cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1444
title: BUILDABILITY ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IN CAMBODIA

description: Buildability refers to the integration of construction knowledge during the design stage to enhance the ease of construction while meeting all requirements of the owner/client. Lack of buildability in designs could result in design reworks, low site productivity, costs increase, and contract changes. Due to differences in site conditions, construction techniques, materials, equipment and experiences available, the buildability factors vary from countries to countries. Therefore, a model to comprehensively evaluate the buildability of building designs based on localized buildability factors at early phase of design is needed. The research is divided into two main parts. The first part aims to evaluate the importance level of buildability factors of building designs in Cambodia. The questionnaires using five-point Likert scale were distributed to project managers and site engineers of contractors in Cambodia. The analysis of One-sample t-test showed that there were 12 important factors that affected the buildability. The top 5 important factors associated with buildability were: (1) standardization of designs; (2) completion of design documents; (3) clarity of specifications; (4) requirement of labor skill; and (5) design to suit site conditions. The ranking of the factors and factor categories provides useful information for designers to improve buildability of their designs. The important factors of this research were then used for the development of buildability assessment model for building construction projects in Cambodia. The second part focuses on the development process of a model to assess the buildability of building design. The model was based on an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model. This part of research was divided into two main steps. First, structured questionnaires were conducted with mid- and high-rise building contractors to obtain the weights of buildability factors. Their opinions were aggregated by the geometric mean on judgments in AHP group decision. Then the subcriteria to evaluate the buildability factors and the current practices of designs were collected by cross-case analysis of structured interviews. Design for available resources was found to be the most important category of buildability followed by design to support site layout and design documents. The most important buildability factor under each category was design to support transportation of materials and labors, requirement of labor skill, and completion of design documents. This model was validated by applying 11 building projects in Cambodia. This model can serve as a framework to assess the buildability of a building design by the design team so that necessary improvements can be made before construction.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1445
title: CHARACTERISTICS OF TiO2 SUPPORTED PT-BASED CATALYSTS PREPARED BY FLAME SPRAY PYROLYSIS IN HYDROGENATION OF 3-NITROSTYRENE

description: The liquid-phase selective hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene was investigated over nanocrystalline Pt/TiO2 ,PtCo/TiO2 and PtCe/TiO2 catalysts synthesized by the single-step flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) method. The obtained powder was characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), CO pulse chemisorption, transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), temperature program reduction (TPR), and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO (CO-IR). For Pt/TiO2 catalyst, the catalyst performances in terms of both hydrogenation activity and selectivity to vinylaniline (VA) improved by reduction at high temperature (200-600 ◦C). Compared to the FSP-made catalysts (F-Pt/Ti), the Pt/TiO2 obtained by conventional impregnation (I-Pt/Ti) on a sol-gel TiO2 contained higher amount of rutile phase composition and exhibited much lower Pt dispersion and hydrogenation activity. For PtCo/TiO2 and PtCe/TiO2 catalysts were prepared by the single step flame spray pyrolysis with Co and Ce loadings varied at 0-1.5 wt%. The addition of Co and Ce led to higher amount of Pt terrace atoms being formed on the catalyst surface which promoted the selectivity towards ethylnitrobenzene. Nevertheless, the positive effect of Co and Ce addition can be observed when the catalysts were reduced at 500oC , suggesting the modification of Pt surface by the decoration of TiO2.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1446
title: BIM IMPLEMENTATION FOR PRECAST CONCRETE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT : CASE STUDY PROJECTS

description: Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been proven beneficial for the AEC/FM industry because it assists in managing construction information efficiently and effectively. Even though all construction stakeholders can gain benefits from BIM, it is challenging for precast concrete contractors to implement and exploit benefits from BIM. Due to the complexity of precast concrete manufacturing and construction processes, the deficiencies of precast concrete information management contribute to construction work errors, delays, and losses. This research proposes a BIM implementation framework designed specifically for precast concrete contractors. It also encompasses a framework for assessing supply chain improvements by BIM. Three precast concrete housing projects are investigated as case studies, the results of which are used to determine BIM implementation processes for precast concrete contractors. BIM models of two projects are developed, and the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) assessment framework is modified to benchmark BIM-based supply chain performances. The outcomes are compared and analyzed. The supply chain performances of conventional and BIM-based processes are collected, benchmarked, analyzed, and concluded. The results shows BIM potentials to improve most supply chain attributes with better outcomes for documentation. For design and planning processes, times are reduced significantly at 36.98% and 41.49%, while costs are reduced slightly at 9.37% and 17.67%. BIM also shows potential to accelerate supply chain processes, increase accuracy and flexibility, eliminate working redundancies, and improve overall collaboration. These findings can be used as a guideline to implement BIM for precast concrete contractors with a proper assessment framework. It also improves overall knowledge of supply chain management for the precast concrete industry.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1447
title: A CAUSAL MODEL FOR FATIGUE IN VIETNAMESE PERSONS WITH LUNG CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY

