Identification of a 48 kDa tubulin or tubulin-like C6/36 mosquito cells protein that binds dengue virus 2 using mass spectrometry

Binding of dengue virus 2 (DENV-2) to C6/36 mosquito cells protein was investigated. A 48 kDa DENV-2-binding C6/36 cells protein (D2BP) was detected in a virus overlay protein-binding assay. The binding occurred only to the C6/36 cells cytosolic protein fraction and it was inhibited by free D2BP. D2BP was shown to bind to DENV-2 E in the far-Western-binding studies and using mass spectrometry (MS) and MS/MS, peptide masses of the D2BP that matched to beta-tubulin and alpha-tubulin chains were identified. These findings suggest that DENV-2 through DENV-2 E binds directly to a 48 kDa tubulin or tubulin-like protein of C6/36 mosquito cells. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Phylogenetic investigation of Dengue Virus Type 2 isolated in Malaysia

Dengue virus type-2 (DEN-2) has been isolated in Malaysia for more than three decades. The virus caused two major outbreaks in the early 1990s and late 1990s. Phylogenetic analyses performed using available E/NS1 junction sequences identified two DEN-2 genotypes: DEN-2 Asian 1 and DEN-2 Cosmopolitan. DEN-2 Cosmopolitan/Malaysia is the predominant genotype comprising more than 80 of the total isolates. Two different clades of DEN-2 Cosmopolitan/Malaysia genotype were identified. Clade I consisted of mainly the older isolates, whereas Clade II consisted of the more recent isolates, including that responsible for both the major DEN-2 outbreaks. Two different strains of DEN- 2 Cosmopolitan/Malaysia genotype were involved in the outbreaks, yet both strains appeared to share a common ancestral lineage with isolates from the early 1970s. Isolates from the late 1990s showed higher sequence similarities to the late-1960s isolates than the early-1990s isolates. These findings raised the possibility that the different DEN-2 strains noted over the last three decades in Malaysia might have evolved from a pre existing DEN-2 gene pool

Anterior cruciate ligament failure and cartilage damage during knee joint compression: A preliminary study based on the porcine model

10.1177/0363546507312645American Journal of Sports Medicine365934-94

Numerical simulation of rock blasting induced free field vibration

As the free field geological condition is usually complex, the conventional wave attenuation law established for the homogeneous open field may not be applicable for actual field situations. Thus, to understand the impact of the attenuation law and the geological features on the blast wave propagation, a field rock blasting test is conducted and the ground vibration is carefully monitored. To better understand the phenomenon, a numerical model considering the field geological features is established using the finite difference method. The field test results are then used to calibrate the numerical model. From the calibration, the parameters involved in the general form of peak particle velocity have been determined. It is demonstrated that the blast wave propagation in the free field is significantly governed by the field geological conditions, especially the interface between rock and soil layers

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire on knowledge, attitude, practice and perception (KAP2) towards food poisoning and its prevention during dining out among consumers in Terengganu

Having adequate knowledge, attitude, practice, and realistic perception (KAP2) of food poisoning prevention will minimize the risk of food poisoning while dining out. However, there is no validated KAP2 questionnaire on the prevention of food poisoning during dining out, notably among consumers. Throughout the current research, a validated KAP2 questionnaire on food poisoning and prevention during dining was developed. A cross-sectional pilot survey was conducted among 30 selected consumers in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Convenience sampling was applied to the recruitment of consumers based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The KAP2 questionnaire comprised the knowledge section (42 questions), attitude (15 questions), practice (13 questions) and the perception (15 questions). Knowledge questions were analysed using difficulty and discrimination index, while attitude, practice, and perception were analysed by construct validity and reliability analysis. The difficulty index with less than 0.3 is considered as difficult, between 0.30-0.70 as an acceptable value, and more than 0.70 as easy. The discrimination index below than 0.2 is considered poor, between 0.2-0.24 as good, more than 0.35 as excellent items. The construct validity was conducted by referring to the value of Cronbach's alpha, inter-item correlation (˃ 0.30), item-total correlation (˃ 0.30), and Cronbach's alpha if item deleted. The results were found from 42 knowledge items, 29 easy items, ten acceptable items and three difficult questions. The discrimination index revealed that 25 items were poor, 11 items were excellent, three items had a good discrimination index and three items needed to be revised. Based on construct validity, five attitude’s items, three practice’s items and ten perception’s items were removed due to inter-item correlation and item-total correlation value < 0.30. The reliability analysis of the attitude portion was 0.848 which is a good reliability, 0.780 practice, and 0.611 perceptions to be found an acceptable value of reliability. Overall, the developed KAP2 questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can serve as an evaluation tool for measuring knowledge, attitudes, practice and perception in the prevention of food poisoning during dining out among consumers

Large area, rapid growth of two-dimensional ZnO nanosheets and their field emission performances

10.1007/s00339-007-4379-9Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing904623-627APAM

Recovery of bioactive compounds from walnut ( Juglans regia

In this work, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide, a nontoxic solvent, was proposed to extract bioactive compounds from Juglans regia L. green husk and was compared to other traditional techniques based on solvents such as ethanol, methanol and water. Supercritical CO2 was combined with ethanol as an organic modifier at a rate of 20% of the total flow to achieve greater extraction of polar compounds. The extracts were characterised in terms of extraction yields, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, phenolic acids, juglone, volatile organic compounds and antifungal activity. The results showed that the extracts obtained with supercritical CO2 were rich in polyphenols (10750 mg GAE/100 g) and juglone (1192 mg/100 g) and exerted high antioxidant activity and antifungal activity compared with the tested fungi. Walnut green husk is not just a food industry waste but also an important economic source of bioactive compounds that could be used for food active packaging