bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pendekatan Hukum Islam terhadap Jihad dan Terorisme
Authors: Arake Lukman
Published: February 2016

There is a presumption of some circles of non-Muslims that Muslims are the spreader of terrors and terrorism throughout the world through the implementation of the concept of jihād. This assumption seemed to be justified the emerging terrorism cases involving Muslim actors, such as suicide bombings. This paper aims to clarify the issue by critically scrutinizing the true meaning of jihād rooted both in the holy book the al-Qur’an and sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Socio-historical approach is applied to better understand the holistic context of the meaning of jihād concept in both sources of Islamic teachings. The author concludes that the presumption is a misconception resulting from ignorance of certain parties about the true meaning of jihād in Islam. There is also a possibility that the misunderstanding is intentional, because the motives of abusing the dignity of Islamic teachings, especially about jihād.
Pergulatan Teologi Salafi dalam Mainstream Keberagamaan Masyarakat Sasak
Authors: Faizah Faizah
Published: February 2016

The Salafi movement has recently spread so widely in Indonesia that it has reached rural communities. In that context, its contact with local beliefs and practices produces a dynamic and creative tension between them. This paper will explore the contact dynamics by photographing wrestle of Salafi’s theological movement and beliefs in the mainstream of theological beliefs of local Sasak society of Lombok. The authors found that local knowledge that expressed through practicing several ceremonies associated with the human life-cycle from moment of human birth to death events considered by the Salafi as unauthentic element of Islam called heretic to which the Salafi has to carry out purification. That potential conflict between the Sasak and Salafis, requiring mutual respect and tolerance among them.
Etika dan Ajaran Moral Filsafat Islam: Pemikiran Para Filosof Muslim tentang Kebahagiaan
Authors: Mustain Mustain
Published: February 2016

Muslim philosophers thought on ethics is not just about what is good and good action, but also at the same time order muslims to commit teachings of the good action. It means that the study of ethics does not stand alone but linked and fused with moral teachings. The end objective to be achieved with ethical and moral teachings is happiness that is described as the combination of elements of safety, peace, and quiet. According to Muslim philosophers, happiness can be achieved through acts of decency and deployment of deep sense of intellegence. They assume that the happiness achieved through the second way has higher levels of morality than through the first one. This is so, partly, since they find that such special achievement can only be achieved by special people, namely the philosophers.
Tasawuf Sunda dalam Naskah Asmarandana Ngagurit Kaburu Burit (OR. 7876)
Authors: Rohmana Jajang A.
Published: February 2016

The spread of Islam in the Archipelago was closely tied to the roles of Sufi ulama. The circulation of Sufi work in Nusantara proves a strong connection between this region and the Middle East. In West Java, a number of these work expose Sufi teachings in the form of Sundanese Sufi literature, such as the work by Haji Hasan Mustafa. He is considered the greatest Sundanese poet whose work features strong influences of wahdat al-wujud. This paper aims to examine Sundanese Sufism expressed in Mustafa’s work of Asmarandana Ngagurit Kaburu Burit. This study shows that this work contains Sufi’s path that explores the self and its encounters with Supreme Being and the self’s diffusion, where there is no longer existence except the One. Mustafa called his Sufi poetry imperfect suluk because it was written in late afternoon. His work reveals local Sufi accommodation to wah}dat al-wujud in Sundanese language and culture.
Wacana Intelektual Muslim Indonesiatentang Kompatibilitas Islam Dengan Demokrasi
Authors: Winengan Winengan
Published: February 2016

In the beginning era of  Islam, contextual and highly abstract terms like democracy was unknown. Therefore, when the term exists and is applied in the context of muslims’ states, it is responded in various ways due to some reasons. First, respond under genealogical reasons that assumes that democracy was first applied in the Western countries as a product of secular and liberal thinking process. Second, respond under philosophical reasons which looks at democracy through its political aspect that is closely related to state power in which people are found as the source of the power. In the meantime, as for a muslims, the dignity of power is in the Hand of Allah, the Creator.

The problem arouses due to the application of democracy in Islam interest some Indonesian Moslem scholars. By using Islamic teaching value study approaches, this article is aimed at describing their opinions about the meaning of term democracy. Among them are M. Amien Rais, Nurcholish Madjid, Ismail Sunny, Syafi’i Ma’arif, Abdoerraoef, Jalaluddin Rakhmat, Muhammad Natsir, Muhammad Tahir Azhary, M. Dawam Rahardjo, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Munawir Sadzali.

