluster Proteins Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2
Authors: Joshua Ifeoluwapo , Höfken Thomas
Published: April 2017

Zinc cluster proteins are a large family of transcriptional regulators with a wide range of biological functions. The zinc cluster proteins Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2 have initially been identified as regulators of sterol import in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These proteins also control adaptations to anaerobic growth, sterol biosynthesis as well as filamentation and mating. Orthologs of these zinc cluster proteins have been identified in several species of Candida. Upc2 plays a critical role in antifungal resistance in these important human fungal pathogens. Upc2 is therefore an interesting potential target for novel antifungals. In this review we discuss the functions, mode of actions and regulation of Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2 in budding yeast and Candida.
What Froze the Genetic Code?
Authors: Ribas de Pouplana Lluís , Torres Adrian , Rafels-Ybern Àlbert
Published: April 2017

The frozen accident theory of the Genetic Code was a proposal by Francis Crick that attempted to explain the universal nature of the Genetic Code and the fact that it only contains information for twenty amino acids. Fifty years later, it is clear that variations to the universal Genetic Code exist in nature and that translation is not limited to twenty amino acids. However, given the astonishing diversity of life on earth, and the extended evolutionary time that has taken place since the emergence of the extant Genetic Code, the idea that the translation apparatus is for the most part immobile remains true. Here, we will offer a potential explanation to the reason why the code has remained mostly stable for over three billion years, and discuss some of the mechanisms that allow species to overcome the intrinsic functional limitations of the protein synthesis machinery.
4-({4-[(2E)-3-(2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoyl]phenyl}amino)-4-oxobutanoic Acid
Authors: Suwito Hery , Haq Kautsar , Rahmah Nia , Kristanti Alfinda , Puspaningsih Ni
Published: April 2017

A dimethoxy amide chalcone has been synthesized in a two-step reaction. First, an amine chalcone was synthesized by the reaction of 4′-aminoacetophenone and 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde using 40% NaOH solution as a catalyst in ethanol, and then followed by amidation through the reaction of the formed chalcone and succinic anhydride. The structure of the target compound was established by FTIR, HR-MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR, and 2D-NMR spectral analysis.
Best Proximity Point Results in Non-Archimedean Modular Metric Space
Authors: Paknazar Mohadeshe , Sen Manuel
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we introduce the new notion of Suzuki-type ( α , β , θ , γ ) -contractive mapping and investigate the existence and uniqueness of the best proximity point for such mappings in non-Archimedean modular metric space using the weak P λ -property. Meanwhile, we present an illustrative example to emphasize the realized improvements. These obtained results extend and improve certain well-known results in the literature.
Growth, Structure, and Photocatalytic Properties of Hierarchical V2O5–TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Obtained from the One-step Anodic Oxidation of Ti–V Alloys
Authors: Nevárez-Martínez María , Mazierski Paweł , Kobylański Marek , Szczepańska Grażyna , Trykowski Grzegorz , Malankowska Anna , Kozak Magda , Espinoza-Montero Patricio , Zaleska-Medynska Adriana
Published: April 2017

V2O5-TiO2 mixed oxide nanotube (NT) layers were successfully prepared via the one-step anodization of Ti-V alloys. The obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (DRX), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The effect of the applied voltage (30–50 V), vanadium content (5–15 wt %) in the alloy, and water content (2–10 vol %) in an ethylene glycol-based electrolyte was studied systematically to determine their influence on the morphology, and for the first-time, on the photocatalytic properties of these nanomaterials. The morphology of the samples varied from sponge-like to highly-organized nanotubular structures. The vanadium content in the alloy was found to have the highest influence on the morphology and the sample with the lowest vanadium content (5 wt %) exhibited the best auto-alignment and self-organization (length = 1 μm, diameter = 86 nm and wall thickness = 11 nm). Additionally, a probable growth mechanism of V2O5-TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) over the Ti-V alloys was presented. Toluene, in the gas phase, was effectively removed through photodegradation under visible light (LEDs, λmax = 465 nm) in the presence of the modified TiO2 nanostructures. The highest degradation value was 35% after 60 min of irradiation. V2O5 species were ascribed as the main structures responsible for the generation of photoactive e− and h+ under Vis light and a possible excitation mechanism was proposed.
Restoration of Tear Secretion in a Murine Dry Eye Model by Oral Administration of Palmitoleic Acid
Authors: Nakamura Shigeru , Kimura Yuki , Mori Daisuke , Imada Toshihiro , Izuta Yusuke , Shibuya Michiko , Sakaguchi Hisayo , Oonishi Erina , Okada Naoko , Matsumoto Kenji , Tsubota Kazuo
Published: April 2017

