bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation between serum albumin and initial GCS in patient with head injury in a tertiary hospital
Authors: Jha Binit Kumar , Sharma Mohan Raj
Published: July 2016

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury(TBI) is a major cause of disability, death and economic burden to the society. Albumin is a major protein of human. Values fall as a component of metabolic response to injury or infection. Albumin being a negative phase reactant is consumed under states of stress such as TBI.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive observational study conducted at the Department of Surgery, TUTH over a period of 1 year between 2014 and 2015. Albumin level at admission was correlated with severity of head injury, Glasgow Coma Scale at admission and duration of hospital stay.Results: Among 59 patients with isolated TBI patients from TUTH, 40(68%) were male and 19(32%) were female. 55% of head injuries occurred between the ages of 18-40 years. Out of total patients, fall was the major cause of head injury with 24 (41%) under this category. Nine (15%) had severe head injury; 22 (37%) had moderate and 28 (47.45%) patients had severe head injury at admission. Contusion 19 (28%) and subdural hematoma 17(26%) were the predominant computed tomography findings. Twenty four (40%) patients were managed conservatively, thirty five (60%) patients were operated. The average albumin level at admission for patients with mild, moderate and severe head injury were 41,46gm/dl, 33.76gm/dl, 31.1gm/dl respectively. There is a positive correlation between initial serum albumin and GCS at admission (p=0.01, R= 0.747).Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between initial serum albumin and GCS at admission. Further research on this topic at multiple centres is warranted.
Synthesis, Crystal Structural, and Spectral Characterisation of Dabigatran Etexilate Tetrahydrate
Authors: Cai Zhi-Qiang , Hou Xu , Kong Du-Lin , Hou Ling , Hu Zhi-Quan
Published: July 2016

Dabigatran etexilate tetrahydrate, C34H49N7O9, has been crystallised at ambient conditions. The colourless crystal was investigated using X-ray crystallography with single crystals and powder techniques, and was characterised by thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The compound was shown to be a tetrahydrate. A dabigatran etexilate molecule and four water molecules form a large ring structure, and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds contribute to the formation of a stable molecule in the unit cell.
A Three-Coordinate Ag(I) Complex Based on the V-Shaped Ligand 1,3-Bis(1-Ethylbenzimidazol-2-Yl)-2-Thiapropane: Synthesis, Crystal Structure and DNA-Binding Properties
Authors: Wu Huilu , Aderinto Stephen Opeyemi , Xu Yuling , Zhang Han , Yang Zaihui
Published: July 2016

The complex [Ag(bebt)(cinnamate)] [bebt = 1,3-bis(1-ethylbenzimidazol-2-yl)-2-thiapropane], has been synthesised and characterised by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that the coordination environment of the Ag(I) complex can be described as trigonal planar, and the Ag(I) atom is coordinated by one oxygen atom from a cinnamate anion and two nitrogen atoms from ligand bebt. Experimental studies of the DNA-binding properties indicated that the free ligand and the complex bind to DNA via the intercalation mode, and the binding affinity of the complex was found to be greater than that of just bebt.
Response of T. Aman and Boro Rice to Residue Retention Under Strip Tillage
Authors: Hossain MM , Begum M , Rahman MM , Hashem A
Published: July 2016

An on-farm research was conducted at Gouripur upazila under Mymensingh district of Bangladesh during aman and boro season in 2013-14 to evaluate the performance of unpuddled rice cultivation. The rice var. Hybrid Krishan2 in aman and BRRI dhan28 in boro season were transplanted by two tillage practices viz., conventional tillage (CT) and strip tillage (ST) and two levels of crop residue i.e, no residue (R0) and 50% residue (R50). The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with four replications. ST yielded higher grains in aman season (5.67 t ha-1) and also in boro season (4.70 t ha-1) which were 9 and 13% higher compared to CT. Higher grain yield in ST leading to 26% higher BCR in aman and 23% higher in boro compared to CT. Retention of 50% residue increased by 5% yield in aman and by 4% yield in boro compared to no residue which contributed to 9% higher BCR in both aman and boro. ST combine with 50% residue retention yielded the highest grain yield in both of aman (5.97 t ha-1) and boro season (4.81t ha-1) which attributed to obtain the highest BCR in aman (3.08) and boro (2.78).Bangladesh Agron. J. 2015, 18(2): 39-44
Improving Yield of Transplanted Aman and Boro Rice Through Tegra Package of Cultivation
Authors: Kader MA , Mia MSR , Kafi MA , Hossain MS , Islam N
Published: July 2016

