bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bacterial thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase as mediators for epigallocatechin 3‐gallate‐induced antimicrobial action
Authors: Liang Wei , Fernandes Aristi P. , Holmgren Arne , Li Xiaoming , Zhong Liangwei
Published: November 2015

Epigallocatechin 3‐gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea and may combat bacteria with few side‐effects. Its selectivity for different bacterial infections remains unclear, and hence the identification of the underlying mechanism is of practical importance. Both the thioredoxin (Trx) system and the glutathione/glutaredoxin (Grx) system support bacterial growth. Some pathogenic bacteria are naturally deficient in the Grx system. We analyzed the effect of green tea extract (GTE) and EGCG on wild‐type and null mutants of Escherichia coli with either Trx or Grx system deficiency and found that GTE and EGCG selected the Trx system as a target and killed the mutant that is exclusively dependent on Trx/Trx reductase (TrxR). EGCG inhibited the activity of both Trx1 and TrxR of E. coli in a dose‐dependent and time‐dependent manner. The IC50 values of EGCG for the reduced forms of E. coli Trx1/TrxR were ~ 3–4‐fold lower than those for their non‐reduced forms. The IC50 value of EGCG for the E. coli Trx1 system was 56‐fold lower than that for the mammalian Trx1 system. The inhibition by EGCG of both Trx1 and TrxR of E. coli was irreversible. EGCG‐induced inactivation of E. coli Trx1 was a second‐order process, and that of E. coli TrxR was an affinity‐labeling process. The covalent binding sites for EGCG in E. coli Trx1 were Trp28, Trp31 and Cys32, and in E. coli TrxR were Cys135 and Cys138. Moreover, the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus to EGCG was similar to that of an E. coli mutant with Grx system deficiency. EGCG‐induced inactivation of Trx/TrxR in S. aureus coincided with suppressed growth of this virulent pathogen. Our findings suggest a role for EGCG‐dependent Trx/TrxR inactivation in potentiating antibacterial activity of EGCG.
Evolutionary Economic Geography for OFCs: Do Political Ties to the Onshore Reduce Capital Inflow Volatility?
Authors: Baliamoune‐Lutz Mina , Cobb Sharon C.
Published: November 2015

This paper analyses the structural change in small‐island economies—sometimes labeled offshore financial centers (OFCs)—that have seen wealth‐generating activities through offshore financial services decrease in value since 2008. At the same time, OFCs have come under increasing scrutiny from supranational organizations such Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development and European Union for perceived unfair tax practices and money laundering activities. Some OFCs have proactively adjusted to this sea change by broadening the economic base through development of new offshore business activities such as e‐gaming, film industry, and niche manufacturing. Most have increased co‐operation with onshore regulatory bodies to promote service and product legitimacy. Econometric analysis explores the assertion that OFCs that do not have a political link to the onshore may be exposed to greater capital inflows volatility than OFCs that have such a link. Case study analysis using the theoretical lens of evolutionary economic geography illustrates that a small OFC is creating spatialities of economic novelty by adapting economic development strategies deployed during the successful development of the center prior to the recent recession. Our findings reveal the importance of political links to the onshore to reduce capital inflow volatility and the importance of local public–private interaction to legitimize post‐recession development.
Essentials from the 2015 European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) guidelines for the treatment of adult HIV‐positive persons
Authors: Ryom L , Boesecke C , Gisler V , Manzardo C , Rockstroh JK , Puoti M , Furrer H , Miro JM , Gatell JM , Pozniak A , Behrens G , Battegay M , Lundgren JD ,   the EACS Governing Board
Published: November 2015

Background

The European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) guidelines are intended for all clinicians involved in the care of HIV‐positive persons, and are available in print, online, and as a free App for download for iPhone and Android.

Guideline highlights

The 2015 version of the EACS guidelines contains major revisions in all sections; antiretroviral treatment (ART), comorbidities, coinfections and opportunistic diseases. Among the key revisions is the recommendation of ART for all HIV‐positive persons, irrespectively of CD4 count, based on the Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment (START) study results. The recommendations for the preferred and the alternative ART options have also been revised, and a new section on the use of pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been added. A number of new antiretroviral drugs/drug combinations have been added to the updated tables on drug−drug interactions, adverse drug effects, dose adjustment for renal/liver insufficiency and for ART administration in persons with swallowing difficulties. The revisions of the coinfection section reflect the major advances in anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment with direct‐acting antivirals with earlier start of treatment in individuals at increased risk of liver disease progression, and a phasing out of interferon‐containing treatment regimens. The section on opportunistic diseases has been restructured according to individual pathogens/diseases and a new overview table has been added on CD4 count thresholds for different primary prophylaxes.