description: This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the causal model explaining fatigue in lung cancer patients during chemotherapy. The study was conducted in six oncology centers throughout the North of Vietnam. The hypothesized model was constructed based on the Piper’s Integrative Fatigue Model and the review of literature. A convenience sample of 246 patients was interviewed by self-administered questionnaires, which were Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Fatigue Scale (FACT-F), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Cancer Dyspnea Scale (CDS), Manchester Cough in Lung Cancer Scale (MCLCS), Depression Stress Anxiety Scale 21-Anxiety subscale (DASS-21-An), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of FACT-F, ISI, CDS, MCLCS, and DASS-21-An found in this study were 0.93, 0.90, 0.86, 0.86, and 0.77, respectively. Nutrition status of patients was assessed by Nutrition Risk Index based on information in patients’ medical records. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized model in this study. It was found that the final model (consisted of insomnia, dyspnea, cough, anxiety, stage of disease, physical activity, and nutrition status) explained 42.9% fatigue variance (χ2 = 51.556, df = 38, p = 0.070; χ2/ df = 1.357; GFI = 0.963; AGFI = 0.937; CFI = 0.974; RSMEA = 0.038). There were the interplays among dyspnea, cough, insomnia, and anxiety in determining fatigue. Among such factors, dyspnea had the largest total effect on fatigue (β = 0.397, p &lt; 0.01), followed by cough (β = 0.343, p &lt; 0.01), insomnia (β = 0.318, p &lt; 0.01) and anxiety (β = 0.115, p &lt; 0.05). Stage of disease influenced fatigue by its direct effect (β = 0.154, p &lt; 0.05) and indirect effect via physical activity (β = 0.025, p &lt; 0.05). Physical activity and nutrition status, however, had only direct and negative effects on fatigue (β = -.148 and -0.156, p &lt; 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, the model fits well to explain fatigue in lung cancer patients during chemotherapy. Vietnamese nurses should include insomnia in their fatigue control programs. In comparison to cough, dyspnea might be a better intervening factor to manage fatigue. Interventions focusing on physical activity, nutritional status, and anxiety may promise positive, although not too large, outcomes in reducing fatigue. Importantly, the interplay among insomnia, dyspnea, anxiety, and cough suggests that the development of comprehensive symptom management programs, which focus on those symptoms, could be a promising approach to control fatigue for Vietnamese nurses.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1448
title: Antidepressive effect of ginseng extract G115 in ethanol-treated mice

description: Comorbid alcoholism and depression results from the decrease of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and the increase of cortisol levels. Evidence for the efficacy of antidepressants used in co-morbid depression and alcoholism is inconsistent while there are high risks of adverse effect and drug interaction problems. Previous studies have been reported the antidepressive effect of ginseng extract and ginsenosides in rodents. The present study aimed to determine the antidepressive effect and antidepressive mechanisms of ginseng extract G115 in ethanol-treated mice. Mice in water-treated group were given either sterile water (10 ml/kg) , amitriptyline (10 mg/kg) or ginseng extract G115 (100, 200, 400 or 800 mg/kg) orally 1 hour before injecting sterile water (10 ml/kg i.p.). Mice in ethanol-treated group received either sterile water (10 ml/kg), amitriptyline (10 mg/kg) or ginseng extract G115 (100, 200, 400 or 800 mg/kg) orally 1 hour before injecting ethanol (3 g/kg i.p.). The treatments were given once daily for 8 consecutive days. Forced swimming test and locomotor activity test were performed 1-day after the last treatment. Brain and blood were collected for further analysis of brain BDNF levels and serum corticosterone levels. Repeated ethanol treatment caused depression-like behaviors in mice and decreased BDNF levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. However, ethanol treatment did not alter serum corticosterone levels. In water-treated mice, ginseng extract G115 (100, 200 and 800 mg/kg) decreased immobility time in forced swimming test. In addition, ginseng extract G115 (100 and 200 mg/kg) increased BDNF levels in the hippocampus and ginseng extract G115 (800 mg/kg) increased serum corticosterone levels indicating that ginseng extract G115 had anti-depressant-like effect in normal mice possibly due to the increases of hippocampal BDNF and serum corticosterone levels. In ethanol-treated mice, ginseng extract G115 (100, 200 and 800 mg/kg) showed the antidepressive effect in forced swimming test. Moreover, ginseng extract G115 (100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) increased BDNF levels in the hippocampus and ginseng extract G115 (200 and 800 mg/kg) increased BDNF levels in the prefrontal cortex. However, ginseng extract G115 had no effect on serum corticosterone levels in ethanol-treated mice. In summary, this study demonstrated for the first time that ginseng extract G115 had antidepressive effect in ethanol-treated mice via the increase of BDNF levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The results of this study provided scientific information of the potential and mechanism of ginseng extract G115 as an antidepressant to treat ethanol-induced depression.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1449
title: Effect of combinations of emblica officinalis extract, achras sapota extract and silymarin on in vitro anti-aging activities