The study investigated the yield performance of transplant aman rice cv. BRRI dhan49 and boro rice cv. BRRI dhan29 under improved package of cultivation (TEGRA) as compared to farmers practice. TEGRA is a rice farming practice which includes use of quality seeds and healthy seedlings, transplanting with rice transplanter, use of herbicide, use of balanced fertilization and micronutrients, and preventive plant protection measures. The study during transplant aman season included two treatments on rice cultivation method viz. TEGRA package and farmers practice while in boro rice four treatments viz. TEGRA package, farmers practice with high inputs, farmers practice with medium inputs and farmers practice with low inputs. The yield and plant characters of both transplant aman and boro rice were significantly influenced by the TEGRA package of cultivation as compared to farmers practice. TEGRA package of cultivation as compared to farmers practice increased the grain yield by 18.3% in transplant aman rice and by 80% in boro rice with less cost of production as compared to farmers practice, which eventually resulted 23% increase in gross return and 400% in net return. As a result, the benefit cost ratio of TEGRA package was much higher (1.35 and 2.20 during transplant aman rice and boro rice, respectively) compared to that of farmers practice (1.07 and 1.30).Bangladesh Agron. J. 2015, 18(2): 89-95
Grain Growth and Yield of Wheat as Influenced by Variety and Sowing Date
Authors: Uddin R , Islam MS , Ullah MJ , Hore PK , Paul SK
Published: July 2016

A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy field, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during November 2012 to April 2013 to evaluate the influence of variety and sowing date on grain growth and yield of wheat. The experiment consisted of four wheat variety viz., BARI Gom-21, BARI Gom-24, BARI Gom-25 and BARI Gom-26 and three sowing date viz., 20 November, 01December and 12 December. Grain growth, yield contributing characters and yield of wheat were significantly influenced by different variety and sowing date. Among the variety, BARI Gom-24 and BARI Gom-25 showed initial lower lag phase duration of 8 days after anthesis (DAA) and 12 DAA, respectively than BARI Gom-21 (16 DAA) sown at 01 December. The maximum grain growth rate whole over the period was maintained by BARI Gom-26 sown at 01 December. It reached peak at 20 DAA (1.17 mg /grain/day). The minimum growth rate was maintained by BARI Gom-21 and BARI Gom-24 sown at 12 December (0.15 mg /grain/day). BARI Gom-25 sown at 01December gave the highest yield (4.6 t ha?1) whereas BARI Gom-21 sown at 20 November gave the lowest (2.67 t ha?1). All the wheat varieties sown at 01 December yielded better than 20 November and 12 December sowing.Bangladesh Agron. J. 2015, 18(2): 97-104
Waterlogging Tolerance of Soybean
Authors: Ara R , Mannan MA , Khaliq QA , Miah MM Uddin
Published: July 2016

Abstract not availableBangladesh Agron. J. 2015, 18(2): 105-109
Links between Vitamin D deficiency and diabetes-associated macrovasculopathy
Authors: Rahman Sayeeda , Majumder Md Anwarul Azim
Published: July 2016

Abstract not availableSouth East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 4-6
Priority public health interventions and research agendas in post-earthquake Nepal
Authors: Regmi Pramod R , Aryal Nirmal , Pant Puspa Raj , Teijlingen Edwin Van , Simkhada Padam , Devkota Bhimsen
Published: July 2016

The occurrence of natural disasters including earthquake is becoming more frequent phenomena worldwide. All these disasters trigger huge damages to infrastructure, economies as well as population health. Nepals earthquake in 2015 has multiple effects on population health and health services delivery. Many public health facilities, mostly health posts or sub-healthposts, were damaged or completely destroyed. Priority health services such as immunization and antenatal care were also seriously affected. The earthquake has prompted the need for a disaster-related population-health-research agenda as well as renewed disaster strategy in post-earthquake Nepal. Meanwhile, it also unveiled the gap in knowledge and practice regarding earthquake resilience in Nepal. There is an opportunity for school-based and community-based interventions in both disaster preparedness and resilience. Nepal can build on experiences from other countries as well as from its own. We have discussed possible impacts of the Nepal earthquake on population health and health system infrastructures. We have also suggested possible public health interventions bestowing active awareness among the population and a research agenda in this regard. We strongly urge for the translation of the National Health Policy (2014) into action, as it prioritizes the need of an earthquake resistant infrastructure as well as the implementation of a disaster response plan.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 7-12
Perspectives of academia on advancing the agenda of Universal Health Coverage in India
Authors: Sharma Anjali , Zodpey Sanjay
Published: July 2016

Universal health coverage (UHC) is currently at the center of discussion to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes. The design and delivery of UHC requires an active engagement of various stakeholders viz. policy makers, program managers, civil society, private sector, academia and health professional associations. However, limited information is available on engagement of academia in discussions related to UHC. This study attempted to examine the perspectives of academia on advancing the agenda of UHC in India. A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted with 62 stakeholders which included deans and senior faculty from 17 government and 15 private medical institutions across India, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done through free listing of responses, domain evolution and using qualifiers for semi-quantitative expressions. Clarity on concept of UHC and awareness on UHC developments was found low amongst stakeholders. It was strongly believed that not just tertiary care services but primary health care is more critical for UHC to succeed. Besides the responsibility of government, engaging other organizations was underlined. Approximately half of the respondents mentioned that their organization can support the provision of providing promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services to achieve UHC. Stakeholders also felt that the tax-based and private health insurance can act complementary to each other, and should be promoted to improve health services coverage. Findings suggest that there is a strong need for engagement of academia for marching towards the goal of UHC.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 50-56
Can communication media improve the KAP status of frontline health workers? A cross-sectional study on MCH indicators from Assam, India
Authors: Mahanta Lipi B , Choudhury Manisha , Borthakur Sikha , Bhagabati Ritul , Gogoi Partha
Published: July 2016