Conclusions

The diagnosis and management of HIV infection and related coinfections, opportunistic diseases and comorbidities continue to require a multidisciplinary effort for which the 2015 version of the EACS guidelines provides an easily accessable and updated overview.
‘Country Rag Merchants’ and English Local Currencies in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century
Authors: Frame Iain
Published: November 2015

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, communities across England used country bankers’ notes almost as much as they used coins and Bank of England notes. Accounting for the relative success of these alternative currencies is challenging, however, due to the frequency of financial crisis during the period. If, during a crisis, all note holders attempted to enforce the promise to pay in gold coin against the issuing banker, the ‘law‐finance paradox’ would leave some note holders with gold coin, but would leave many more with merely ‘country rags’ or worthless pieces of paper. Building on both the credit approach to money and the relational approach to contract, this article shows note‐using communities successfully responding to financial crisis. They frequently did so by formalizing the bonds of reciprocity and trust tying the community to its note‐issuing banker – bonds sometimes made all the stronger by legal enforceability.
The Impact of Socio‐legal Studies in Family Justice: From Oxford to Whitehall
Authors: Maclean Mavis
Published: November 2015

This article introduces a new series reflecting socio‐legal empirical research and its impact both within the academic community and the wider world.
Influence of Sr2+ on Calcium‐Deficient Hydroxyapatite Formation Kinetics and Morphology in Partially Amorphized α‐TCP
Authors: Hurle Katrin , Neubauer Juergen , Goetz‐Neunhoeffer Friedlinde
Published: November 2015

Hydration of partially amorphized α‐TCP powders with Sr2+ concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 mol% substitution for Ca2+ was analyzed by isothermal calorimetry and quantitative in‐situ XRD. Hydration of both crystalline α‐TCP and amorphous TCP (ATCP) forming CDHA was retarded to an increasing extent with increasing Sr2+ content. Sr2+ slightly reduced the crystallite size (XRD coherent scattering domains) of the CDHA formed during hydration, while the size of crystals visible under SEM was not noticeably affected. Reaction enthalpies of ΔHR(Sr‐α‐TCP→Sr‐CDHA) = 122 ± 8 J/gTCP and ΔHR(Sr‐ATCP→Sr‐CDHA) = 257 ± 8 J/gTCP were determined for the hydration of crystalline α‐TCP and ATCP containing 5 mol% Sr2+ substitution for Ca2+. This is comparable with the corresponding reaction enthalpies previously obtained for undoped samples, which are 106 ± 7 J/gTCP for α‐TCP and 250 ± 7 J/gTCP for ATCP.
Grain Boundary Space Charge Effect and Proton Dynamics in Chemically Stable Perovskite‐Type Ba0.5Sr0.5Ce0.6Zr0.2Gd0.1Y0.1O3−δ (BSCZGY): A Case Study on Effect of Sintering Temperature
Authors: Singh Kalpana , Baral Ashok Kumar , Thangadurai Venkataraman
Published: November 2015

The present study reports the effect of sintering temperature on the proton dynamics of perovskite‐type Ba0.5Sr0.5Ce0.6Zr0.2Gd0.1Y0.1O3−δ (BSCZGY) by establishing a co‐relation between the grain‐boundary (GB) space charge effect, electrical conductivity and dielectric loss of the BSCZGY samples sintered at 1300°C, 1400°C, and 1550°C for 20 h in air. Although, the GBs are the main source of resistance in BaZrO3 based ceramic proton conductors, we show that the GB impedance disappeared above 450°C and 300°C, respectively, for BSCZGY samples sintered at 1300°C and 1400°C. Interestingly, the BSCZGY sample sintered at 1550°C showed absence of GB contribution to total conductivity even at 200°C. The GB electrostatic potential [ϕ(0)] was found to vary between 0.35–0.38 V and 0.4–0.45 V, respectively, for the samples sintered at 1300°C and 1400°C at 200°C–300°C. The migration energy (Em) of the protons was found to be 0.71, 0.65 and 0.58 eV for the sample sintered at 1300°C, 1400°C and 1550°C, respectively.
Synthesis and Electrical Properties of New Lead‐free (100−x)(Li0.12Na0.88)NbO3–xBaTiO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 40) Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Mitra Supratim , Kulkarni Ajit R.
Published: November 2015

New lead‐free (100−x)Li0.12Na0.88NbO3‐xBaTiO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 40) piezoelectric ceramics have been synthesized using conventional ceramics processing route. Structural analysis revealed an existence of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), separating orthorhombic and tetragonal phases, between the BaTiO3 content, x = 10–12.5. A partial phase diagram has been established based on temperature‐dependent permittivity data for this new system and a almost vertical temperature‐independent MPB is observed. Improvement in electrical properties near MPB (e.g., for x = 12.5; εr = 8842 at Tm and 795 at room temperature, d33 = 30 pC/N, kp = 12.0%, Qm = 162, Pr = 11.2 μC/cm2, Ec = 19.2 kV/cm, = 174 pm/V) is observed, and is attributed to the ease of polarization rotation due to coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. The results show that these materials could be suitable for piezoelectric vibrators and ultrasonic transducer applications. The sample with x = 25, also exhibited high dielectric permittivity, εr = 2400, and low dielectric loss, tanδ = 0.033 at room temperature which could be suitable for capacitor (X7R/Z5U) applications.
Java project on periodontal diseases: effect of vitamin C/calcium threonate/citrus flavonoids supplementation on periodontal pathogens, CRP and HbA1c
Authors: Amaliya Amaliya , Laine Marja L. , Loos Bruno G. , Van der Velden Ubele
Published: November 2015

Objective

To assess in a periodontally diseased rural population deprived from regular dental care and having poor dietary conditions, the effect of vitamin C/calcium threonate/citrus flavonoids (VitC/Ca/Fl) supplementation on subgingival microbiota and plasma levels of vitamin C, HbA1c and hsCRP.