description: Since skin aging is an unavoidable condition involving several pathways, a combination of extracts in skincare product to alleviate the skin aging and improve skin condition becomes common. However, there are a few reports that showed the influence of combined extracts on their biological activities. This study aims to investigate an effect of combined extracts on their antioxidant, anti-collagenase and anti-elastase activity when compares with each individual extracts. Ethanolic amla (Emblica officinalis) extract, ethanolic sapota (Achras sapota) extract and silymarin were individually screened for antioxidant, anti-collagenase and anti-elastase properties as well as were quantified for their total phenolic content and total flavonoid content. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by colorimetric methods. The effects of MMP-1, MMP-2 and elastase inhibitions were determined by using the gelatinase/collagenase and elastase assay kits (EnzChek®). The quantities of phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. Two extracts were chosen from their superior activities on for anti-oxidant, anti-collagenase and anti-elastase and were used in the combination study. The effect of combination was reported as combination index (CI) and categorized into three types: synergism (CI &lt; 1), additive (CI = 1) or antagonism effects (CI &gt; 1), respectively. The reference combination index was calculated at the median effect. Regarding to antioxidant activity, ethanolic amla extract showed the most potent activity with IC50 values of 1.61 ± 0.04 μg/mL. While ethanolic sapota showed the highest inhibitions on collagenase and elastase with IC50 of 86.47 ± 3.04 μg/mL and 35.73 ± 0.61 μg/mL, respectively. Therefore, amla and sapota were combined at different combination ratios. The combination index at median effect was revealed additive effect (CI = 1.00 ± 0.02) on anti-oxidant activity. But the amla and sapota combinations exhibited synergist effects on inhibitions of MMP-1 (CI = 0.79 ± 0.02) and MMP-2 (CI = 0.58 ± 0.02) and elastase (CI = 0.76 ± 0.04). Surprisingly, the elastase inhibitions of the combination at concentration other than the median point, antagonist effect could be observed at particular combination ratios. For the elastase inhibition, the effects could be synergist or antagonist depending on the combination ratios. In conclusion, combining extracts or actives could have an influence on the biological activities. Some activities showed additive effect presenting no advantage over usage of single extract while some showed synergist effect demonstrating some advantages. The importance of combination ratios was seen for anti-elastase activity but not for others; therefore, some special tests may be required at earlier stage of product development.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1450
title: Physical properties of epoxidized natural rubber/chitosan blends

description: The objective of this study was to develop natural rubber/chitosan (NR/CS) films from rubber latex and CS solution at different rubber to CS ratios of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50 using a solution plating method. The study was divided into two parts. In the first part, the NR/CS films were prepared from pristine NR latex with and without sulfur curing agents. The study showed the cured NR/CS films showed higher swelling resistance and tensile strength (TS) than the uncured films. After thermal aging, the TS of the uncured NR/CS films decreased while that of the cured ones increased. This might be due to the further thermal curing during aging. Both uncured and cured NR/CS films showed two decomposition peaks. One at low temperature was attributed to the decomposition of CS whereas the one at higher temperature was due to the decomposition of NR. The NR/CS film had higher oxygen permeability (OP) than the pure NR and CS film. For the second part, the films were prepared from epoxidized NR latex (ENR) with 22% epoxidation in the presence of maleic anhydride (MA). The result showed that the ENR/CS film can be obtained only when adding MA. It was believed that MA did not only crosslink ENR chains but also chemically bonded ENR and CS chains, thus dismissing phase separation. The ENR/CS film at the ratio of 90/10 with MA of 2 phr showed highest TS. After thermal aging, the films at the ENR/CS ratios of 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 with MA of 3 phr had higher TS. This might be due to the further thermal curing during aging. Thermal decomposition testing showed that the ENR/CS film without phase separation showed only one decomposition peak. Moreover, it was found that the ENR/CS film had lower OP than the pure ENR and CS film.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1451
title: Novel collagen-alginate beads with long-lasting curcuminoids encapsulation

description: New collagen-alginate coated beads (col-alg coated beads) were successfully prepared by using transacrylation reaction between ester group of propylene glycol alginate and amino group of collagen. The coated beads prepared by 10% collagen had resulted in the good sphere shape with diameter of 5.20 mm. The hardness of the coated beads were found to decrease when increase the collagen concentration. The new amide bond of the outer membrane was proved by the Light microscopy, FTIR and DSC results. Two types of curcuminoid were loaded in the beads which were free curcuminoid and Cur-loaded EC particles. Cur-loaded EC particles showed slower releasing than free curcuminoid in pH 5.5 buffer. Furthermore, the outer membrane of col-alg coated beads can retarded the release of curcuminoid.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1452
title: Cholinesterase inhibitors from leaves of Indian devil tree Alstonia scholaris L. R. Br.