Frontline health workers are now key component in any public health delivery system, providing essential information on basic components of health, nutrition and sanitation for improving the utilization of primary health care delivery system by the community. This study was conducted to find out the Knowledge Attitude and Practices (KAP) of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers on maternal health and child health components, service delivery system and to find out the association of different communication media on KAP status regarding above components. It is a cross-sectional study. Data was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire from 264 ASHA workers from 8 blocks of 5 districts of Assam selected randomly. Multiple regression analysis has been used to associate various findings and variables. The overall KAP status of most of the ASHAs (72%) was found to be 'Good'. It was observed that 70.45% had good KAP regarding maternal health components, 82.2% had good KAP on child health components, and 78.79% on common diseases. Communication media like TV, radio and mobile have also been found to have significant effect on certain KAP by ASHAs. Most of the ASHAs have been found competent in some aspects of health and nutrition components which have direct impact on child survival and maternal health. But at the same time average to poor knowledge level have been seen in some other important indicators. Hence proper training and timely re-orientation and information sharing through different suitable medium would be helpful for improving the KAP status of ASHAs.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 57-64
Treatment seeking behavior for sexually transmitted infections/reproductive tract infections among married women in urban slums of Mumbai, India
Authors: Shingade Poonam P , Kazi Yasmeen , LH Madhavi
Published: July 2016

Sexually Transmitted Infections/Reproductive Tract Infections (STIs/RTIs) are a major public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity among men and women in developing countries. The aim of the study is to explore treatment seeking behavior among the married women of reproductive age presented with symptoms of STI/RTI. A hospital-based observational study was carried out at the STI/RTI Clinic of Urban Health Centre, Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, Mumbai, India. The study involved a total of 273 married females who attended clinic for their symptoms during January to March 2012. Patients were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire to explore the detail of the treatment seeking behavior regarding STIs/RTIs. Out of total women who participated in the study, only 47.6% of the women with STIs/RTIs symptoms sought health care. Among those who did not seek treatment, 58.65 % females were belonging to 21-25 years of age group. Maximum 65.6% females who were illiterate had not sought any treatment for symptoms of these diseases as compared to 65% who had taken treatment for the presented symptoms who were educated up to higher secondary and above level. 62.5% females belonging to class V had never sought treatment as compared to 100% women who were classified to class I. The poor health seeking behavior was associated with literacy and socioeconomic class of the participants. Private sector was the most favored place for taking treatment by them. Commonest reason for not seeking treatment was no female doctor at clinic. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) sessions, about STI symptoms and the benefits of treat-ment, especially targeted at women and low socioeconomic groups might be an immediately feasible measure that will help to reduce the burden of the disease.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 65-70
Medical relief in Nepal earthquake: Observations and lessons to learn
Authors: Kamath Ramachandra , Fernandes Edmond , Narayanan Prakash
Published: July 2016

Abstract not availableSouth East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 77-78
A Utopia of Immanence: Revolution in Deleuze and Guattari
Authors: Michael-Matsas Savvas
Published: July 2016

In 1992, at a time of reaction and generalised declaration of the end of revolutions, communism and history, in opposition to the ‘pensée molle’ of the times, Deleuze, along with Félix Guattari, in their last jointly authored book, What is Philosophy?, stressed their support for the immanent utopian revolution, in the sense that Ernst Bloch gave to ‘utopia’. They spoke of permanent revolution as an absolute deterritorialisation, infinite speed and utopia of immanence, a never-ending struggle against capitalism. In the aftermath of May ’68, Deleuze and Guattari returned to, and deployed in new and uncharted territories, notions of their earlier two-volume work on capitalism and schizophrenia, in search of a new earth and a new people that have not yet come. This was a preposterous search for those in power, but a search more timely than ever for Life itself, for the liberation of the desire of the destitute, the oppressed, the persecuted, the nomad and the revolutionary in a period of world crisis, when the axioms of universal capitalism confront their immanent limits and are ready to collapse.
Strategic Perspectivism and Strategic Melancholism: Antinomies in the Minority Strategy
Authors: Sibertin-Blanc Guillaume
Published: July 2016

The essay deals with what Balibar called ‘strategic antinomy’ between a majoritarian and a minoritarian strategy. It tries to reconstruct this antinomy by means of a double confrontation of the Deleuzo-Guattarian theory of ‘devenir-mineur’ with E. Laclau (strong illustration of the majoritarian way around the populism topics) and J. Butler (for the minoritarian strategy in a way both similar and opposite to the Deleuzo-Guattarian one).
Why Pluralism = Pluralism ≠ Monism: A Decolonial Feminist Critique of Deleuze and Guattari's Concept of Becoming
Authors: Karkov Nikolay
Published: July 2016