Material & Methods

The study population consisted of 98 subjects who previously participated in a prospective study on the natural history of periodontitis. Participants were instructed to consume one tablet/day containing 200 mg Ester C® calcium ascorbate, 25 mg calcium threonate and 100 mg citrus flavonoids for 90 days. Following parameters were evaluated: prevalence/amount of seven traditional periodontal pathogens, cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV); and plasma levels of vitamin C, HbA1c and hsCRP.

Results

After VitC/Ca/Fl supplementation, 100% of subjects showed normal plasma vitamin C values compared to 55% before. At baseline, 48% of subjects harboured Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, >97% the other periodontal pathogens and 73% EBV. Supplementation with VitC/Ca/F reduced the subgingival load of all studied bacteria (p‐values: 0.014–0.0001) and EBV (p < 0.0001) substantially in all initially positive subjects. Plasma levels of HbA1c and hsCRP dropped in all subjects (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

This uncontrolled study suggested that supplemental VitC/Ca/Fl may be helpful in reducing subgingival numbers of periodontal pathogens and EBV, and promoting systemic health.
Aspects of nursing student placements associated with perceived likelihood of working in residential aged care
Authors: Lea Emma , Mason Ron , Eccleston Claire , Robinson Andrew
Published: November 2015

Aims and objectives

To investigate which aspects of student nurses' experiences of residential aged care facility clinical placements affect perceived likelihood of choosing a career in residential aged care post graduation.

Background

Poor clinical placement experiences as a student contribute to nurses' reluctance to work in aged care. Various factors have been found to improve the placement experience and influence students' attitudes and employment intentions. Missing from the literature is a quantitative – rather than qualitative – exploration of which attributes of an aged care placement link to perceived likelihood of working in residential aged care post graduation.

Design

Supported residential aged care placement programmes were developed for nursing students using an evidence‐based best‐practice model within an action research framework. Staff formed a mentor group in two facilities. During placement, weekly feedback meetings were held for students and mentors.

Methods

Second‐year nursing students (n = 71) participating in a three‐ or four‐week placement programme at two Tasmanian residential aged care facilities (September 2011–May 2013) completed questionnaires on placement experiences. Measures of association (correlation coefficients) were used to assess the effect of a range of variables on the likelihood of working in an aged care facility post graduation.

Results

Associations were identified between the likelihood of working in residential aged care post graduation and nurse mentor–student feedback exchange, Teaching and Learning Score and supportiveness of care workers.

Conclusions

This study adds to the literature by providing quantitative evidence that certain aspects of aged care placements influence attitudes to working in these sites post graduation.

Relevance to clinical practice

To increase interest in working in residential aged care, the teaching and learning environment needs improvement, opportunities should be proffered for mentor–student feedback exchange during placements and care workers need support to mentor effectively.
Locators versus magnetic attachment effect on peri‐implant tissue health of immediate loaded two implants retaining a mandibular overdenture: a 1‐year randomised trial
Authors: Elsyad M. A. , Mahanna F. F. , Elshahat M. A. , Elshoukouki A. H.
Published: November 2015

This study aimed to evaluate peri‐implant tissue health of immediate loaded two implants retaining a mandibular overdenture with either magnetic or locator attachment. Thirty two completely edentulous patients (20 males/12 females) were randomly assigned into two groups. Each patient received two implants in the canine area of the mandible using flapless surgical technique. Mandibular overdentures were immediately connected to the implants with either magnetic (group I, GI) or locator (group II, GII) attachments. Peri‐implant tissue health was evaluated clinically in terms of plaque scores (PI), bleeding scores (BI), probing depth (PD), implant stability (ISQ) and interleukin‐1‐β (IL‐1b) concentrations in peri‐implant sulcular fluid. PI, BI and PD were measured at mesial, distal, buccal and lingual surfaces of each implant. Radiographic evaluation was performed in terms of vertical (VBL) and horizontal (HBLO) alveolar bone loss. Evaluations were performed 2 weeks (T0), 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2) after overdenture insertion. Plague scores, PD, IL‐1b, VBL and HBLO increased significantly with time. ISQ decreased significantly with time. BI showed no significant differences between observation times. GI recorded significant higher PI, ISQ and IL‐1b at T2 compared to GII. GII recorded significant higher VBL than GI at T2 only. For HBLO, no significant differences between groups were noted. VBL and HBLO showed a significant positive correlation with PD. Locator attachments for immediate loaded implants retaining mandibular overdentures are associated with decreased plaque accumulation, decreased implant stability, decreased interleukin‐1β concentration in peri‐implant crevicular fluid and increased per‐implant vertical bone loss compared to magnetic attachments after 1 year.
Peripheral, functional and postural asymmetries related to the preferred chewing side in adults with natural dentition
Authors: Rovira‐Lastra B. , Flores‐Orozco E. I. , Ayuso‐Montero R. , Peraire M. , Martinez‐Gomis J.
Published: November 2015