Based on their point of views, it seems that they do not question the meaning of democracy genealogically. They agree, even, support the concept of democracy which is understood contemporarily, in terms of the power of majority, people’s voice (political participations), and free and responsible election. About the philosophical definition, although they accept the concept of people power, they still perceive the supremacy of God’s order (Syariah) as the basis and is treated as the highest source of power.
Comprehensive Review on Pharmacological Profile of Alangium salvifolium: A Medicinal Plant
Authors: Meenakshi Ratra  , Rajesh Gupta
Published: February 2016

Now a day’s world population moves towards herbal remedies for treatment of various ailments. Plants have the ability to synthesize a wide variety of chemical compounds that are used to perform important biological functions. In India, medicinal plants are widely used by people as folk remedies and pharmaceutical preparations. Alangium salvifolium is a deciduous shrub belongs to family Alangiaceae with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries, especially in India, China and Phillipines. The herb exhibits a broad range of therapeutic effects as an effective natural remedy for rheumatism, leprosy, hemorrhoid, burning sensation, constipation and antidote for several poisons. A wide range of chemical compounds including alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and saponins have been isolated from the species. Its extracts have been found to possess various pharmacological activities. In this paper, we give a comprehensive review of its habitat, taxonomy, distribution, identification ethnomedical uses, chemical constituents, and pharmacological profile of this medicinal plant.
Novel Coated Wires Sensors with Flow-Injection for Potentiometric Determination of Neostigmine in Bulk, Amostigmine and Human Urine
Authors: Amal Fouad Khorshid  , Y M Issa
Published: February 2016

Four types of coated wires sensors (silver, copper, graphite and glassy carbon) are constructed for the determination of neostigmine (Ns) based on the ion-pair associates neostigmine silicotungstate (Ns-ST), neostigmine silicomolybdate (Ns-SM), neostigmine phosphotungstate (Ns-PT), neostigmine phosphomolybdate (Ns-PM), and ion-pairs neostigmine tetraphenylborate (Ns-TPB) in a poly (vinyl chloride) as coated film with a plasticized tricresylphthalate (TCP). The four types sensors are showed a Nernstain slopes ranged from 59-64 mV per decade in batch and 65-70 mV per decade in flow injection conditions (FIA) over a neostigmine concentration ranged from 5.0x10-7-1.0x10-2 M and within the pH range 4.0-11.0. The influences of coated film composition, pH of the Ns and foreign ions on the sensors performance were investigated and were found to be very selective, precise and excellent selectivity. The sensors were successfully applied to the potentiometric determination of neostigmine bromide in pure state, in amostigmine, and human urine. FI analysis and dissolution profile for determination neostigmine were investigated. The data were comparable with official methods for the assay and excellent percentage recovery was obtained.
Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Fairness Cream Comprising Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Pleurotus ostreatus, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Camellia sinensis
Authors: Nirmala Gupta  , Aditi Dubey  , Pushpa Prasad  , Amit Roy
Published: February 2016

The present study was carried out to prepare and evaluate the herbal fairness cream comprising extracts of Pleurotus ostreatus, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Camellia sinensis. The various types of formulations oil in water (O/W) base namely F1 to F6 were formulated by incorporating different concentrations Stearic acid and Cetyl alcohol. The pH, viscosity, spreadibilty, and stability of prepared base were investigated. The base F3 was found appropriate for the preparation of cream. The extracts of varying ratio of Pleurotus ostreatus, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Camellia sinensis were incorporated in base F3 for the preparation of three herbal fairness cream (HF1, HF2 and HF3). All the three herbal cream demonstrated good spreadibilty, good consistency, homogeneity, appearance, pH, ease of removal and no evidence of phase separation. All the prepared herbal cream was found to be safe for skin.
Comprehensive Notes on Anti diabetic Potential of Medicinal Plants and Polyherbal Formulation
Authors: Udaychand Sahu  , Sandip Prasad Tiwari  , Amit Roy
Published: February 2016

Diabetes mellitus is a common and serious metabolic disorder throughout the world. It is a dreadful disease found in all parts of the world and is becoming a serious threat to mankind health. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. Traditional plants have been used throughout the world for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Among many medications and polyherbal plants, several herbs have been known to cure and control diabetes; additionally they have no side effects. Although, synthetic oral hypoglycemic agents/insulin is the mainstream treatment of diabetes and effective in controlling hyperglycaemia, they have prominent side effects and fail to significantly alter the course of diabetic complications. This forms the main reason for an increasing number of people finding alternating therapies that may have less severe or no side effects. This article presents a review on some reported antidiabetic medicinal plants and plant based marketed polyherbal herbal formulations.
Patient Medical Records: Evaluation of Knowledge, Perception and Utilization among Hospital Pharmacists in Secondary and Tertiary Hospitals in Lagos State
Authors: Eniojukan JF  , Onedo OT
Published: February 2016

Good communication among health care practitioners is sine qua non to the provision of optimal pharmaceutical care. One of such ways of communication is access and documentation into the Patient Medical Records (PMR) by pharmacists. The general objective of this study was to determine hospital pharmacists’ opinion on impact of access to PMR on the provision of pharmaceutical care. A self completed questionnaire was administered on all the pharmacists in four and fourteen tertiary and secondary hospitals respectively in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS 20.0. Over 70% of the respondents were aged 20-39 years; 90.9% had a good knowledge of the components of PMR; 92.9% agreed that the pharmacists should have unrestricted access to PMR; only 51.6% had access to all the information in the PMR; 89.4% perceived that access to PMR will lead to positive outcomes for patients, and 90.5% opined that pharmacists would have more satisfying practice if theyhad access to PMR. Respondents’ categories were correlated with their knowledge and perceptions of PMR and the latter’s utilities. Management should remove all obstacles to pharmacists’ access to all data in the PMR.
Antioxidant Activity and Protective Effect on Cell and DNA Oxidative Damage of Substances isolated from Lichens of Colombian páramo
Authors: Litta Samari Perico-Franco  , José L. Rojas  , Marco A. Cerbón  , Ignacio González-Sánchez  , Norma Angélica Valencia-Islas
Published: February 2016