This essay offers a critical engagement with Deleuze and Guattari's concept of becoming, from the perspective of postcolonial and decolonial feminism. It starts by exploring the main characteristics of becoming, including the provisional continuity of affective liberation among its various modalities. It then foregrounds the concept of ‘racialised gender’, to trace a very different sequence of affective recomposition sponsored by the colonial state. Over and against Deleuze and Guattari's monological perspective as a universal narrative of emancipation (pluralism = monism), the article calls for a multilingual approach in the semantics of evaluating its deployments (pluralism = pluralism ≠ monism).
Deleuze and the Greeks: An Essay on Polemosophy
Authors: Villani Arnaud
Published: July 2016

No one yet has written about the relationship between the thought of the pre-Socratics, alleged to originate in smokey caverns, and the thought of Deleuze. In this essay, I risk venturing in this direction, as I underline the fact that both thoughts are non-exclusionary (they reject the spirit of exclusion), run through by a movement that is both continuous and contiguous and eager to destroy the spirit of war before war destroys life.
Biotin Protein Ligase Is a Target for New Antibacterials
Authors: Feng Jiage , Paparella Ashleigh , Booker Grant , Polyak Steven , Abell Andrew
Published: July 2016

There is a desperate need for novel antibiotic classes to combat the rise of drug resistant pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. Inhibitors of the essential metabolic enzyme biotin protein ligase (BPL) represent a promising drug target for new antibacterials. Structural and biochemical studies on the BPL from S. aureus have paved the way for the design and development of new antibacterial chemotherapeutics. BPL employs an ordered ligand binding mechanism for the synthesis of the reaction intermediate biotinyl-5′-AMP from substrates biotin and ATP. Here we review the structure and catalytic mechanism of the target enzyme, along with an overview of chemical analogues of biotin and biotinyl-5′-AMP as BPL inhibitors reported to date. Of particular promise are studies to replace the labile phosphoroanhydride linker present in biotinyl-5′-AMP with alternative bioisosteres. A novel in situ click approach using a mutant of S. aureus BPL as a template for the synthesis of triazole-based inhibitors is also presented. These approaches can be widely applied to BPLs from other bacteria, as well as other closely related metabolic enzymes and antibacterial drug targets.
A Birefringent-Refraction Transducer for Measuring Angular Displacement Based on Heterodyne Interferometry
Authors: Twu Ruey-Ching , Wang Ching-Shing
Published: July 2016

In this paper, an optical angle sensor with a birefringent transducer for measuring angular displacement based on a heterodyne interferometry is proposed. The achievable repeatability and linearity provide sufficient evidence for the practical use. As a result, a resolution of 5.8 × 10−6 with a dynamic range of 5° has been achieved by utilizing a KTP (potassium titanyl phosphate) plate immersed in a high refractive index oil with refractive index of 1.7.
Phenolic Composition and Color of Single Cultivar Young Red Wines Made with Mencia and Alicante-Bouschet Grapes in AOC Valdeorras (Galicia, NW Spain)
Authors: Revilla Eugenio , Losada Manuel , Gutiérrez Encina
Published: July 2016

Single cultivar wines made with two different red grape cultivars from AOC Valdeorras (Galicia, NW Spain), Mencia and Alicante Bouschet, were studied with the aim of determining their color and phenolic composition. Two sets of analyses were made on 30 wine samples of 2014 vintage, after malolactic fermentation took place, to evaluate several physicochemical characteristics from these wines related to color and polyphenols. Several parameters related with color and the general phenolic composition of wines (total phenols index, color intensity, hue, total anthocyans, total anthocyanins, colored anthocyanins, chemical age index, and total tannins) were determined by UV-VIS spectrophotometry. Those analyses revealed that Alicante Bouschet wines presented, in general, a higher content of polyphenols and a more intense color than Mencia wines. Using HPLC-DAD, five anthocyanin monoglucosides and nine acylated anthocyanins were identified in both types of wine; each type of wine showed a distinctive anthocyanin fingerprint, as Alicante Bouschet wines contained a higher proportion of cyanidin-derived anthocyanins. Multivariate statistic studies were performed to both datasets to explore relationships among variables and among samples. These studies revealed relationships among several variables considered, and were capable to group the samples in two different classes using principal component analysis (PCA).
Human Hair and the Impact of Cosmetic Procedures: A Review on Cleansing and Shape-Modulating Cosmetics
Authors: Cruz Célia , Costa Cristiana , Gomes Andreia , Matamá Teresa , Cavaco-Paulo Artur
Published: July 2016

Hair can be strategically divided into two distinct parts: the hair follicle, deeply buried in the skin, and the visible hair fiber. The study of the hair follicle is mainly addressed by biological sciences while the hair fiber is mainly studied from a physicochemical perspective by cosmetic sciences. This paper reviews the key topics in hair follicle biology and hair fiber biochemistry, in particular the ones associated with the genetically determined cosmetic attributes: hair texture and shape. The traditional and widespread hair care procedures that transiently or permanently affect these hair fiber features are then described in detail. When hair is often exposed to some particularly aggressive cosmetic treatments, hair fibers become damaged. The future of hair cosmetics, which are continuously evolving based on ongoing research, will be the development of more efficient and safer procedures according to consumers’ needs and concerns.
A Run-Time Dynamic Reconfigurable Computing System for Lithium-Ion Battery Prognosis
Authors: Wang Shaojun , Liu Datong , Zhou Jianbao , Zhang Bin , Peng Yu
Published: July 2016