The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine the preferred chewing side and whether chewing side preference is related to peripheral, functional or postural lateral preferences. One hundred and forty‐six adults with natural dentition performed three masticatory assays, each consisting of five trials of chewing three pieces of silicon placed into a latex bag for 20 cycles, either freestyle or unilaterally on the right‐ or left‐hand side. Occlusal contact area in the intercuspal position, maximum bite force, masticatory performance and cycle duration were measured and the lateral asymmetry of these variables was calculated. Laterality tests were performed to determine handedness, footedness, earedness and eyedness as functional preferences, and hand‐clasping, arm‐folding and leg‐crossing as postural lateral preferences. The preferred chewing side was determined using three different methods: assessment of the first chewing cycle for each trial, calculation of the asymmetry index from all cycles and application of a visual analogue scale. Bivariate relationship and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Among unilateral chewers, 77% of them preferred the right side for chewing. The factors most closely related to the preferred chewing side were asymmetry of bite force, asymmetry of masticatory performance and earedness, which explained up to 16% of the variance. Although several functional or postural lateral preferences seem to be related to the preferred chewing side, peripheral factors such as asymmetry of bite force and of masticatory performance are the most closely related to the preferred chewing side in adults with natural dentition.
Diet and prey selectivity of the specialist myrmecophage, Temminck's ground pangolin
Authors: Pietersen D. W. , Symes C. T. , Woodborne S. , McKechnie A. E. , Jansen R.
Published: November 2015

The diet of Temminck's ground pangolin Smutsia temminckii (hereafter, pangolin) has thus far been studied only in mesic savannahs. We provide arid‐zone dietary data for this species based on direct observations, and compare these to available prey species assemblages. We also report stable carbon and nitrogen isotope enrichment values for liver and scales obtained from pangolin carcasses compared to the diet. Pangolins were recorded consuming four ant (Anoplolepis steingroeveri, Camponotus fulvopilosus, two Crematogaster spp.) and one termite (Trinervitermes trinervoides) species, which represent 7.5 and 25% of the available ant and termite species respectively. The stable isotope data corroborate the direct observations and confirm that pangolins display a high degree of prey selectivity, however stable isotopes alone were not able to infer the diet of pangolins as a number of non‐prey species had similar isotopic values to prey species. Direct observations suggest that purported non‐prey species are not consumed, possibly because they have chemical or mechanical defenses or gallery structures that make them unsuitable as prey. Liver was enriched by 3.8 ± 1.2‰ (mean ± SD) and 2.5 ± 1.4‰ for δ15N and δ13C respectively, relative to the mean δ15N and δ13C values of the prey species, and scales were enriched by 2.9 ± 1.0‰ and 5.3 ± 1.8‰ respectively. We observed no seasonal variation or age or sex‐related differences in diet, either from direct observations or isotope data. These results support previous findings that pangolins have further specialized within an already unusual mammalian dietary niche.
Pricing an Experience Composite Good as Coordinated Signals
Authors: Kim Jeong‐Yoo
Published: November 2015

In this paper, we consider an experience composite good, each of whose components is produced by independent firms sharing the information about the quality. We obtain two main results. First, if the production costs are equal across qualities, the undistorted equilibrium is the unique unprejudiced separating equilibrium. Furthermore, in a pooling equilibrium, low‐type firms are able to coordinate their prices upwards to be pooled with high‐type firms. Second, if the production costs differ across qualities, no (universally divine) pooling equilibrium exists and the undistorted equilibrium is the unique unprejudiced, universally divine equilibrium. The implication of our results is that high quality is signaled by high but undistorted prices in the case of experience composite goods, contrary to the case of single experience goods.
Constrained growth flips the direction of optimal phenological responses among annual plants
Authors: Lindh Magnus , Johansson Jacob , Bolmgren Kjell , Lundström Niklas L. P. , Brännström Åke , Jonzén Niclas
Published: November 2015

Phenological changes among plants due to climate change are well documented, but often hard to interpret. In order to assess the adaptive value of observed changes, we study how annual plants with and without growth constraints should optimize their flowering time when productivity and season length changes. We consider growth constraints that depend on the plant's vegetative mass: self‐shading, costs for nonphotosynthetic structural tissue and sibling competition.

We derive the optimal flowering time from a dynamic energy allocation model using optimal control theory. We prove that an immediate switch (bang‐bang control) from vegetative to reproductive growth is optimal with constrained growth and constant mortality.

Increasing mean productivity, while keeping season length constant and growth unconstrained, delayed the optimal flowering time. When growth was constrained and productivity was relatively high, the optimal flowering time advanced instead. When the growth season was extended equally at both ends, the optimal flowering time was advanced under constrained growth and delayed under unconstrained growth.

Our results suggests that growth constraints are key factors to consider when interpreting phenological flowering responses. It can help to explain phenological patterns along productivity gradients, and links empirical observations made on calendar scales with life‐history theory.
A global analysis of parenchyma tissue fractions in secondary xylem of seed plants
Authors: Morris Hugh , Plavcová Lenka , Cvecko Patrick , Fichtler Esther , Gillingham Mark A. F. , Martínez‐Cabrera Hugo I. , McGlinn Daniel J. , Wheeler Elisabeth , Zheng Jingming , Ziemińska Kasia , Jansen Steven
Published: November 2015

Parenchyma is an important tissue in secondary xylem of seed plants, with functions ranging from storage to defence and with effects on the physical and mechanical properties of wood. Currently, we lack a large‐scale quantitative analysis of ray parenchyma (RP) and axial parenchyma (AP) tissue fractions.