The páramo ecosystem is situated in northwest of South America, and it is well known for distribution of lichens. It is documented that lichens produce antioxidant activity, and protect cells from oxidative stress by scavenging free radical. Hence we checked the antioxidant and protective abilities to prevent cell and DNA damage by oxidative stress of Lobariella pallida and Stereocaulon strictum var. compressum extracts. Additionally, the active constituents namely lobariellin (1), methyl orsellinate (2), stereocaullin (3), methyl haematommate (4), methyl β-orcinol carboxylate (5), porphyrilic acid (6) and atranorin (7), were isolated from both extracts and their antioxidant activity was evaluated. The DPPH·, ferric reducing power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation model were used to determined the antioxidant activity of extracts and isolated compounds. The cell and DNA protective effects of extracts and isolated compounds were investigated by exposing keratinocytes, neurons and pUC18 plasmid to hydroxyl radicals, and examined cell viability or DNA cleavage of sample. The findings exhibits that the compounds 1, 4 and 6 scavenged free radicals, inhibited lipid peroxidation and reduced ferric ions at maximum level compared to other isolated compound and extracts. Additionally, 1 and 4 protected cells from oxidative damage and 1 also preserved DNA. These results suggest that 1 and 4 imparts antioxidant activity to prevent oxidative skin and neurodegenerative damage.
The Savvy Separator Series: Part 5. The Effect of Shear on Produced Water Treatment
Authors: Walsh John M.
Published: February 2016

This article is a review of basic droplet formation because of shearing from pipes, valves, and pumps, and is intended to remind engineers that the decisions made upstream can have a grave consequence on downstream separation equipment performance. The article focuses on the sources of shear, the relative magnitude of shear, and the consequence on the oil droplet size, with concentration on the maximum droplet diameter.
Hydrodynamic evaluation of the influence of outlet configuration for mechanical flocculation facilities
Authors: Cestari J. L. , Matsumoto T. , Gebara D. , Dall'Aglio Sobrinho M. , Libânio M.
Published: February 2016

This paper focuses on hydrodynamic research aiming at the short-circuit evaluation of five different outlet configurations through the compartments of a mechanical flocculation unit of vertical shaft with mixing paddles at pilot scale. The tests were carried out with two, three and four compartments, variable and constant velocity gradients, including alternating senses of paddle rotation (clockwise in the first compartment, anticlockwise in the following one and so on). The research pointed out that the relevance of outlet configuration increases with the reduction of the number of compartments. In opposite, the velocity gradient and the sense of the paddle rotation seem less significant features. These results suggest the possibility of a viable increasing of performance, with low financial investments, mainly for flocculation units with three or two compartments installed in overloaded water treatment plants.
Photocatalytic degradation of MC-LR in water by the UV/TiO2/H2O2 process
Authors: Li Wei-ying , Liu Yao , Sun Xiu-li , Wang Feng , Qian Lin , Xu Chen , Zhang Jun-peng
Published: February 2016

The ultraviolet (UV)/titanium dioxide (TiO2)/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) process (UTHP) has been proven to be effective in removing organics because of its high production of free radicals. In this study, UTHP was further investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Results showed that three mechanisms could realize MC-LR photocatalytic degradation using TiO2. H2O2 could effectively inhibit recombination and considerably improve the production of radicals and superoxides. From a correlation of the removal rate with the isomerization and decomposition of MC-LR under UV irradiation it was inferred that isomerization was crucial for MC-LR degradation during photocatalysis given the vulnerability of the exposed conjugated double bonds. The photocatalysis of MC-LR was apparently dependent on pH and MC-LR initial concentration. Under the optimum conditions of pH 3.5, 0.05 g/L TiO2, and 0.05 mmol/L H2O2, 100% MC-LR (308 μg/L) could be removed within 60 min. This process was accompanied by a synergistic effect during the initial 10 min.
An optimization procedure for the sustainable management of water resources
Authors: Maiolo Mario , Pantusa Daniela
Published: February 2016

The sustainable management of water resources requires the identification of procedures to optimize the use and management of resources that are able to deal adequately with the problems of an integrated water service. Taking cue from the classic problem of transport of operations research, this paper proposes a procedure to optimize the allocation of resources for water supply in an area. The transportation problem has been particularized to the case of water resources management considering water intake structures present in a territory as source nodes and utilities in the area as destination nodes. The variables to be determined are the quantity of water resources transferred from each source node to each destination node, in order to achieve a balance between the needs and availability, minimizing the costs of supply consequently necessary. The problem that is obtained, is a constrained non-linear type problem that can be used, for example, to solve local problems of supply, through the redefinition of the distribution system. An application of the model to the province of Croton in southern Italy is shown. The results obtained from the application of the model show the reliability of the methodology in applications similar to that of the case study.
Risk assessment of BTEX in the groundwater of Songyuan region of Songhua River in China
Authors: Zhang Zhuo , Teng Yanguo , Guo Guanlin , Li Fasheng , Zhang Chao
Published: February 2016

BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (m-, p-xylene and o-xylene)) in shallow groundwater were investigated in 16 monitoring wells of the Songyuan region (Songhua River basin). Mean concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes were found to be 1.53 μg/L, 1.76 μg/L, 2.11 μg/L and 0.30 μg/L, respectively. Ecological and human health risk assessments were conducted to evaluate potential adverse effects of the BTEX compounds in terms of toxicity. Toluene posed a severe ecological risk, xylenes a moderate risk, while benzene and ethylbenzene were both considered to be a low risk. The mean cancer risk for benzene was estimated to be 1.14 × 10−6, which is higher than the acceptable risk level of 1.0 × 10−6. The mean non-carcinogenic risks for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes were lower than the standard threshold level of 1.0, both individually and cumulatively. In terms of a screening assessment, these results indicate that BTEX in groundwater may pose a threat to the ecosystem and residents in the Songyuan region of the Songhua River basin. This information will be useful for the further evaluation and risk management of groundwater in this area.
Evaluation of nitrate and perchlorate reduction using sulfur-based autotrophic and mixotrophic denitrifying processes
Authors: Uçar Deniz , Çokgör Emine Ubay , Şahinkaya Erkan
Published: February 2016

The biological reduction of nitrate and perchlorate was comparatively evaluated in autotrophic and mixotrophic bioreactors using elemental sulfur and/or methanol as the energy source. The mixotrophic reactor was supplemented with methanol at CH3OH/NO3−-N ratio of 1 or 1.4. The mixotrophic reactor completely reduced perchlorate in the feed up to 1,000 μg l−1. The autotrophic reactor also showed high perchlorate reduction performance and decreased perchlorate from 1,000 μg l−1 to around 33 μg l−1. Complete reduction of 25 mg NO3−-N l−1 was achieved in both reactors, corresponding to a maximum nitrate reduction rate of 300 mg NO3−-N l−1d−1 and 400 mg NO3−-N l−1d−1 in the autotrophic and mixotrophic processes, respectively. Autotrophic denitrification caused an increase of effluent sulfate concentration, which may exceed the drinking water guideline value of 250 mg l−1. In the mixotrophic denitrification process, the effluent sulfate concentration was controlled by adjusting the C/N ratio in the influent. Mixotrophic denitrification was stimulated by 25 mg l−1 methanol addition and 53% of influent nitrate was reduced by the heterotrophic process, which decreased the effluent sulfate concentration to half of the autotrophic counterpart. Therefore, the mixotrophic process may be preferred over the autotrophic process when effluent sulfate concentration is of concern and a higher perchlorate reduction efficiency is desired.
Activity concentration and dose estimation of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in drinking water of selected areas of Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Mashiatullah Azhar , Maryam Bareera , Asma Maliha , Yaqoob Nadeem , Robab Um-e , Ghaffar Abdul
Published: February 2016

Radioactivity of naturally occurring (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radioactive nuclides was measured in 29 potable ground and surface water samples of Punjab, Pakistan. The results showed average activity concentrations for 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs as 1.09, 0.55, 16.17 and 0.40 Bql−1, respectively. 137Cs was detected in only a few samples. The obtained results showed that, in general, activity concentrations of radionuclides (232Th and 137Cs) in drinking water samples did not exceed WHO recommendations. 226Ra in the majority of samples exceeded WHO drinking water guidelines. The estimated committed effective dose due to intake of the water for three age-groups considered (<1 y, 2–7 y and ≥17 y) was below the ICRP permissible limit (0.1 mSvy−1) except for 226Ra and 40K.
Emergence of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 genogroup 6B and drug resistant virus, India, January to May 2015
Authors: Parida Manmohan , Dash Paban Kumar , Kumar Jyoti S , Joshi Gaurav , Tandel Kundan , Sharma Shashi , Srivastava Ambuj , Agarwal Ankita , Saha Amrita , Saraswat Shweta , Karothia Divyanshi , Malviya Vatsala
Published: February 2016

To investigate the aetiology of the 2015 A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza outbreak in India, 1,083 nasopharyngeal swabs from suspect patients were screened for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Of 412 positive specimens, six were further characterised by phylogenetic analysis of haemagglutinin (HA) sequences revealing that they belonged to genogroup 6B. A new mutation (E164G) was observed in HA2 of two sequences. Neuraminidase genes in two of 12 isolates from fatal cases on prior oseltamivir treatment harboured the H275Y mutation.
Anti-tumor effect of Huayu Jiedu formula on SGC-7901 cancer cell
Authors: Zheng Wei , Junping Zhang , Aihua Zhang , Junming Fan , Yanchun Wang , Yanqing Liu
Published: February 2016

