Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activity

Phytochemicals are bioactive plant compounds that provide humans with health benefits, representing a valuable source of novel bioactive molecules [...]

Pengaruh Brand Awareness Dan Celebrity Endorser Terhadap Repurchase Sepeda Motor Yamaha Melalui Kepuasan Pelanggan (Studi Pada Konsumen Dealer Yamaha Mataram Sakti Setiabudi, Semarang)

The research was motivated by the use of motorcycle transportation in Indonesia is currently experiencing significant growth until Indonesia became a target potential for the company's branded motorcycles around the world. Yamaha is one of the popular motorcycles brand in Indonesia because the quality has been recognized by the majority of the people of Indonesia. However, in the period 2013 to 2015 the bulk sales of Yamaha brand motorcycle in Indonesia, especially the Yamaha Mataram Sakti Setiabudi Semarang, experienced a decline in sales. Evaluation can be done probably with more enhanced back consumer brand awareness factor to the Yamaha brand motorcycles and with the use of the celebrity services who are well known by the public and are also able to provide information about the product in detail so expect costumers will be more satisfied and interested to re-purchase.The purpose of this research is to know the influence between brand awareness and celebrity endorser towards repurchase through customer satisfaction. This research type is explanatory research, data collection through questionnaires and interviews. The amount of samples in this research were 100 respondents by using purposive sampling technique. This research uses qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. Quantitative analysis uses validity test, reliability test, crosstabs analysis, correlation coefficient, regression analysis of the two stages, the coefficient of the determination and test of significance (t-test and F-test).The results of this research approved that brand awareness (X1) and celebrity endorser (X2) affects customer satisfaction (Y1) and customer satisfaction (Y1) affect the repurchase (Y2). Based on the results of a two-stages regression, the customer satisfaction (Y1) variable's has the most dominant influence.Based on the research results, the researcher suggest that the company has to provide a wide range of innovations in increasing brand awareness the customers to the Yamaha motorcycles brand, developing back the marketing advertising concepts on the use of the celebrity service and increasing the quality product of the Yamaha motorcycles to suit the customers expectations so that customers will be satisfied and have the desire to repurchase the Yamaha motorcycles

Rapid and Accurate Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Directly from Positive Primary MGIT Cultures by MALDI-TOF MS

Over the last years, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have emerged as important human pathogens. Accurate and rapid mycobacterial species identification is needed to successfully diagnose, treat, and manage infections caused by NTM. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF MS, was demonstrated to effectively identify mycobacteria isolates subcultured from solid or liquid media rather than new positive cultures. The present study aims to develop a new extraction protocol to yield rapid and accurate identification of NTM from primary MGIT cultures by MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 60 positive MGIT broths were examined by the Bruker Biotyper system with Mycobacteria Library v. 2.0 (Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG., Bremen, Germany). The results were compared with those obtained by the molecular method, line probe assay GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS/NTM-DR. All samples were concordantly identified by MALDI-TOF MS and the molecular test for all the tested mycobacteria. Fifty-seven (95%) MGIT positive cultures for NTM from clinical samples had a MALDI-TOF MS analysis score S ≥ 1.8. Although a small number of strains and a limited diversity of mycobacterial species were analysed, our results suggest that MALDI-TOF MS could represent a promising routine diagnostic tool for identifying mycobacterial species directly from primary liquid culture

Valproic acid determination by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) in whole blood for forensic purposes

Valproic acid (VPA) is a well-known drug prescribed as anti-epileptic. It has a narrow therapeutic range and shows great individual differences in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Consequently, the therapeutical drug monitoring (TDM) in patient's plasma is of crucial importance. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has gained importance in TDM applications for its features of sensitivity, selectivity and rapidity. However, in case of VPA, the LC–MS/MS selectivity could be hampered by the lack of a sufficient number of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions describing the molecule. In fact, the product ion scan of deprotonated molecules of VPA does not produce any ion and thus most LC–MS/MS methods are based on the detection of the unique MRM transition m/z 143➔143. In this way, the advantages of selectivity in LC–MS cannot be effectively exploited. In the present method, stable analyte adducts were exploited for the determination of VPA in blood. An Acquity HSS C18 column and mobile phases consisting of 5-mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile both added 0.1% formic acid were used. Source worked in negative acquisition mode and parameters were optimized to increase the adduct (m/z 189) and dimer (m/z 287) stability, and their fragmentation were used to increase the selectivity of MRM detection. The method has been validated according to the toxicological forensic guidelines and successfully applied to 10 real blood samples. Finally, the present method showed suitable for the rapid LC–MS/MS detection of VPA in whole blood, demonstrating the possibility to increase specificity by exploiting stable in-source adducts. This should be considered of utmost importance in the case of forensic applications