Here, we use data from the literature onAPandRPfractions to investigate the potential relationships of climate and growth form with total ray and axial parenchyma fractions (RAP).

We found a 29‐fold variation inRAPfraction, which was more strongly related to temperature than with precipitation. Stem succulents had the highestRAPvalues (mean ± SD: 70.2 ± 22.0%), followed by lianas (50.1 ± 16.3%), angiosperm trees and shrubs (26.3 ± 12.4%), and conifers (7.6 ± 2.6%). Differences inRAPfraction between temperate and tropical angiosperm trees (21.1 ± 7.9% vs 36.2 ± 13.4%, respectively) are due to differences in theAPfraction, which is typically three times higher in tropical than in temperate trees, but not inRPfraction.

Our results illustrate that both temperature and growth form are important drivers ofRAPfractions. These findings should help pave the way to better understand the various functions ofRAPin plants.
Diagnostic value of radiological imaging pre‐ and post‐drainage of pleural effusions
Authors: Corcoran John P. , Acton Louise , Ahmed Asia , Hallifax Robert J. , Psallidas Ioannis , Wrightson John M. , Rahman Najib M. , Gleeson Fergus V.
Published: November 2015

Patients with an unexplained pleural effusion often require urgent investigation. Clinical practice varies due to uncertainty as to whether an effusion should be drained completely before diagnostic imaging. We performed a retrospective study of patients undergoing medical thoracoscopy for an unexplained effusion. In 110 patients with paired (pre‐ and post‐drainage) chest X‐rays and 32 patients with paired computed tomography scans, post‐drainage imaging did not provide additional information that would have influenced the clinical decision‐making process.
Making the Cut: Improved Ranking and Selection for Large-Scale Inference
Authors: Henderson Nicholas C. , Newton Michael A.
Published: November 2015

Identifying leading measurement units from a large collection is a common inference task in various domains of large-scale inference. Testing approaches, which measure evidence against a null hypothesis rather than effect magnitude, tend to overpopulate lists of leading units with those associated with low measurement error. By contrast, local maximum likelihood approaches tend to favour units with high measurement error. Available Bayesian and empirical Bayesian approaches rely on specialized loss functions that result in similar deficiencies. We describe and evaluate a generic empirical Bayesian ranking procedure that populates the list of top units in a way that maximizes the expected overlap between the true and reported top lists for all list sizes. The procedure relates unit-specific posterior upper tail probabilities with their empirical distribution to yield a ranking variable. It discounts high variance units less than popular non-maximum-likelihood methods and thus achieves improved operating characteristics in the models considered.
Institutional Differences and the Direction of Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment Flows: Are South–South Flows any Different than the Rest?
Authors: Demir Firat , Hu Chenghao
Published: November 2015

We explore the asymmetric effects of institutional differences on bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) flows conditional on countries' development levels, previous experiences of foreign investors and bilateral trade relations. The empirical results using bilateral FDI data from 134 countries during 1990–2009 suggest that institutional differences create entry barriers for foreign investors only in North–South and South–North directions, and more so for the former. Furthermore, Southern investors appear to have a comparative advantage in institutionally different developing countries. Finally, we find no evidence that investor experiences in other institutionally different countries or existing trade linkages negate the negative effect of institutional distance.
Retrospective comparison of early‐ versus late‐insulin therapy regarding effect on time to resolution of diabetic ketosis and ketoacidosis in dogs and cats: 60 cases (2003–2013)
Authors: DiFazio Jillian , Fletcher Daniel J.
Published: November 2015

Objective

To determine whether early insulin administration (≤6 h after admission) results in more rapid resolution of diabetic ketosis (DK) and ketoacidosis (DKA), shorter duration of hospitalization, and higher incidence of complications, and whether more severe ketonuria is associated with longer time to resolution of DK/DKA.

Design

Retrospective study (January 1, 2003–March 1, 2013).

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Sixty dogs and cats with DK or DKA receiving short‐acting insulin therapy.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Medical records were reviewed and data recorded including signalment; previous history of diabetes; intake temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, pH, base excess, and degree of ketonuria; time to short‐acting insulin therapy and resolution of DK/DKA; length of hospitalization; and complications. Insulin was initiated ≤6 hours in the early group and >6 hours in the late group after hospital admission. Early group patients had more rapid resolution of DK/DKA after starting short‐acting insulin therapy (36.4 ± 22.6 vs. 55.4 ± 26.6 h,P= 0.014). There was no difference in duration of hospitalization or complications. More severe ketonuria resulted in longer time to resolution of DK/DKA after initiation of short‐acting insulin (severe: 50.9 ± 24.2; moderate: 29.6 ± 19; mild: 23.4 ± 21.9 h,P= 0.005, all individual pairwise comparisonsP< 0.05).