In this study, we evaluated the effects of the extract of Huayu Jiedu (HYJD) formula on anti-tumor activity. It was found that HYJD treatment inhibited proliferation of seven cancer cell lines (IC50: 1.23-6.23 mg/mL). The gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was the most sensitive to HYJD. HYJD inhibited SGC-7901 cells proliferation in a dose- and time-dependant manner. More-over, HYJD significantly inhibited SGC-7901 cells adhesion, invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner. qPCR results showed that HYJD treatment had no effect on PI3K, PDK1 and Akt mRNA expression. However, HYJD dramatically down-regulated Akt phosphorylation through inhibition of PDK1 kinase activity. Importantly, HYJD inhibited growth of tumor xenografts with no effect on body weight and spleen index. HYJD also significantly down-regulated Akt phosphorylation in tumor tissue. Taken together, this study demonstrated that HYJD exhibited an anti-tumor property, suggesting that HYJD may be a potential drug in the treatment of cancer.
Treatment Modalities and Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiatives in the Management of Intra-Abdominal Infections
Authors: Hoffmann Charles , Zak Matthew , Avery Lisa , Brown Jack
Published: February 2016

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) focus on improving the utilization of broad spectrum antibiotics to decrease the incidence of multidrug-resistant Gram positive and Gram negative pathogens. Hospital admission for both medical and surgical intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) commonly results in the empiric use of broad spectrum antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, beta-lactam beta-lactamase inhibitors, and carbapenems that can select for resistant organisms. This review will discuss the management of uncomplicated and complicated IAIs as well as highlight stewardship initiatives focusing on the proper use of broad spectrum antibiotics.
Is the Formation of Poly-CO2 Stabilized by Lewis Base Moieties in N- and S-Doped Porous Carbon?
Authors: Ghosh Saunab , Barron Andrew
Published: February 2016

The polymerization of CO2 by Lewis basic moieties has been recently proposed to account for the high adsorption ability of N and S-doped porous carbon materials formed from the pyrolysis of sulfur or nitrogen containing polymers in the presence of KOH. Ab initio calculations performed on the ideal CO2 tetramer complex LB-(CO2)4 (LB = NH3, H2O, H2S) showed no propensity for stabilization. A weak association is observed using Lewis acid species bound to oxygen (LA = H+, AlF3, AlH3, B4O6); however, the combination of a Lewis acid and base does allow for the formation of polymerized CO2 (i.e., LB-C(O)O-[C(O)O]n-C(O)O-LA). While the presence of acid moieties in porous carbon is well known, and borate species are experimentally observed in KOH activated porous carbon materials, the low stability of the oligomers calculated herein, is insufficient to explain the reported poly-CO2.
Practical Eco-Design and Eco-Innovation of Consumer Electronics—the Case of Mobile Phones
Authors: Andrae Anders , Xia Mengjun , Zhang Jianli , Tang Xiaoming
Published: February 2016

Annually, it is estimated that about 4 billion units of consumer electronics for mobile communications are produced worldwide. This could lead to various ecological imbalances unless the design and disposal of the products are handled optimally. To illustrate how industry looks at and responds to the increasing social awareness, this article describes how sustainability is successfully implemented in practice at a large Chinese company, developing and producing various kinds of electronic products used for communication. It also describes how a variety of eco-innovations and business models contribute to reducing the environmental impact; for example, through increased recovery and recycling. A new kind of eco-design procedure is presented along with a new methodology which shows how a mobile phone gradually becomes more sustainable from one generation to the next. The issues with and set-up of new eco-labeling schemes for mobile phones, eco-rating, is described in detail. The conclusion is that due to high competition between companies, the industry acts resourcefully and a lot is done to the save the ecological environment.
Development of Ash Dieback in South-Eastern Germany and the Increasing Occurrence of Secondary Pathogens
Authors: Lenz Heike , Bartha Bernadett , Straßer Ludwig , Lemme Hannes
Published: February 2016

Since its first identification in Poland in 2006, the ascomycete Hymenoscyphus fraxineus has caused massive dieback of Fraxinus excelsior in the countries of eastern, northern and central Europe. This work shows the development, expansion, and severity of the disease in south-eastern Germany for a period of four years, starting in 2010. Differences between habitats, as well as age classes have been captured. The presence and the amount of potentially resistant trees were proven over the years, to determine how high the resistance level might be. Typical disease symptoms are the wilting of leaves, necrotic lesions in the bark and reddish discolorations of branches and stems. In addition, stem necroses also appear by infection with species of Armillaria. Therefore, special attention has been given to Armillaria species in affected ash stands but also to other secondary pathogens, like ash bark beetles. It is shown that breeding galleries of Hylesinus fraxini are only found in trees that have recently died and thus Hylesinus fraxini is still acting as a secondary opportunistic pathogen. In contrast, Armillaria spp. can be considered as serious pathogens of weakened ash trees. In different ash stands, typical symptoms of infection can be found. A relationship between stem base necrotic lesions and vitality was examined. It is shown that necrotic lesions severely contribute to accelerating the mortality of ash trees. In addition to the high infection pressure by H. fraxineus, the high inoculum of Armillaria in the soil facilitates further infections and, thus, likewise endangers the survival of potentially resistant trees. In the following years, forest conversion and seed harvest in affected ash stands will have to be urgently considered to avoid tree gaps on a large scale. Furthermore, infection assays of potentially resistant trees with ensuing breeding programmes should be initially started for the conservation of this ecologically and economically important tree species.
Chronic Stress and Suicidal Thinking Among Medical Students
Authors: Rosiek Anna , Rosiek-Kryszewska Aleksandra , Leksowski Łukasz , Leksowski Krzysztof
Published: February 2016