Inhibitory Effect of Quercetin on Oxidative Endogen Enzymes: A Focus on Putative Binding Modes

Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability of the body to neutralize them by anti-oxidant defense systems. Cells can produce ROS during physiological processes, but excessive ROS can lead to non-specific and irreversible damage to biological molecules, such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. Mitochondria mainly produce endogenous ROS during both physiological and pathological conditions. Enzymes like nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX), xanthine oxidase (XO), lipoxygenase (LOX), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and monoamine oxidase (MAO) contribute to this process. The body has enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense systems to neutralize ROS. The intake of bioactive phenols, like quercetin (Que), can protect against pro-oxidative damage by quenching ROS through a non-enzymatic system. In this study, we evaluate the ability of Que to target endogenous oxidant enzymes involved in ROS production and explore the mechanisms of action underlying its anti-oxidant properties. Que can act as a free radical scavenger by donating electrons through the negative charges in its phenolic and ketone groups. Additionally, it can effectively inhibit the activity of several endogenous oxidative enzymes by binding them with high affinity and specificity. Que had the best molecular docking results with XO, followed by MAO-A, 5-LOX, NOX, and MPO. Que's binding to these enzymes was confirmed by subsequent molecular dynamics, revealing different stability phases depending on the enzyme bound. The 500 ns simulation showed a net evolution of binding for NOX and MPO. These findings suggest that Que has potential as a natural therapy for diseases related to oxidative stress

Kajian Potensi Penumpang Pesawat Terbang Rute Malang-Balikpapan Dan Malang-banjarmasin

Transportasi adalah proses pergerakan atau perpindahan orang atau barang dari satu tempat ke tempat lain dengan tujuan tertentu. Salah satu moda transportasi yang paling di minati oleh masyarakat untuk menempuh perjalanan jauh adalah pesawat terbang. Di Kota Malang terdapat Bandar Udara Abdul Rachman Saleh. Salah satu rute yang dilayani adalah Malang-Balikpapan dan Malang Banjarmasin, namun tujuan penerbangan tersebut telah diberhentikan pada November 2014. Berdasarkan hasil kajian, diketahui bahwa reponden tujuan Balikpapan didominasi oleh usia 41-55 tahun (38,38%) dan oleh usia 25-40 tahun (26,8%) tujuan Banjarmasin dengan mayoritas pekerjaan adalah Karyawanan Swasta dengan gaji 3-7 juta per bulan. Maksud perjalanan untuk kedua tujuan di dominasi oleh perjalan non-bisnis yaitu untuk menunjungi keluarga, rekreasi, ataupun pulang kampung. Dari analisis Stated Preference antara pesawat dari Malang dan pesawat dari Surabaya yaitu berdasarkan selisih biaya perjalanan didapatkan model (UPM – UPS) = 1,831 – 0,00000656(∆X1) untuk tujuan Balikpapan dan (UPM – UPS) = 2,445 – 0,0000085(∆X1) untuk tujuan Banjarmasin. Berdasarkan selisih ketepatan jadwal didapatkan model (UPM – UPS) = 2,143 – 0,022(∆X2) untuk tujuan Balikpapan dan (UPM – UPS) = 2,211 – 0,024(∆X2) untuk tujuan Banjarmasin. Berdasarkan selisih frekuensi perjalan didapatkan model (UPM – UPS) = 1,577 + 0,072(∆X3) untuk tujuan Balikpapan dan(UPM – UPS) = 2,412 + 0,147(∆X3) untuk tujuan Banjarmasin. Jumlah potensi penumpang akan semakin naik diatas angka 90 orang per hari pada tujuan Balikpapan dan Banjarmasin. Jika selisih biaya perjalanan antara pesawat dari Malang dan pesawat dari Surabaya di bawah angka Rp 200.000, selisih ketepatan jadwal dibawah 60 menit, dan frekuensi keberangkatan minimal 1 kali per hari dari Malang