Conclusions

Early insulin administration is associated with more rapid resolution of DK/DKA without an associated increase in complication rates. DK/DKA took longer to resolve with more severe ketonuria. Prospective studies are warranted to identify specific time targets for insulin administration in DK/DKA patients.
ANTIPROLIFERATIVE EFFECT OF Dendrophthoe pentandra EXTRACTS TOWARDS HUMAN BREAST ADENOCARCINOMA CELLS (MCF-7)
Authors: Nik Zainuddin Nik Aina Syazana , Sul’ain Mohd Dasuki
Published: November 2015

Dendrophthoe pentandra (DP) is a semi-parasitic plant. Previous studies showed that this plant possessed diverse medicinal properties. The present study was carried out to determine antiproliferative activity of various DP crude extracts. Extracts of petroleum ether, diethyl ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol, have been evaluated through IC50 value, which defined by the concentration of drug that is required for the inhibition of 50% of cell population in vitro. The determination of percentage cell viability was conducted by using MTT assay. The screening assay involved the use of malignant cell line MCF-7 (breast cancer cell) whereas the normal cell line was L929 (connective cell). The control drug used was tamoxifen. The ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were found to be more effective against MCF-7 cancer cell lines compared to the others. All extracts showed no remarkable effect against normal cell L929 with IC50 values more than 100 µg/mL. In contrast to tamoxifen, all extracts showed less cytotoxicity effect towards normal cells. The data obtained from this study provide notable preliminary information on the cytotoxic/antiproliferative effect of different DP extracts and further study should be carried out to isolate the active compound of the most potential DP extracts.
MONOMER STILBENOID GLUCOSIDES FROM Vatica pauciflora AND Vatica lowii (DIPTEROCARPACEAE)
Authors: Kamarozaman Aisyah Salihah , Latip Jalifah , Paetz Christian , M. Syah Yana
Published: November 2015

Phytochemical studies on the woods of Vatica pauciflora and Vatica lowii have been conducted. The woods of V. pauciflora were extracted with methanol by using Soxhlet apparatus while the woods of V. lowii were extracted with acetone at room temperature. The methanolic extract of V. pauciflora was semi-purified by using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) and further purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to obtain a pure compound (1). The same technique of semi-purification has been employed on V. lowii acetone extract which was further purified by radial chromatography to give a pure compound (2). Based on the UV, IR, NMR and mass spectral data, the isolated compounds were characterized as (-)-cis-resveratrol-10-C-b-D-glucopyranoside and (-)-piceid respectively.
CYCLIC MONOTERPENOID PYRANOCARBAZOLE ALKALOIDS FROM THE BARK OF Murraya koenigii (L.) SPRENG
Authors: Ahmad Kartini , Tan Siow-Ping , Hazni Hazrina , Nafiah Mohd Azlan
Published: November 2015

Murraya koenigii, locally known as "kari" tree, was selected for the phytochemical analysis. The extraction and isolation of the carbazole alkaloids from its n-hexane extract of the bark was carried out by using various chromatographic techniques. Three cyclic monoterpenoid pyranocarbazole alkaloids namely, murrayazolinol, murrayakoeninol and bicyclomahanimbine, were isolated. Their structures were determined on the basis of 1D-, 2D-NMR, IR, UV and mass spectrometry, and by comparison with the data from literature.
THE STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIC MATERIAL IN ACID MINE DRAINAGE TREATMENT
Authors: Othman Anuar , Sulaiman Azli , Sulaiman Shamsul Kamal
Published: November 2015

The objective of this study is to find suitable weight quantity of organic material and retention time of acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment in column experiment. Hopefully the study will assist the miners to reduce the maintenance and operating cost after the treatment. The study using experimental column was carried out in the laboratory to investigate the effectiveness of organic material in treating acid mine drainage. Four different organic material weights were used; 50 g, 100 g, 200 g and 300 g. Five different retention times for each weights were used; 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes and 75 minutes. Analysis results showed that pH value of water sample had increased between 3.2 and 7.2 after the treatment. The lowest sulphate and sulphur contents after treatment were 967 mg/L at retention time of 75 minutes and 607 mg/L at retention time of 15 minutes respectively. Both experiments used 50 g organic material.
STAGE-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF Quassia borneensis NOOT. (SIMAROUBACEAE) CHLOROFORM EXTRACTS ON ERYTHROCYTES INFECTED WITH CHLOROQUINE-RESISTANT Plasmodium berghei NK65
Authors: Wan Razali Wan Marahaini , Ag Nuddin Julenah , Ishak Shafariatul Akmar , Ghazali Ahmad Rohi
Published: November 2015

This study was conducted to screen the antiplasmodial activity of chloroform extracts of Quassia borneensis against different intraerythrocytic cycle of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei NK65. The antiplasmodial activity was measured using SYBR green I assay for determining the concentration that inhibited 50% (IC50) of the Plasmodium’s activity after 24 hours of treatment (0.0001-100 mg mL-1). All of the extracts showed potent activity against all of the cycles. The trophozoite and schizont stages were considerably more sensitive to the extracts than the ring-stages parasites. The values were compared to the controls treated with chloroquine and artemisinin. Hence, the chloroform extracts of roots and bark of Q. borneensis demonstrated potent activities towards each life cycle of chloroquine-resistant P. berghei and has a potential to be developed as an antimalarial agent.
AN in vitro STUDY OF WOUND HEALING ACTIVITY OF Ficus deltoidea LEAF EXTRACT
Authors: Wan Mustaffa Nurul Ain Aqilla , Hasham Rosnani , Sarmidi Mohamad Roji
Published: November 2015