Introduction: The subject of chronic stress and ways of dealing with it are very broad. The aim of this study was to analyze stress and anxiety and their influence on suicidal thinking among medical students. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the years 2014 to 2015 in Poland, at the Medical University—Nicolaus Copernicus University, Collegium Medicum. The objective of this study was to assess chronic stress and suicidal thinking among students and how students cope with this huge problem. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were conducted to detect differences. Results: Analyses showed that students’ life is full of stressors. Students toward the end of their education cope better with stress than students starting their university studies. Chronic stress has a strong impact on mental health and suicidal thinking among students. Conclusions: The results of the study confirmed that chronic stress and anxiety have a negative influence on mental health and also confirm a relation to suicidal thinking in medical students. Students cope with stress by listening to music, talking to relatives or people close to them, resting or engaging in sports, with cycling, running and swimming being the most common methods used to affect suicidal thinking.
Effect of Climate Factors on the Childhood Pneumonia in Papua New Guinea: A Time-Series Analysis
Authors: Kim Jinseob , Kim Jong-Hun , Cheong Hae-Kwan , Kim Ho , Honda Yasushi , Ha Mina , Hashizume Masahiro , Kolam Joel , Inape Kasis
Published: February 2016

This study aimed to assess the association between climate factors and the incidence of childhood pneumonia in Papua New Guinea quantitatively and to evaluate the variability of the effect size according to their geographic properties. The pneumonia incidence in children under five-year and meteorological factors were obtained from six areas, including monthly rainfall and the monthly average daily maximum temperatures during the period from 1997 to 2006 from national health surveillance data. A generalized linear model was applied to measure the effect size of local and regional climate factor. The pooled risk of pneumonia in children per every 10 mm increase of rainfall was 0.24% (95% confidence interval: −0.01%–0.50%), and risk per every 1 °C increase of the monthly mean of the maximum daily temperatures was 4.88% (95% CI: 1.57–8.30). Southern oscillation index and dipole mode index showed an overall negative effect on childhood pneumonia incidence, −0.57% and −4.30%, respectively, and the risk of pneumonia was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season (pooled effect: 12.08%). There was a variability in the relationship between climate factors and pneumonia which is assumed to reflect distribution of the determinants of and vulnerability to pneumonia in the community.
Exposure to PM2.5 and Blood Lead Level in Two Populations in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Authors: Enkhbat Undarmaa , Rule Ana , Resnick Carol , Ochir Chimedsuren , Olkhanud Purevdorj , Williams D’Ann
Published: February 2016

Approximately 60% of the households in Ulaanbaatar live in gers (a traditional Mongolian dwelling) in districts outside the legal limits of the city, without access to basic infrastructure, such as water, sewage systems, central heating, and paved roads, in contrast to apartment residents. This stark difference in living conditions creates different public health challenges for Ulaanbaatar residents. Through this research study we aim to test our hypothesis that women living in gers burning coal in traditional stoves for cooking and heating during the winter are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne PM2.5 than women living in apartments in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and this exposure may include exposures to lead in coal with effects on blood lead levels. This cross-sectional study recruited a total of 50 women, 40–60 years of age, from these two settings. Air sampling was carried out during peak cooking and heating times, 5:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m., using a direct-reading instrument (TSI SidePak™) and integrated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters using the SKC Personal Environmental Monitor. Blood lead level (BLL) was measured using a LeadCare II rapid field test method. In our study population, measured PM2.5 geometric mean (GM) concentrations using the SidePak™ in the apartment group was 31.5 (95% CI:17–99) μg/m3, and 100 (95% CI: 67–187) μg/m3 in ger households (p < 0.001). The GM integrated gravimetric PM2.5 concentrations in the apartment group were 52.8 (95% CI: 39–297) μg/m3 and 127.8 (95% CI: 86–190) μg/m3 in ger households (p = 0.004). The correlation coefficient for the SidePak™ PM2.5 concentrations and filter based PM2.5 concentrations was r = 0.72 (p < 0.001). Blood Lead Levels were not statistically significant different between apartment residents and ger residents (p = 0.15). The BLL is statistically significant different (p = 0.01) when stratified by length of exposures outside of the home. This statistically significant difference in increased BLL could be due to occupational or frequent exposure to other sources of indoor or outdoor air pollution that were not measured. Blood lead levels from our study population are the first study measurements published on women aged 40–60 years of age in Mongolia.
Leisure Time Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour and Lifestyle Correlates among Students Aged 13–15 in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States, 2007–2013
Authors: Peltzer Karl , Pengpid Supa
Published: February 2016