As safety and reliability critical components, lithium-ion batteries always require real-time diagnosis and prognosis. This often involves a large amount of computation, which makes diagnosis and prognosis difficult to implement, especially in embedded or mobile applications. To address this issue, this paper proposes a run-time Reconfigurable Computing (RC) system on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) to realize real-time Remaining Useful Life (RUL) estimation. The system leverages state-of-the-art run-time dynamic partial reconfiguration technology and customized computing circuits to balance the hardware occupation and computing efficiency. Optimal hardware resource consumption is achieved by partitioning the RVM algorithm according to a multi-objective optimization. Moreover, pipelined and parallel computation circuits for kernel function and matrix inverse are proposed on FPGA to further accelerate the computation. Experimental results with two different battery data sets show that, without sacrificing the RUL prediction performance, the embedded RC platform significantly reduces the computation time and the requirement of hardware resources. This demonstrates that complex prognostic tasks can be implemented and deployed on the proposed system, and it can be extended to the embedded computation of other machine learning algorithms.
Artificial Neural Network Application for Partial Discharge Recognition: Survey and Future Directions
Authors: Mas’ud Abdullahi , Albarracín Ricardo , Ardila-Rey Jorge , Muhammad-Sukki Firdaus , Illias Hazlee , Bani Nurul , Munir Abu
Published: July 2016

In order to investigate how artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been applied for partial discharge (PD) pattern recognition, this paper reviews recent progress made on ANN development for PD classification by a literature survey. Contributions from several authors have been presented and discussed. High recognition rate has been recorded for several PD faults, but there are still many factors that hinder correct recognition of PD by the ANN, such as high-amplitude noise or wide spectral content typical from industrial environments, trial and error approaches in determining an optimum ANN, multiple PD sources acting simultaneously, lack of comprehensive and up to date databank of PD faults, and the appropriate selection of the characteristics that allow a correct recognition of the type of source which are currently being addressed by researchers. Several suggestions for improvement are proposed by the authors include: (1) determining the optimum weights in training the ANN; (2) using PD data captured over long stressing period in training the ANN; (3) ANN recognizing different PD degradation levels; (4) using the same resolution sizes of the PD patterns when training and testing the ANN with different PD dataset; (5) understanding the characteristics of multiple concurrent PD faults and effectively recognizing them; and (6) developing techniques in order to shorten the training time for the ANN as applied for PD recognition Finally, this paper critically assesses the suitability of ANNs for both online and offline PD detections outlining the advantages to the practitioners in the field. It is possible for the ANNs to determine the stage of degradation of the PD, thereby giving an indication of the seriousness of the fault.
A Review of Dangerous Dust in Fusion Reactors: from Its Creation to Its Resuspension in Case of LOCA and LOVA
Authors: Malizia Andrea , Poggi Luigi , Ciparisse Jean-François , Rossi Riccardo , Bellecci Carlo , Gaudio Pasquale
Published: July 2016

The choice of materials for the future nuclear fusion reactors is a crucial issue. In the fusion reactors, the combination of very high temperatures, high radiation levels, intense production of transmuting elements and high thermomechanical loads requires very high-performance materials. Erosion of PFCs (Plasma Facing Components) determines their lifetime and generates a source of impurities (i.e., in-vessel tritium and dust inventories), which cool down and dilute the plasma. The resuspension of dust could be a consequences of LOss of Coolant Accidents (LOCA) and LOss of Vacuum Accidents (LOVA) and it can be dangerous because of dust radioactivity, toxicity, and capable of causing an explosion. These characteristics can jeopardize the plant safety and pose a serious threat to the operators. The purpose of this work is to determine the experimental and numerical steeps to develop a numerical model to predict the dust resuspension consequences in case of accidents through a comparison between the experimental results taken from campaigns carried out with STARDUST-U and the numerical simulation developed with CFD codes. The authors in this work will analyze the candidate materials for the future nuclear plants and the consequences of the resuspension of its dust in case of accidents through the experience with STARDUST-U.
Replication Termination: Containing Fork Fusion-Mediated Pathologies in Escherichia coli
Authors: Dimude Juachi , Midgley-Smith Sarah , Stein Monja , Rudolph Christian
Published: July 2016