Template Entrance Channel as Possible Allosteric Inhibition and Resistance Site for Quinolines Tricyclic Derivatives in RNA Dependent RNA Polymerase of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

The development of potent non-nucleoside inhibitors (NNIs) could be an alternate strategy to combating infectious bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), other than the traditional vaccination. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is an essential enzyme for viral replication; therefore, it is one of the primary targets for countermeasures against infectious diseases. The reported NNIs, belonging to the classes of quinolines (2h: imidazo[4,5-g]quinolines and 5m: pyrido[2,3-g] quinoxalines), displayed activity in cell-based and enzyme-based assays. Nevertheless, the RdRp binding site and microscopic mechanistic action are still elusive, and can be explored at a molecular level. Here, we employed a varied computational arsenal, including conventional and accelerated methods, to identify quinoline compounds' most likely binding sites. Our study revealed A392 and I261 as the mutations that can render RdRp resistant against quinoline compounds. In particular, for ligand 2h, mutation of A392E is the most probable mutation. The loop L1 and linker of the fingertip is recognized as a pivotal structural determinant for the stability and escape of quinoline compounds. Overall, this work demonstrates that the quinoline inhibitors bind at the template entrance channel, which is governed by conformational dynamics of interactions with loops and linker residues, and reveals structural and mechanistic insights into inhibition phenomena, for the discovery of improved antivirals

Sperm whale predator-prey interactions involve chasing and buzzing, but no acoustic stunning

Field work in Norway was funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and the National Danish Research Council to PTM. The NMFS study was funded by the U.S. Mineral Management Service. MJ is funded by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology, Scotland, and by a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant. MW was funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research, Natural Science and NAS is currently funded by a EU Horizon 2020 MSC Fellowship.The sperm whale carries a hypertrophied nose that generates powerful clicks for long-range echolocation. However, it remains a conundrum how this bizarrely shaped apex predator catches its prey. Several hypotheses have been advanced to propose both active and passive means to acquire prey, including acoustic debilitation of prey with very powerful clicks. Here we test these hypotheses by using sound and movement recording tags in a fine-scale study of buzz sequences to relate the acoustic behaviour of sperm whales with changes in acceleration in their head region during prey capture attempts. We show that in the terminal buzz phase, sperm whales reduce inter-click intervals and estimated source levels by 1-2 orders of magnitude. As a result, received levels at the prey are more than an order of magnitude below levels required for debilitation, precluding acoustic stunning to facilitate prey capture. Rather, buzzing involves high-frequency, low amplitude clicks well suited to provide high-resolution biosonar updates during the last stages of capture. The high temporal resolution helps to guide motor patterns during occasionally prolonged chases in which prey are eventually subdued with the aid of fast jaw movements and/or buccal suction as indicated by acceleration transients (jerks) near the end of buzzes.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Detailed petrophysical and geophysical characterization of core samples from the potential caprock-reservoir system in the Sulcis Coal Basin (Southwestern Sardinia - Italy)

In this work we present a methodology suitable to identify a caprock-reservoir system for the CO2 storage in the Sulcis Coal Basin (SW Sardinia - Italy). The petrophysical and geophysical characterizations indicate that the potential carbonate reservoir ("Miliolitico" Fm. Auct.) located at the base of the Eocene stratigraphic sequence in the mining district of the Sulcis Coal Basin, southwestern Sardinia, is heterogeneous but presents suitable reservoir zones for the storage of the CO2. The GPS data analysis indicates that the study area is stable, since it is characterized by a surface crustal deformation smaller than 1 mm/y