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported leisure time physical inactivity frequency and sedentary behaviour and lifestyle correlates among school children in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The analysis included 30,284 school children aged 13–15 years from seven ASEAN countries that participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) between 2007 and 2013. The measure asked about overall physical activity, walking or biking to school, and on time spent sitting. Overall, the prevalence of physical inactivity was 80.4%, ranging from 74.8% in Myanmar to 90.7% in Cambodia and sedentary behaviour 33.0%, ranging from 10.5% in Cambodia and Myanmar to 42.7% in Malaysia. In multivariate logistic regression, not walking or biking to school, not attending physical education classes, inadequate vegetable consumption and lack of protective factors (peer and parental or guardian support) were associated with physical inactivity, and older age (14 and 15 years old), coming from an upper middle income country, being overweight or obese, attending physical education classes, alcohol use, loneliness, peer support and lack of parental or guardian supervision were associated with sedentary behaviour. In boys, lower socioeconomic status (in the form of having experienced hunger) and coming from a low income or lower middle income country were additionally associated with physical inactivity, and in girls, higher socioeconomic status, not walking or biking to school and being bullied were additionally associated with sedentary behaviour. In conclusion, a very high prevalence of leisure physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour among school going adolescents in ASEAN was found and several factors identified that may inform physical activity promotion programmes in school-going adolescents in ASEAN.
Herbal Medicine in Mexico: A Cause of Hepatotoxicity. A Critical Review
Authors: Valdivia-Correa Bárbara , Gómez-Gutiérrez Cristina , Uribe Misael , Méndez-Sánchez Nahum
Published: February 2016

In Mexico, herbal products are commonly used as therapeutic tools. The analysis of several publications reveals that there are dozens of different herbs and herbal products used for different reasons, some of which have been implicated in causing toxic liver disease. However, methodological aspects limit the attribution of causality, and the precise incidence and clinical manifestations of herb-induced liver injury have not been well characterized. This review outlines the history of traditional herbal medicine in Mexico, critically summarizes the mechanisms and adverse effects of commonly used herbal plants, and examines the regulatory issues regarding the legal use of these products.
Implications of MicroRNAs in the Treatment of Gefitinib-Resistant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Sin Thomas , Wang Fengfeng , Meng Fei , Wong S. , Cho William , Siu Parco , Chan Lawrence , Yung Benjamin
Published: February 2016

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents about 85% of the reported cases of lung cancer. Acquired resistance to targeted therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), such as gefitinib, is not uncommon. It is thus vital to explore novel strategies to restore sensitivity to gefitinib. Provided that microRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate their gene targets at the transcriptional level, it is speculated that miRNA mimetics may reduce the expression, activity and signal transduction of EGFR so that sensitization of tumour sites to gefitinib-induced cytotoxicity can be achieved. Indeed, a growing body of evidence has shown that the manipulation of endogenous levels of miRNA not only attenuates the EGFR/PI3K/Akt phosphorylation cascade, but also restores apoptotic cell death in in vitro models of experimentally-induced gefitinib resistance and provoked tumour regression/shrinkage in xenograft models. These data are in concordant with the clinical data showing that the differential expression profiles of miRNA in tumour tissues and blood associate strongly with drug response and overall survival. Furthermore, another line of studies indicate that the chemopreventive effects of a variety of natural compounds may involve miRNAs. The present review aims to discuss the therapeutic capacity of miRNAs in relation to recent discoveries on EGFR-TKI resistance, including chronic drug exposure and mutations.
The Treewidth of Induced Graphs of Conditional Preference Networks Is Small
Authors: Liu Jie , Liu Jinglei
Published: February 2016

Conditional preference networks (CP-nets) are recently an emerging topic as a graphical model for compactly representing ordinal conditional preference relations on multi-attribute domains. As we know, the treewidth, which can decrease the solving complexity for many intractability problems, is exactly a fundamental property of a graph. Therefore, we can utilize treewidth to solve some reasoning tasks on induced graphs, such as the dominance queries on the CP-nets in the future. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm for computing the treewidth of induced graphs of CP-nets; what we need is to make an assumption that the induced graph of a CP-net has been given. Then, we can leverage the Bucket Elimination technique to solve treewidth within polynomial time. At last, it is revealed that by our experiment, the treewidth of induced graphs of CP-nets is much smaller with regard to the number of vertices. For example, for an induced graph of CP-net with 1024 vertices, its treewidth is only 10. As far as we know, this is the first time, using the Bucket Elimination, to compute the treewidth of an induced graph of a CP-net. This approach for solving the treewidth may lay a good foundation for efficiently solving dominance queries on CP-nets in the future.
Hyperspectral Unmixing from Incomplete and Noisy Data
Authors: Montag Martin , Stephani Henrike
Published: February 2016