Duplication of bacterial chromosomes is initiated via the assembly of two replication forks at a single defined origin. Forks proceed bi-directionally until they fuse in a specialised termination area opposite the origin. This area is flanked by polar replication fork pause sites that allow forks to enter but not to leave. The precise function of this replication fork trap has remained enigmatic, as no obvious phenotypes have been associated with its inactivation. However, the fork trap becomes a serious problem to cells if the second fork is stalled at an impediment, as replication cannot be completed, suggesting that a significant evolutionary advantage for maintaining this chromosomal arrangement must exist. Recently, we demonstrated that head-on fusion of replication forks can trigger over-replication of the chromosome. This over-replication is normally prevented by a number of proteins including RecG helicase and 3’ exonucleases. However, even in the absence of these proteins it can be safely contained within the replication fork trap, highlighting that multiple systems might be involved in coordinating replication fork fusions. Here, we discuss whether considering the problems associated with head-on replication fork fusion events helps us to better understand the important role of the replication fork trap in cellular metabolism.
Socio-demographic Differences in Toxic Release Inventory Siting and Emissions in Metro Atlanta
Authors: Johnson Ryan , Ramsey-White Kim , Fuller Christina
Published: July 2016

Prior research has found that low socioeconomic status (SES) populations and minorities in some areas reside in communities with disproportionate exposure to hazardous chemicals. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relevance of socio-demographic characteristics on the presence of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, air releases, and prevalence and resolution of air quality complaints in the 20-county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). We found that there were 4.7% more minority residents in census tracts where TRI facilities were located. The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of a TRI facility was 0.89 (p < 0.01) for each 1% increase of females with a college degree and 2.4 (p < 0.01) for households with an income of $22,000–$55,000. The estimated reduction in the amount of chemicals emitted per release associated with population of females with a college degree was 18.53 pounds (p < 0.01). Complaints took longer to resolve in census tracts with higher Hispanic populations (OR = 1.031, 95% CI: 1.010–1.054). Overall, results indicate that SES and race/ethnicity are related to TRI facility siting, releases, and complaints in the Atlanta area. These findings have not been documented previously and suggest that lower SES and non-White communities may be disproportionately exposed.
An Integrated Simplification Approach for 3D Buildings with Sloped and Flat Roofs
Authors: Xie Jinghan , Feng Chen-Chieh
Published: July 2016

Simplification of three-dimensional (3D) buildings is critical to improve the efficiency of visualizing urban environments while ensuring realistic urban scenes. Moreover, it underpins the construction of multi-scale 3D city models (3DCMs) which could be applied to study various urban issues. In this paper, we design a generic yet effective approach for simplifying 3D buildings. Instead of relying on both semantic information and geometric information, our approach is based solely on geometric information as many 3D buildings still do not include semantic information. In addition, it provides an integrated means to treat 3D buildings with either sloped or flat roofs. The two case studies, one exploring simplification of individual 3D buildings at varying levels of complexity while the other, investigating the multi-scale simplification of a cityscape, show the effectiveness of our approach.
Influences of Electromagnetic Energy on Bio-Energy Transport through Protein Molecules in Living Systems and Its Experimental Evidence
Authors: Pang Xiaofeng , Chen Shude , Wang Xianghui , Zhong Lisheng
Published: July 2016

The influences of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on bio-energy transport and its mechanism of changes are investigated through analytic and numerical simulation and experimentation. Bio-energy transport along protein molecules is performed by soliton movement caused by the dipole–dipole electric interactions between neighboring amino acid residues. As such, EMFs can affect the structure of protein molecules and change the properties of the bio-energy transported in living systems. This mechanism of biological effect from EMFs involves the amino acid residues in protein molecules. To study and reveal this mechanism, we simulated numerically the features of the movement of solitons along protein molecules with both a single chain and with three channels by using the Runge–Kutta method and Pang’s soliton model under the action of EMFs with the strengths of 25,500, 51,000, 76,500, and 102,000 V/m in the single-chain protein, as well as 17,000, 25,500, and 34,000 V/m in the three-chain protein, respectively. Results indicate that electric fields (EFs) depress the binding energy of the soliton, decrease its amplitude, and change its wave form. Also, the soliton disperses at 102,000 V/m in a single-chain protein and at 25,500 and 34,000 V/m in three-chain proteins. These findings signify that the influence of EMFs on the bio-energy transport cannot be neglected; however, these variations depend on both the strength and the direction of the EF in the EMF. This direction influences the biological effects of EMF, which decrease with increases in the angle between the direction of the EF and that of the dipole moment of amino acid residues; however, randomness at the macroscopic level remains. Lastly, we experimentally confirm the existence of a soliton and the validity of our conclusion by using the infrared spectra of absorption of the collagens, which is activated by another type of EF. Thus, we can affirm that both the described mechanism and the corresponding theory are correct and that EMFs or EFs can influence the features of energy transport in living systems and thus have certain biological effects.
Akt Activation Correlates with Snail Expression and Potentially Determines the Recurrence of Prostate Cancer in Patients at Stage T2 after a Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Chen Wei-Yu , Hua Kuo-Tai , Lee Wei-Jiunn , Lin Yung-Wei , Liu Yen-Nien , Chen Chi-Long , Wen Yu-Ching , Chien Ming-Hsien
Published: July 2016