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)–derived products have traditionally been used as food and medicinal ingredients in Eastern countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oral intake of sea buckthorn oil products on tear secretion using a murine dry eye model. Orally administered sea buckthorn pulp oil (not seed oil) restored aqueous tear secretion to its normal value under a dry eye condition. Palmitoleate (C16:1), a fatty acid present in sea buckthorn pulp oil, preserved tear secretion and suppressed inflammatory cytokines in the lacrimal gland to the same extent as that by pulp oil. These results suggest that an oral intake of sea buckthorn pulp oil has a potency to preserve tear secretion capacity in the dry eye state and palmitoleate, its main constituent fatty acid, is an active component of the oil. This effect may enable a potent diet-based treatment for the prevention of dry eye.
Living Polymerization of Propylene with ansa-Dimethylsilylene(fluorenyl)(cumylamido) Titanium Complexes
Authors: Wang Huajin , Wang Xinwei , Sun Yanjie , Cheng Hailong , Shiono Takeshi , Cai Zhengguo
Published: April 2017

A series of ansa-silylene(fluorenyl)(amido) titanium complexes (1a–1c, 2a, and 2b) bearing various substituents on the amido and fluorenyl ligands are synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR, and single crystal X-ray analysis. The coordination mode of the fluorenyl ligand to the titanium metal is η3 manner in each complex. The propylene polymerization is conducted with these complexes at 0 and 25 °C in a semi batch-type method, respectively. The catalytic activity of 1a–1c bearing cumyl-amido ligand is much higher than that of 2a and 2b bearing naphthyl group in amido ligand. High molecular weight polypropylenes are obtained with narrow molecular weight distribution, suggesting a living nature of these catalytic systems at 0 °C. The polymers produced are statistically atactic, regardless of the structure of the complex and the polymerization temperature.
Performance Evaluation and Analysis for Gravity Matching Aided Navigation
Authors: Wu Lin , Wang Hubiao , Chai Hua , Zhang Lu , Hsu Houtse , Wang Yong
Published: April 2017

Simulation tests were accomplished in this paper to evaluate the performance of gravity matching aided navigation (GMAN). Four essential factors were focused in this study to quantitatively evaluate the performance: gravity database (DB) resolution, fitting degree of gravity measurements, number of samples in matching, and gravity changes in the matching area. Marine gravity anomaly DB derived from satellite altimetry was employed. Actual dynamic gravimetry accuracy and operating conditions were referenced to design the simulation parameters. The results verified that the improvement of DB resolution, gravimetry accuracy, number of measurement samples, or gravity changes in the matching area generally led to higher positioning accuracies, while the effects of them were different and interrelated. Moreover, three typical positioning accuracy targets of GMAN were proposed, and the conditions to achieve these targets were concluded based on the analysis of several different system requirements. Finally, various approaches were provided to improve the positioning accuracy of GMAN.
Attack Classification Schema for Smart City WSNs
Authors: Garcia-Font Victor , Garrigues Carles , Rifà-Pous Helena
Published: April 2017

Urban areas around the world are populating their streets with wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in order to feed incipient smart city IT systems with metropolitan data. In the future smart cities, WSN technology will have a massive presence in the streets, and the operation of municipal services will be based to a great extent on data gathered with this technology. However, from an information security point of view, WSNs can have failures and can be the target of many different types of attacks. Therefore, this raises concerns about the reliability of this technology in a smart city context. Traditionally, security measures in WSNs have been proposed to protect specific protocols in an environment with total control of a single network. This approach is not valid for smart cities, as multiple external providers deploy a plethora of WSNs with different security requirements. Hence, a new security perspective needs to be adopted to protect WSNs in smart cities. Considering security issues related to the deployment of WSNs as a main data source in smart cities, in this article, we propose an intrusion detection framework and an attack classification schema to assist smart city administrators to delimit the most plausible attacks and to point out the components and providers affected by incidents. We demonstrate the use of the classification schema providing a proof of concept based on a simulated selective forwarding attack affecting a parking and a sound WSN.
Characteristics of N-Acylhomoserine Lactones Produced by Hafnia alvei H4 Isolated from Spoiled Instant Sea Cucumber
Authors: Hou Hong-Man , Zhu Yao-Lei , Wang Jia-Ying , Jiang Feng , Qu Wen-Yan , Zhang Gong-Liang , Hao Hong-Shun
Published: April 2017