description: Four indole alkaloids were isolated from the alkaloid enriched (AE) extract of Alstonia scholaris L. R. Br. and their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic data compared with the previous research. These isolated alkaloids were identified as nareline ethyl ether (1), 19,20-(E)-vallesamine (2), 6,7-seco-19,20-epoxyangustilobine B (3) and 19,20-(E)-Akuammidine (4). All isolated compounds were evaluated their anti-cholinesterase and anti-amyloid aggregation activities. The concentrations to inhibit the acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity by 50% (IC50) of alkaloids 1-4 were found to be similarly which were in the range of 0.25-0.41 mM and 0.26–0.43 mM, respectively. In addition, alkaloids 1-4 inhibited amyloid aggregation in the range of 29-33% and 35-43% at the final concentrations of 20 and 100 μM, respectively. Finally, the mixing alkaloids 1-4 significantly reduced accumulation of amyloid plaques observed from TEM images.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1453
title: Lactic acid production by escherichia coli harboring ldhA gene from rhizopus oryzae

description: Lactic acid is widely used for many industries such as food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and use as monomer for producing biodegradable plastic. Lactic acid can be produced by microbial fermentation such as the fungus Rhizopus oryzae. Although this fungus has many advantages such as optically pure L(+)-lactic acid production and simple nutrient requirement, one of the obstacles for lactic production is its morphology that can increase in broth viscosity, but decrease in oxygen transfer. Therefore, genetic engineering was used to overcome the problem of R. oryzae morphology by using Escherichia coli as the host cell. The aim of this research is to study lactic acid production from the genetically modified E. coli strain RB24, E. coli with deactivated chromosomal ldhA and pta and harboring R. oryzae ldhA gene on the plasmid. After varying some fermentation parameters in shake flask level, It was suggested that a very small amount of lactic acid was detected when 56/2 minimal medium was used for 48 hours fermentation in all conditions. This lactic acid may come from the other Lactate dehydrogenases (LldD and Dld). When rich fermentation broth was used, the highest concentration of lactic acid at 7.45 g/L was obtained after being fermented with 30 g/L of initial glucose concentration under anaerobic condition for 48 hours. When IPTG inducible plasmid was used to express R. oryzae ldhA gene, smaller amount of lactic acid than that of RB24 strain may be resulted from glucose repression. From this study, it is possible that exogenous R. oryzae LdhA may not function properly in E. coli host. This was not only generation of low amount of lactic acid, but also inhibition of phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) for glucose consumption that was investigated by high concentration of residual glucose.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2014.1454
title: Residual monomer reduction in the mma-based orthodontic base-plate materials by water immersion in ultrasonic bath

description: Objective: To compare the levels of residual monomer between Orthocryl and Orthoplast; and to compare the levels of residual monomer in self-cured orthodontic base-plate materials among the different reduction methods.Materials and methods: A total of 96 disc specimens (3x50 mm) were prepared from Orthocryl® (Dentaurum, Germany) and Orthoplast® (Vertex, The Netherlands), according to the instructions of the manufacturers and ISO 20795-2 (2013). The specimens from each brand were divided into eight groups (6 specimens per group). Group I were left untreated as controls. Groups II and III were immersed in the-room-temperature (25°C) water for 24 and 72 hours, respectively. Groups IV-VIII were immersed in 50°C water of an ultrasonic bath for 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, respectively. The level of residual monomer was determined by using high performance liquid chromatography. Data were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA, followed by a one-way ANOVA Tukey’s HSD post hoc test at 0.05 significant level.Results: In group II-VIII, the Orthocryl groups showed a statistically significantly lower residual monomer level than the Orthoplast groups. In the Orthocryl groups, the levels in group II-VIII were significantly lower than group I, while the level in group VIII was significantly lower than those in groups II, III. In the Orthoplast groups, no significant differences existed between group I and II, but the level in group III was significantly lower than that in groups I. The levels in group VI, VII and VIII were not significantly differences with those in groups III, but the level in group VIII was significantly lower than that in groups VI.Conclusion: In the same monomer reduction method, the levels of residual monomer in Orthocryl were lower than those in Orthoplast. Water immersion at 50°C in an ultrasonic bath for 10-20 minutes reduced the amount of residual monomer in an orthodontic acrylic base-plate material, which was similar to or better than water immersion for 24 and 72 hours at room temperature. However, less time was required.​