Our previous work demonstrated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition factor, Snail, is a potential marker for predicting the recurrence of localized prostate cancer (PCa). Akt activation is important for Snail stabilization and transcription in PCa. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the relationship between the phosphorylated level of Akt (p-Akt) in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens and cancer biochemical recurrence (BCR). Using a tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry, the expression of p-Akt was measured in benign and neoplastic tissues from RP specimens in 53 patients whose cancer was pathologically defined as T2 without positive margins. Herein, we observed that the p-Akt level was higher in PCa than in benign tissues and was significantly associated with the Snail level. A high p-Akt image score (≥8) was significantly correlated with a higher histological Gleason sum, Snail image score, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value. Moreover, the high p-Akt image score and Gleason score sum (≥7) showed similar discriminatory abilities for BCR according to a receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis and were correlated with worse recurrence-free survival according to a log-rank test (p < 0.05). To further determine whether a high p-Akt image score could predict the risk of BCR, a Cox proportional hazard model showed that only a high p-Akt image score (hazard ratio (HR): 3.12, p = 0.05) and a high Gleason score sum (≥7) (HR: 1.18, p = 0.05) but not a high preoperative PSA value (HR: 0.62, p = 0.57) were significantly associated with a higher risk of developing BCR. Our data indicate that, for localized PCa patients after an RP, p-Akt can serve as a potential prognostic marker that improves predictions of BCR-free survival.
Expression Analysis of PIN Genes in Root Tips and Nodules of Medicago truncatula
Authors: Sańko-Sawczenko Izabela , Łotocka Barbara , Czarnocka Weronika
Published: July 2016

Polar auxin transport is dependent on the family of PIN-formed proteins (PINs), which are membrane transporters of anionic indole-3-acetic acid (IAA−). It is assumed that polar auxin transport may be essential in the development and meristematic activity maintenance of Medicago truncatula (M. truncatula) root nodules. However, little is known about the involvement of specific PIN proteins in M. truncatula nodulation. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we analyzed the expression patterns of all previously identified MtPIN genes and compared them between root nodules and root tips of M. truncatula. Our results demonstrated significant differences in the expression level of all 11 genes (MtPIN1–MtPIN11) between examined organs. Interestingly, MtPIN9 was the only PIN gene with higher expression level in root nodules compared to root tips. This result is the first indication of PIN9 transporter potential involvement in M. truncatula nodulation. Moreover, relatively high expression level in root nodules was attributed to MtPINs encoding orthologs of Arabidopsis thaliana PIN5 subclade. PIN proteins from this subclade have been found to localize in the endoplasmic reticulum, which may indicate that the development and meristematic activity maintenance of M. truncatula root nodules is associated with intracellular homeostasis of auxins level and their metabolism in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Lightweight Aggregate Made from Dredged Material in Green Roof Construction for Stormwater Management
Authors: Liu Rui , Coffman Reid
Published: July 2016

More than 1.15 million cubic meters (1.5 million cubic yards) of sediment require annual removal from harbors and ports along Ohio’s Lake Erie coast. Disposing of these materials into landfills depletes land resources, while open water placement of these materials deteriorates water quality. There are more than 14,000 acres of revitalizing brownfields in Cleveland, U.S., many containing up to 90% impervious surface, which does not allow “infiltration” based stormwater practices required by contemporary site-based stormwater regulation. This study investigates the potential of sintering the dredged material from the Harbor of Cleveland in Lake Erie to produce lightweight aggregate (LWA), and apply the LWA to green roof construction. Chemical and thermal analyses revealed the sintered material can serve for LWA production when preheated at 550 °C and sintered at a higher temperature. Through dewatering, drying, sieving, pellet making, preheating, and sintering with varying temperatures (900–1100 °C), LWAs with porous microstructures are produced with specific gravities ranging from 1.46 to 1.74, and water absorption capacities ranging from 11% to 23%. The water absorption capacity of the aggregate decreases as sintering temperature increases. The LWA was incorporated into the growing media of a green roof plot, which has higher water retention capacity than the conventional green roof system.
The Role of Spongia sp. in the Discovery of Marine Lead Compounds
Authors: Máximo Patrícia , Ferreira Luísa , Branco Paula , Lima Pedro , Lourenço Ana
Published: July 2016

A comprehensive review on the chemistry of Spongia sp. is here presented, together with the biological activity of the isolated compounds. The compounds are grouped in sesquiterpene quinones, diterpenes, C21 and other linear furanoterpenes, sesterterpenes, sterols (including secosterols), macrolides and miscellaneous compounds. Among other reports we include studies on the intraspecific diversity of a Mediterranean species, compounds isolated from associated sponge and nudibranch and compounds isolated from S. zimocca and the red seaweed Laurentia microcladia. Under biological activity a table of the reported biological activities of the various compounds and the biological screening of extracts are described. The present review covers the literature from 1971 to 2015.
Review of Electromagnetic-Based Crack Sensors for Metallic Materials (Recent Research and Future Perspectives)
Authors: Memon Muhammad , Lim Sungjoon
Published: July 2016