This study aimed to identify N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) produced by Hafnia alvei H4, which was isolated from spoiled instant sea cucumber, and to investigate the effect of AHLs on biofilm formation. Two biosensor strains, Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens KYC55, were used to detect the quorum sensing (QS) activity of H. alvei H4 and to confirm the existence of AHL-mediated QS system. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high resolution triple quadrupole liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of the AHLs extracted from the culture supernatant of H. alvei H4 revealed the existence of at least three AHLs: N-hexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL), N-(3-oxo-octanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C8-HSL), and N-butyryl-l-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL). This is the first report of the production of C4-HSL by H. alvei. In order to determine the relationship between the production of AHL by H. alvei H4 and bacterial growth, the β-galactosidase assay was employed to monitor AHL activity during a 48-h growth phase. AHLs production reached a maximum level of 134.6 Miller unites at late log phase (after 18 h) and then decreased to a stable level of about 100 Miller unites. AHL production and bacterial growth displayed a similar trend, suggesting that growth of H. alvei H4 might be regulated by QS. The effect of AHLs on biofilm formation of H. alvei H4 was investigated by adding exogenous AHLs (C4-HSL, C6-HSL and 3-oxo-C8-HSL) to H. alvei H4 culture. Biofilm formation was significantly promoted (p < 0.05) by 5 and 10 µM C6-HSL, inhibited (p < 0.05) by C4-HSL (5 and 10 µM) and 5 µM 3-oxo-C8-HSL, suggesting that QS may have a regulatory role in the biofilm formation of H. alvei H4.
A Force-Visualized Silicone Retractor Attachable to Surgical Suction Pipes
Authors: Watanabe Tetsuyou , Koyama Toshio , Yoneyama Takeshi , Nakada Mitsutoshi
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a force-visually-observable silicone retractor, which is an extension of a previously developed system that had the same functions of retracting, suction, and force sensing. These features provide not only high usability by reducing the number of tool changes, but also a safe choice of retracting by visualized force information. Suction is achieved by attaching the retractor to a suction pipe. The retractor has a deformable sensing component including a hole filled with a liquid. The hole is connected to an outer tube, and the liquid level displaced in proportion to the extent of deformation resulting from the retracting load. The liquid level is capable to be observed around the surgeon’s fingertips, which enhances the usability. The new hybrid structure of soft sensing and hard retracting allows the miniaturization of the retractor as well as a resolution of less than 0.05 N and a range of 0.1–0.7 N. The overall structure is made of silicone, which has the advantages of disposability, low cost, and easy sterilization/disinfection. This system was validated by conducting experiments.
Analysis of Optimal Sensor Positions for Activity Classification and Application on a Different Data Collection Scenario
Authors: Pannurat Natthapon , Thiemjarus Surapa , Nantajeewarawat Ekawit , Anantavrasilp Isara
Published: April 2017

This paper focuses on optimal sensor positioning for monitoring activities of daily living and investigates different combinations of features and models on different sensor positions, i.e., the side of the waist, front of the waist, chest, thigh, head, upper arm, wrist, and ankle. Nineteen features are extracted, and the feature importance is measured by using the Relief-F feature selection algorithm. Eight classification algorithms are evaluated on a dataset collected from young subjects and a dataset collected from elderly subjects, with two different experimental settings. To deal with different sampling rates, signals with a high data rate are down-sampled and a transformation matrix is used for aligning signals to the same coordinate system. The thigh, chest, side of the waist, and front of the waist are the best four sensor positions for the first dataset (young subjects), with average accuracy values greater than 96%. The best model obtained from the first dataset for the side of the waist is validated on the second dataset (elderly subjects). The most appropriate number of features for each sensor position is reported. The results provide a reference for building activity recognition models for different sensor positions, as well as for data acquired from different hardware platforms and subject groups.
Access to Sanitation Facilities among Nigerian Households: Determinants and Sustainability Implications
Authors: Abubakar Ismaila Rimi
Published: April 2017