In hyperspectral images, once the pure spectra of the materials are known, hyperspectral unmixing seeks to find their relative abundances throughout the scene. We present a novel variational model for hyperspectral unmixing from incomplete noisy data, which combines a spatial regularity prior with the knowledge of the pure spectra. The material abundances are found by minimizing the resulting convex functional with a primal dual algorithm. This extends least squares unmixing to the case of incomplete data, by using total variation regularization and masking of unknown data. Numerical tests with artificial and real-world data demonstrate that our method successfully recovers the true mixture coefficients from heavily-corrupted data.
The Time Is Right to Focus on Model Organism Metabolomes
Authors: Edison Arthur , Hall Robert , Junot Christophe , Karp Peter , Kurland Irwin , Mistrik Robert , Reed Laura , Saito Kazuki , Salek Reza , Steinbeck Christoph , Sumner Lloyd , Viant Mark
Published: February 2016

Model organisms are an essential component of biological and biomedical research that can be used to study specific biological processes. These organisms are in part selected for facile experimental study. However, just as importantly, intensive study of a small number of model organisms yields important synergies as discoveries in one area of science for a given organism shed light on biological processes in other areas, even for other organisms. Furthermore, the extensive knowledge bases compiled for each model organism enable systems-level understandings of these species, which enhance the overall biological and biomedical knowledge for all organisms, including humans. Building upon extensive genomics research, we argue that the time is now right to focus intensively on model organism metabolomes. We propose a grand challenge for metabolomics studies of model organisms: to identify and map all metabolites onto metabolic pathways, to develop quantitative metabolic models for model organisms, and to relate organism metabolic pathways within the context of evolutionary metabolomics, i.e., phylometabolomics. These efforts should focus on a series of established model organisms in microbial, animal and plant research.
Oocytes Polar Body Detection for Automatic Enucleation
Authors: Chen Di , Sun Mingzhu , Zhao Xin
Published: February 2016

Enucleation is a crucial step in cloning. In order to achieve automatic blind enucleation, we should detect the polar body of the oocyte automatically. The conventional polar body detection approaches have low success rate or low efficiency. We propose a polar body detection method based on machine learning in this paper. On one hand, the improved Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) algorithm is employed to extract features of polar body images, which will increase success rate. On the other hand, a position prediction method is put forward to narrow the search range of polar body, which will improve efficiency. Experiment results show that the success rate is 96% for various types of polar bodies. Furthermore, the method is applied to an enucleation experiment and improves the degree of automatic enucleation.
Development of a Whole Blood Paper-Based Device for Phenylalanine Detection in the Context of PKU Therapy Monitoring
Authors: Robinson Robert , Wong Liam , Monnat Raymond , Fu Elain
Published: February 2016

Laboratory-based testing does not allow for the sufficiently rapid return of data to enable optimal therapeutic monitoring of patients with metabolic diseases such as phenylketonuria (PKU). The typical turn-around time of several days for current laboratory-based testing is too slow to be practically useful for effective monitoring or optimizing therapy. This report describes the development of a rapid, paper-based, point-of-care device for phenylalanine detection using a small volume (40 μL) of whole blood. The quantitative resolution and reproducibility of this device with instrumented readout are described, together with the potential use of this device for point-of-care monitoring by PKU patients.
Opto-Microfluidic Immunosensors: From Colorimetric to Plasmonic
Authors: He Jie-Long , Wang Da-Shin , Fan Shih-Kang
Published: February 2016

Optical detection has long been the most popular technique in immunosensing. Recent developments in the synthesis of luminescent probes and the fabrication of novel nanostructures enable more sensitive and efficient optical detection, which can be miniaturized and integrated with microfluidics to realize compact lab-on-a-chip immunosensors. These immunosensors are portable, economical and automated, but their sensitivity is not compromised. This review focuses on the incorporation and implementation of optical detection and microfluidics in immunosensors; it introduces the working principles of each optical detection technique and how it can be exploited in immunosensing. The recent progress in various opto-microfluidic immunosensor designs is described. Instead of being comprehensive to include all opto-microfluidic platforms, the report centers on the designs that are promising for point-of-care immunosensing diagnostics, in which ease of use, stability and cost-effective fabrication are emphasized.
Constructing a MoS2 QDs/CdS Core/Shell Flowerlike Nanosphere Hierarchical Heterostructure for the Enhanced Stability and Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Liang Shijing , Zhou Zhouming , Wu Xiuqin , Zhu Shuying , Bi Jinhong , Zhou Limin , Liu Minghua , Wu Ling
Published: February 2016

MoS2 quantum dots (QDs)/CdS core/shell nanospheres with a hierarchical heterostructure have been prepared by a simple microwave hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples are characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and N2-sorption in detail. The photocatalytic activities of the samples are evaluated by water splitting into hydrogen. Results show that the as-prepared MoS2 QDs/CdS core/shell nanospheres with a diameter of about 300 nm are composed of the shell of CdS nanorods and the core of MoS2 QDs. For the photocatalytic reaction, the samples exhibit a high stability of the photocatalytic activity and a much higher hydrogen evolution rate than the pure CdS, the composite prepared by a physical mixture, and the Pt-loaded CdS sample. In addition, the stability of CdS has also been greatly enhanced. The effect of the reaction time on the formations of nanospheres, the photoelectric properties and the photocatalytic activities of the samples has been investigated. Finally, a possible photocatalytic reaction process has also been proposed.