Ficus deltoidea (Mas Cotek) is one of the popular herbs that has been used traditionally to alleviate illnesses. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro wound healing activity of  F. deltoidea leaf extract on skin cell. Cell proliferative and migration assay were done on the Human Skin Fibroblast cell (HSF 1184) which were treated with different concentrations of F. deltoidea leaf extract. The data of wound closure were collected at time intervals of 0, 6, 12 and 24 hours and analyzed using ImageJ™ software. MTT assay revealed that the F. deltoidea leaf extract could induce cell proliferation at a dose dependent manner. F. deltoidea leaf extract significantly accelerated the wound closure process in comparison to cells treated with ascorbic acid and untreated cells in scratch assay. Following 24 hours of incubation, cells treated with 50 mg/mL of F. deltoidea leaf extract showed remarkable proliferative and wound closure effect with 143.67% and 5.96%, respectively as compared to other concentrations. Collectively, these findings suggested that F. deltoidea leaf extract possesses wound healing potential and may be useful for the development of efficient wound healing drug.
AN APPLICATION OF THE ISO/IEC 25010 STANDARD IN THE QUALITY-IN-USE ASSESSMENT OF AN ONLINE HEALTH AWARENESS SYSTEM
Authors: Hussain Azham , Mkpojiogu Emmanuel O.C.
Published: November 2015

Research studies show that there is an upsurge in the number of users surfing the Internet for online health related information. This increase in information seeking behavior on the Web gives rise to the need to ensure that Web based portals meet basic quality in use standards. The ISO/IEC 25010 standard was developed as a model for evaluating such quality in user expectations. In this paper, this standard was used to assess the quality in use of e-Ebola Awareness System, an online health awareness portal. The results provide some insights into the quality into the use of the online portal and also pointing to some issues that impact negatively on the quality in use of the portal, demanding attention and improvement.
INVENTORY RISK BASED TECHNIQUE FOR SPARE PARTS UTILIZATION
Authors: Mohd Sharif Kamal Imran , Ibrahim Jafni Azhan , M Udin Zulkifli
Published: November 2015

The equipment breakdown due to unavailability of spare parts has incurred challenges for the manufacturing industry in managing the inventory. Consequently, the problem of spare parts unavailability has lead the organization towards unproductive and eventually impact the financial performance. Therefore, maintaining good system has direct connection with spare parts availability. The inventory planner always strive hard to ensure that the spare parts are always available for the maintenance used. Nevertheless, maintaining high inventories of spare parts often conflict from meeting the needs of equipment reliability for the manufacturing plant. In view of this situation, management of spare parts become critical in ensuring   the equipment reliability. This paper describes an innovative risk quantification technique using Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) for the spare parts inventory control. The technique modified the BDD concept by translating the failure history into binary decision. From the binary process, the data will be converted into spare parts probability table and failure impact is analyzed.  These two functions of risk, will be calculated in order gain the risk in monetary value.
IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF LOAD-BEARING MASONRY BUILDINGS
Authors: Abdullah C.S. , Bahaudin A.Y. , M. Nawi M.N. , Baluch N. H. , Kamaruddeen A.M. , Mohtar S. , Mohamed Udin Z. , Zulhumadi F. , Abu Bakar Z.
Published: November 2015

Load-bearing or structural masonry is a method of construction where the elements of a structure are built using masonry (bricks or blocks). Due to its technological and economic advantages, in western countries the system is widely used particularly for residential and low-rise buildings. Despite the advantages and excellent track record overseas, the system has not found its avenue in the local construction scene. Not many new buildings have been built using the system. Previous studies revealed that engineers, architects, developers, and builders lacked knowledge and experience on the design and construction using the system. A programme has been formulated for a consulting firm’s staff and their business partners to transfer the state-of-the-art knowledge on the design, detailing, costing, and construction of structures using load-bearing masonry. Additionally, value added topics on supply chain, value engineering, and strategic planning were also included. The programme involved two phases: (i) a series of seminars and workshops covering a duration of 6 months and, (ii) continuous site supervision (monitoring) for another 6 months. An auditing scheme to measure the company’s performance before and after the programme using the balance score-card technique is under formulation. The technology transfer programme has been completed covering 9 modules whereby the company managed to save further on profits by utilising value engineering concepts in its relevant projects.
The Contribution of Kawada to the Analytical Solution for the Velocity Induced by a Helical Vortex Filament
Authors: Fukumoto Yasuhide , Okulov Valery L. , Wood David H.
Published: November 2015

The basic solution for the velocity induced by helical vortex filament is well known as Hardin's solution, published in 1982. A study of early publications on helical vortices now shows that the Japanese scientist Kawada from Tokyo Imperial University also produced many of these results in 1936, which predates Hardin by 46 years. Consequently, in order to honor both, we have studied their derivations to establish the originality of both solutions.
An Eulerian Approach to Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of a Chemical-Looping Combustion Reactor With Chemical Reactions
Authors: Banerjee Subhodeep , Agarwal Ramesh K.
Published: November 2015

