Survey and study on yield and quality of patchouli oil in Aceh Barat Daya District, Indonesia based on original area of raw materials, methods and length of distilation

Patchouli oil from patchouli plant (Pogostemon cablin Benth) is one of important essential oils as a source of Indonesian foreign exchange.  It is about 90% of world patchouli oil from Indonesia (Suara Merdeka, 2006). The objectives of this research were to assess the yield and quality of patchouli oils from four different villages in the sub district of Kuala Batee, Aceh Barat Daya based on the original area of raw material and the method of distillation, also based on length of distillation. The nested design was used in this research with the treatment of two factors combination, with the level of one factor similar but not identical. The treatments were the original area of raw material and the distillation method used in the original area of the raw material (BM1-4), and the length of distillation (5, 6, and 7 hours). Parameter observed were yield, specific gravity, refractive index, alcohol solubility, the concentration of patchouli alcohol, ester number, acid number, and the sensory test on color and clarity.  The results indicated that the original area of raw material and distillation method (BM) had a significant effect on yield, refractive index, clarity, and acid number. The yield was 2.85%-4.5%, and patchouli oil from BM4 and BM2 gave higher yield but lower patchouli alcohol concentration, and clarity. The results also indicated that the longer time of distillation the higher patchouli oil yield, specific gravity, and patchouli alcohol concentration. However, it affected the lower alcohol solubility and clarity, the higher ester number, and the darker color of the patchouli oil. The concentration of patchouli alcohol in this study ranges from 21.36% to 34.03%. Patchouli oil yielded in this research have complied the SNI 06-2385-200

Antioxidant Activities of Curry Leaves (Murayya Koeniigi) and Salam Leaves (Eugenia Polyantha)

This study aimed to extract the active antioxidant compounds from curry leaves (Murayya koeniigi) and salam leaves (Eugenia polyantha) using three types of solvent; water, ethanol (50%) and hexane, and determine the total polyphenols contents, activity of free radicals scavenging using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing power of the extract of those materials. The result showed that curry leaves extracted using water contain a higher amount of polyphenols than other solvent extracts, while for the salam leaves, ethanol (50%) extracts give a higher polyphenol content than others. Total polyphenols extracts had a positive correlation with antioxidant activity in both DPPH radical scavenging and ferric reducing power. Extracts that contain a high amount of polyphenols also exhibit high antioxidant activity. The result indicated that the polarity level of the solvent will determine extraction result and its antioxidant activit

Appearance, Texture and Flavour Improvement of Chocolate Bar by Virgin Cococnut Oil (VCO) as Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS)

The purposes of using CBS in this research is to improve the physical properties and quality of appereance and structure stability of chocolate bar. Based on chemical composition, CBS and Cocoa butter have different profile, but they have similar physical properties due to high lauric acid content. The advantage of lauric acid is to affect shinny appreance of chocolate surface, and also soapy taste that closely related to rancidity reduction. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is one of lauric fat that easily found in Aceh. In this research, chocolate bar is formulated comprising various concentration of CBS (0,1,2,3,4,5%) with respect to cocoa butter, and cocoa mass composition (200 g and 300 g). It was found that melting point was affected by CBS concentration. The higher CBS concentration, the lower melting point of chocolate bar. An increase in VCO concentration reduced significantly the melting point of chocolate bar. Melting point was comparable to other chocolate bar commercial (29-32oC). The unblooming, snap, best texture and better taste was observed for the chocolate bar containing 4-5% of VCO concentration and 27,5% of cocoa mas

Design of 280 GHz feedhorn-coupled TES arrays for the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER

We describe 280 GHz bolometric detector arrays that instrument the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER. A primary science goal of SPIDER is to measure the large-scale B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background in search of the cosmic-inflation, gravitational-wave signature. 280 GHz channels aid this science goal by constraining the level of B-mode contamination from galactic dust emission. We present the focal plane unit design, which consists of a 16$\times$16 array of conical, corrugated feedhorns coupled to a monolithic detector array fabricated on a 150 mm diameter silicon wafer. Detector arrays are capable of polarimetric sensing via waveguide probe-coupling to a multiplexed array of transition-edge-sensor (TES) bolometers. The SPIDER receiver has three focal plane units at 280 GHz, which in total contains 765 spatial pixels and 1,530 polarization sensitive bolometers. By fabrication and measurement of single feedhorns, we demonstrate 14.7$^{\circ}$ FHWM Gaussian-shaped beams with $<$1% ellipticity in a 30% fractional bandwidth centered at 280 GHz. We present electromagnetic simulations of the detection circuit, which show 94% band-averaged, single-polarization coupling efficiency, 3% reflection and 3% radiative loss. Lastly, we demonstrate a low thermal conductance bolometer, which is well-described by a simple TES model and exhibits an electrical noise equivalent power (NEP) = 2.6 $\times$ 10$^{-17}$ W/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$, consistent with the phonon noise prediction.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 201