Access to improved sanitation facilities is key to the socioeconomic wellbeing and sustainable development of any society. This study examines access to sanitation facilities in Nigeria and explores the socioeconomic and locational factors that influence the type of facility used by households. The study utilizes cross-sectional data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, and employs descriptive and inferential statistics for data analyses. The results indicated that 44.2% of households used various kinds of pit latrines, followed by toilets that flush to septic tanks (10.3%). While only 5.3% of the respondents used toilets that connect to sewer systems, about a third (31.5%) lacked sanitation facility and the remaining 8.7% used other types of sanitation facilities. Results from chi-square analysis and ANOVA revealed significant statistical differences between the type of sanitation facility households used and their place of residence, geopolitical zone, ethnicity, educational attainment and wealth. Multivariate regression results indicated that the type of household sanitation facility is significantly associated with the mentioned factors as well as household size, gender of the head of the household, type of water sources, number of rooms and access to electricity. Age of the head of the household and type of cooking fuel used were not significant. The study concludes by underscoring the implications of using unimproved sanitation facilities on human health and environmental sustainability.
Phospholipase D from Loxosceles laeta Spider Venom Induces IL-6, IL-8, CXCL1/GRO-α, and CCL2/MCP-1 Production in Human Skin Fibroblasts and Stimulates Monocytes Migration
Authors: Rojas José , Arán-Sekul Tomás , Cortés Emmanuel , Jaldín Romina , Ordenes Kely , Orrego Patricio , González Jorge , Araya Jorge , Catalán Alejandro
Published: April 2017

Cutaneous loxoscelism envenomation by Loxosceles spiders is characterized by the development of a dermonecrotic lesion, strong inflammatory response, the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, and leukocyte migration to the bite site. The role of phospholipase D (PLD) from Loxosceles in the recruitment and migration of monocytes to the envenomation site has not yet been described. This study reports on the expression and production profiles of cytokines and chemokines in human skin fibroblasts treated with catalytically active and inactive recombinant PLDs from Loxosceles laeta (rLlPLD) and lipid inflammatory mediators ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and the evaluation of their roles in monocyte migration. Recombinant rLlPLD1 (active) and rLlPLD2 (inactive) isoforms induce interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, CXCL1/GRO-α, and CCL2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression and secretion in fibroblasts. Meanwhile, C1P and LPA only exhibited a minor effect on the expression and secretion of these cytokines and chemokines. Moreover, neutralization of both enzymes with anti-rLlPLD1 antibodies completely inhibited the secretion of these cytokines and chemokines. Importantly, conditioned media from fibroblasts, treated with rLlPLDs, stimulated the transmigration of THP-1 monocytes. Our data demonstrate the direct role of PLDs in chemotactic mediator synthesis for monocytes in human skin fibroblasts and indicate that inflammatory processes play an important role during loxoscelism.
Evaluating the New Automatic Method for the Analysis of Absorption Spectra Using Synthetic Spectra
Authors: Bainbridge Matthew , Webb John
Published: April 2017

We recently presented a new “artificial intelligence” method for the analysis of high-resolution absorption spectra (Bainbridge and Webb, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 2017, doi:10.1093/mnras/stx179). This new method unifies three established numerical methods: a genetic algorithm (GVPFIT); non-linear least-squares optimisation with parameter constraints (VPFIT); and Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA). In this work, we investigate the performance of GVPFIT and BMA over a broad range of velocity structures using synthetic spectra. We found that this new method recovers the velocity structures of the absorption systems and accurately estimates variation in the fine structure constant. Studies such as this one are required to evaluate this new method before it can be applied to the analysis of large sets of absorption spectra. This is the first time that a sample of synthetic spectra has been utilised to investigate the analysis of absorption spectra. Probing the variation of nature’s fundamental constants (such as the fine structure constant), through the analysis of absorption spectra, is one of the most direct ways of testing the universality of physical laws. This “artificial intelligence” method provides a way to avoid the main limiting factor, i.e., human interaction, in the analysis of absorption spectra.