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is a next-generation combustion technology that shows great promise in addressing the need for high-efficiency low-cost carbon capture from fossil fueled power plants. Although there have been a number of experimental studies on CLC in recent years, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been limited in the literature. In this paper, simulation of a CLC reactor is conducted using the Eulerian approach in the commercial CFD solver ansys fluent based on a laboratory-scale experiment with a dual fluidized bed CLC reactor. The solid phase consists of a Fe-based oxygen carrier while the gaseous fuel used is syngas. The salient features of the fluidization behavior in the air reactor and fuel reactor beds representing a riser and a bubbling bed, respectively, as well as the down-comer, are accurately captured in the simulation. This work is among the few CFD simulations of a complete circulating dual fluidized bed system for CLC in 3D in the literature. It highlights the importance of 3D simulation of CLC systems and the need for more accurate empirical reaction rate data for future CLC simulations.
Wake Topology of a Cylinder Undergoing Vortex-Induced Vibrations With Elliptic Trajectories
Authors: Kheirkhah Sina , Yarusevych Serhiy , Narasimhan Sriram
Published: November 2015

Wake vortex shedding topology of a cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) is investigated experimentally. Vibration measurements and flow visualization are utilized to study the connection between the cylinder response and the wake topology. The experiments were performed for two different orientations of the elliptic trajectories relative to the incoming flow at a fixed Reynolds number, moment of inertia ratio, mass ratio, and reduced velocity. Similar to the classical 2P regime, two counter-rotating vortex pairs are produced per oscillating cycle for both cases of elliptic trajectories examined here. However, significant changes in wake vortex dynamics are observed along the cylinder span. These changes include merging of vortices, which leads to shedding patterns similar to 2S and P + S modes downstream of the vortex formation region. The observed changes in vortex dynamics are accompanied by splitting of spanwise vortex filament and are attributed primarily to the changes in the local amplitude of vibrations along the span of the pivoted cylinder. It is shown that, being dependent on both the local amplitude of vibrations and vortex dynamics, the observed wake topology cannot be captured by the classical map of shedding regimes developed for VIV of one degree-of-freedom (DOF) cylinders.
Stability of Human Balance With Reflex Delays Using Galerkin Approximations
Authors: Ahsan Zaid , Uchida Thomas K. , Subudhi Akash , Vyasarayani C. P.
Published: November 2015

Falling is the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injury in the elderly, often requiring expensive hospitalization and rehabilitation. We study the stability of human balance during stance using inverted single- and double-pendulum models, accounting for physiological reflex delays in the controller. The governing second-order neutral delay differential equation (NDDE) is transformed into an equivalent partial differential equation (PDE) constrained by a boundary condition and then into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the Galerkin method. The stability of the ODE system approximates that of the original NDDE system; convergence is achieved by increasing the number of terms used in the Galerkin approximation. We validate our formulation by deriving analytical expressions for the stability margins of the double-pendulum human stance model. Numerical examples demonstrate that proportional–derivative–acceleration (PDA) feedback generally, but not always, results in larger stability margins than proportional–derivative (PD) feedback in the presence of reflex delays.
Optimization on Metamodeling-Supported Iterative Decomposition
Authors: Haji Hajikolaei Kambiz , Cheng George H. , Wang G. Gary
Published: November 2015

The recently developed metamodel-based decomposition strategy relies on quantifying the variable correlations of black-box functions so that high-dimensional problems are decomposed to smaller subproblems, before performing optimization. Such a two-step method may miss the global optimum due to its rigidity or requires extra expensive sample points for ensuring adequate decomposition. This work develops a strategy to iteratively decompose high-dimensional problems within the optimization process. The sample points used during the optimization are reused to build a metamodel called principal component analysis-high dimensional model representation (PCA-HDMR) for quantifying the intensities of variable correlations by sensitivity analysis. At every iteration, the predicted intensities of the correlations are updated based on all the evaluated points, and a new decomposition scheme is suggested by omitting the weak correlations. Optimization is performed on the iteratively updated subproblems from decomposition. The proposed strategy is applied for optimization of different benchmarks and engineering problems, and results are compared to direct optimization of the undecomposed problems using trust region mode pursuing sampling method (TRMPS), genetic algorithm (GA), cooperative coevolutionary algorithm with correlation-based adaptive variable partitioning (CCEA-AVP), and divide rectangles (DIRECT). The results show that except for the category of undecomposable problems with all or many strong (i.e., important) correlations, the proposed strategy effectively improves the accuracy of the optimization results. The advantages of the new strategy in comparison with the previous methods are also discussed.
Electron beam lithography using a PMMA/P(MMA 8.5 MAA) bilayer for negative tone lift-off process
Authors: Blanchard-Dionne Andre-Pierre , Meunier Michel
Published: November 2015

The authors demonstrate a high resolution lift off process for electron beam lithography using a PMMA/P(MMA 8.5 MAA) bilayer as negative tone resists. Fifty-nanometer features were achieved for metal deposition up to 100 nm thick. The process was tested on silicon substrates as well as indium tin oxide on glass transparent substrates in order to prove the applicability of the patterns for extraordinary optical transmission.