Inflammatory breast cancer: dynamic contrast-enhanced MR in patients receiving bevacizumab. Initial experience

To retrospectively compare three dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (dynamic MR imaging) analytic methods to determine the parameter or combination of parameters most strongly associated with changes in tumor microvasculature during treatment with bevacizumab alone and bevacizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in accordance with the institutional review board of the National Cancer Institute and was compliant with the Privacy Act of 1974. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Patients with inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer were treated with one cycle of bevacizumab alone (cycle 1) followed by six cycles of combination bevacizumab and chemotherapy (cycles 2-7). Serial dynamic MR images were obtained, and the kinetic parameters measured by using three dynamic analytic MR methods (heuristic, Brix, and general kinetic models) and two region-of-interest strategies were compared by using two-sided statistical tests. A P value of .01 was required for significance. RESULTS: In 19 patients, with use of a whole-tumor region of interest, the authors observed a significant decrease in the median values of three parameters measured from baseline to cycle 1: forward transfer rate constant (Ktrans) (-34% relative change, P=.003), backflow compartmental rate constant extravascular and extracellular to plasma (Kep) (-15% relative change, P<.001), and integrated area under the gadolinium concentration curve (IAUGC) at 180 seconds (-23% relative change, P=.009). A trend toward differences in the heuristic slope of the washout curve between responders and nonresponders to therapy was observed after cycle 1 (bevacizumab alone, P=.02). The median relative change in slope of the wash-in curve from baseline to cycle 4 was significantly different between responders and nonresponders (P=.009). CONCLUSION: The dynamic contrast-enhanced MR parameters Ktrans, Kep, and IAUGC at 180 seconds appear to have the strongest association with early physiologic response to bevacizumab. Clinical trial registration no. NCT0001654

Repeated Assessment of Exploration and Novelty Seeking in the Human Behavioral Pattern Monitor in Bipolar Disorder Patients and Healthy Individuals

Exploration and novelty seeking are cross-species adaptive behaviors that are dysregulated in bipolar disorder (BD) and are critical features of the illness. While these behaviors have been extensively quantified in animals, multivariate human paradigms of exploration are lacking. The human Behavioral Pattern Monitor (hBPM), a human version of the animal open field, identified a signature pattern of hyper-exploration in manic BD patients, but whether exploratory behavior changes with treatment is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the sensitivity of the hBPM to changes in manic symptoms, a necessary step towards elucidating the neurobiology underlying BD.Twelve acutely hospitalized manic BD subjects and 21 healthy volunteers were tested in the hBPM over three sessions; all subjects were retested one week after their first session and two weeks after their second session. Motor activity, spatial and entropic (degree of unpredictability) patterns of exploration, and interactions with novel objects were quantified. Manic BD patients demonstrated greater motor activity, extensive and more unpredictable patterns of exploration, and more object interactions than healthy volunteers during all three sessions. Exploration and novelty-seeking slightly decreased in manic BD subjects over the three sessions as their symptoms responded to treatment, but never to the level of healthy volunteers. Among healthy volunteers, exploration did not significantly decrease over time, and hBPM measures were highly correlated between sessions.Manic BD patients showed a modest reduction in symptoms yet still demonstrated hyper-exploration and novelty seeking in the hBPM, suggesting that these illness features may be enduring characteristics of BD. Furthermore, behavior in the hBPM is not subject to marked habituation effects. The hBPM can be reliably used in a repeated-measures design to characterize exploration and novelty seeking and, in parallel with animal studies, can contribute to developing treatments that target neuropsychiatric disease

Novel Use of Surveillance Data to Detect HIV-Infected Persons with Sustained High Viral Load and Durable Virologic Suppression in New York City

Background: Monitoring of the uptake and efficacy of ART in a population often relies on cross-sectional data, providing limited information that could be used to design specific targeted intervention programs. Using repeated measures of viral load (VL) surveillance data, we aimed to estimate and characterize the proportion of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in New York City (NYC) with sustained high VL (SHVL) and durably suppressed VL (DSVL). Methods/Principal Findings: Retrospective cohort study of all persons reported to the NYC HIV Surveillance Registry who were alive and $12 years old by the end of 2005 and who had$2 VL tests in 2006 and 2007. SHVL and DSVL were defined as PLWHA with 2 consecutive VLs $100,000 copies/mL and PLWHA with all VLs #400 copies/mL, respectively. Logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to model the association between SHVL and covariates. There were 56,836 PLWHA, of whom 7 % had SHVL and 38 % had DSVL. Compared to those without SHVL, persons with SHVL were more likely to be younger, black and have injection drug use (IDU) risk. PLWHA with SHVL were more likely to die by 2007 and be younger by nearly ten years, on average. Conclusions/Significance: Nearly 60 % of PLWHA in 2005 had multiple VLs, of whom almost 40 % had DSVL, suggesting successful ART uptake. A small proportion had SHVL, representing groups known to have suboptimal engagement in care. This group should be targeted for additional outreach to reduce morbidity and secondary transmission. Measures based o