Evaluation and non-destructive identification of stress-induced cracks or failures in metals is a vital problem in many sensitive environments, including transportation (steel railway tracks, bridges, car wheels, etc.), power plants (steam generator tubing, etc.) and aerospace transportation (landing gear, aircraft fuselages, etc.). There are many traditional non-destructive detection and evaluation techniques; recently, near-field millimeter waves and microwave methods have shown incredible promise for augmenting currently available non-destructive techniques. This article serves as a review of developments made until now on this topic; it provides an overview of microwave scanning techniques for crack detection. This article summarizes the abilities of these methods to identify and evaluate cracks (including describing their different physical properties). These methods include applying filters based on dual-behavior resonators (DBRs), using complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs) for the perturbation of electric fields, using waveguide probe-loaded CSRRs and using a substrate-integrated-waveguide (SIW) cavity for the detection of sub-millimeter surface and subsurface cracks.
Effect of Mo Content on Microstructure and Property of Low-Carbon Bainitic Steels
Authors: Hu Haijiang , Xu Guang , Zhou Mingxing , Yuan Qing
Published: July 2016

In this work, three low-carbon bainitic steels, with different Mo contents, were designed to investigate the effects of Mo addition on microstructure and mechanical properties. Two-step cooling, i.e., initial accelerated cooling and subsequent slow cooling, was used to obtain the desired bainite microstructure. The results show that the product of strength and elongation first increases and then shows no significant change with increasing Mo. Compared with Mo-free steel, bainite in the Mo-containing steel tends to have a lath-like morphology due to a decrease in the bainitic transformation temperature. More martensite transformation occurs with the increasing Mo, resulting in greater hardness of the steel. Both the strength and elongation of the steel can be enhanced by Mo addition; however, the elongation may decrease with a further increase in Mo. From a practical viewpoint, the content of Mo could be ~0.14 wt. % for the composition design of low-carbon bainitic steels in the present work. To be noted, an optimal scheme may need to consider other situations such as the role of sheet thickness, toughness behavior and so on, which could require changes in the chemistry. Nevertheless, these results provide a reference for the composition design and processing method of low-carbon bainitic steels.
Leaching Behavior of Al, Co and W from the Al-Alloying Treated WC-Co Tool as a New Recycling Process for WC Hard Scrap
Authors: Lee Jaeryeong , Lee Joowung , Kim Byoungjin , Kim Youngjin
Published: July 2016

The Al-alloying treated tungsten carbide (WC)-Co tool was subjected to grinding using a jaw crusher and planetary mill followed by three wet chemical treatment steps to establish an effective recycling process for WC scraps, especially those generated as bulky and hard scrap. This alloyed WC tool was readily ground to a powder of 1 mm or less and divided into two portions that were 150 µm in size. The wet chemical treatments enabled us to recover W to 69.44% from the under-sized 150 µm and also obtain WC powders from the over-sized 150 µm with a high purity of 98.9% or more.
Correlation between Zn-Rich Phase and Corrosion/Oxidation Behavior of Sn–8Zn–3Bi Alloy
Authors: Zhang Xin , Li Chong , Gao Zhiming , Liu Yongchang , Ma Zongqing , Yu Liming , Li Huijun
Published: July 2016

The microstructure of Sn–8Zn–3Bi alloy was refined by increasing the solidification rate and the correlation between Zn-rich phase and the corrosion/oxidation behavior of the alloy was investigated. The Zn-rich phase transforms from coarse flakes to fine needles dispersed in the β-Sn matrix with the increase of the cooling rate. The transformation of Zn-rich precipitates enhances the anticorrosive ability of Sn–8Zn–3Bi alloy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. On the contrary, Sn–8Zn–3Bi alloy with a fine needle-like Zn-rich phase shows poor oxidation resistance under air atmosphere, due to the fast diffusion of Zn atoms in Sn matrix.
Quorum Sensing Inhibition and Structure–Activity Relationships of β-Keto Esters
Authors: Forschner-Dancause Stephanie , Poulin Emily , Meschwitz Susan
Published: July 2016

Traditional therapeutics to treat bacterial infections have given rise to multi-drug resistant pathogens, which pose a major threat to human and animal health. In several pathogens, quorum sensing (QS)—a cell-cell communication system in bacteria—controls the expression of genes responsible for pathogenesis, thus representing a novel target in the fight against bacterial infections. Based on the structure of the autoinducers responsible for QS activity and other QS inhibitors, we hypothesize that β-keto esters with aryl functionality could possess anti-QS activity. A panel of nineteen β-keto ester analogs was tested for the inhibition of bioluminescence (a QS-controlled phenotype) in the marine pathogen Vibrio harveyi. Initial screening demonstrated the need of a phenyl ring at the C-3 position for antagonistic activity. Further additions to the phenyl ring with 4-substituted halo groups or a 3- or 4-substituted methoxy group resulted in the most active compounds with IC50 values ranging from 23 µM to 53 µM. The compounds additionally inhibit green fluorescent protein production by E. coli JB525. Evidence is presented that aryl β-keto esters may act as antagonists of bacterial quorum sensing by competing with N-acyl homoserine lactones for receptor binding. Expansion of the β-keto ester panel will enable us to obtain more insight into the structure–activity relationships needed to allow for the development of novel anti-virulence agents.