Effects of fabric counts and weave designs on the properties of laminated woven kenaf carbon fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

The effects of different fabric materials namely weave designs (plain and satin) and fabric counts (5 × 5 and 6 × 6) on the properties of laminated woven kenaf/carbon fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were evaluated. The hybrid composites were fabricated from two types of fabric, i.e., woven kenaf that was made from a yarn of 500tex and carbon fibre, by using vacuum infusion technique and epoxy resin as matrix. The panels were tested for tensile, flexural, and impact strengths. The results have revealed that plain fabric is more suitable than satin fabric for obtaining high tensile and impact strengths. Using a fabric count of 5 × 5 has generated composites that are significantly higher in flexural modulus as compared to 6 × 6 which may be attributed to their structure and design. The scanned electron micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the composites demonstrated that plain woven fabric composites had better adhesion properties than satin woven fabric composites, as indicated by the presence of notably lower amount of fibre pull out

Ballast Water Control and Management in Brunei Darussalam

The ongoing transfer of non-indigenous organisms through shipping, especially via ballast water transport, is placing marine and coastal resources under increased threat. The transport of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is a critical issue which may cause irreversible consequences to receiving environments and economies needing particular attention. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the importance for implementation of ballast water management measures in Brunei Darussalam. This paper recognised IAS intrusion via ballast water has high probability to have direct effects on the economic value of fisheries sector, thus the need for an effective ballast water management strategy. Management of ballast water is a complex issue and horizontal policy is the appropriate approach for building this management framework in addition to valid baseline and efficient monitoring. Further studies such as development risk assessment model and assessment of different management measures are critical for an effective prevention, eradication and control strategy

Plate Settlement: Determination of Fouling Organisms in Brunei

Shipping is considered a primary vector of biological invasion. Hull fouling is recognized as one of the common vectors involved in the translocation of marine pests that may have deleterious impacts to ecology and economy. In an effort to understand the fouling communities within Brunei waters and as an early attempt to obtain baseline data, PVC plates were deployed at a depth of 1 meter, checked for taxa composition and replaced with new plates monthly and quarterly over a period of one year. The Caribbean bivalve Mytilopsis sallei was absent throughout the period of study, and plates were mainly colonized by native fouling species and silt. Nevertheless, further verification on the absence of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is still required. This study summarizes the improved methods of analysis for better control and management in order to impede the incursion or invasion of undesirable species

Effect of Chemical Treatments for Cellulosic Plants on Some Macro Minerals

We treated barley straw with sodium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide and urea to improve the nutrition efficiency. Some macro minerals “calcium, potassium and phosphor were measured. No effect for chemical treatments on Ca, K and P (%). Potassium content (%) was 0.033, 0.038, 0.042 and 0.035 for untreated straw or treated with NaOH, NH4OH and Urea. Phosphor content (%) was 0.6, 0.65, 0.89 and 0.82, while calcium (%) was 0.90, 0.95, 0.88 and 0.93 for untreated straw or treated with NaOH, NH4OH and Urea respectively. In conclusion: No effects for treated straw with NaOH, NH4OH or urea on macro minerals like Ca, K and P and in respectively for other minerals. Key word: Chemical treated straw, calcium, potassium, phosphor, macro elements

Polyphenol-rich leaf of annona squamosa stimulates insulin release from BRIN-BD11 cells and isolated mouse islets, reduces (CH2O)n digestion and absorption, and improves glucose tolerance and GLP-1 (7-36) levels in high-fat- fed rats

Annona squamosa, commonly known as custard apple, is traditionally used for the treat-ment of various diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and gastritis. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of an ethanolic (80% v/v) extract of A. squamosa (EEAS) leaves in vitro on insulin secretion from clonal pancreatic BRIN BD11 β-cells and mouse islets, in-cluding mechanistic studies on the effect of EEAS on membrane potential and intracellular calcium ion concentration. Additional in vitro glucose-lowering actions were assessed. For in vivo studies, high-fat-fed (HFF) obese/normal rats were selected. EEAS increased insulin secretion in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was linked to β-cell membrane depolarisation and cytoplasmic Ca2+ influx. In the presence of isobutyl methylxanthine (IBMX), tolbutamide, or KCl, the insulin-releasing effect of EEAS was increased, suggesting its effect was also mediated via a KATP-independ-ent pathways. EEAS inhibited insulin glycation, glucose absorption, and DPP-IV enzyme activity in vitro and enhanced glucose uptake and insulin action in 3T3L1 cells. In vivo, gut motility, food intake, glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, and active GLP-1 (7-36) levels were improved, whereas plasma DPP-IV levels were reduced in HFF rats. EEAS attenuated the absorption of sucrose and glucose as well as decreased serum glucose levels after sucrose loading and in situ intestinal perfu-sion in non-diabetic rats. Rutin, proanthocyanidin, and squafosacin G were putatively identified as the anti-hyperglycaemic phytomolecules in EEAS using HPLC followed by LC-MS analysis. This study illustrates the potential of A. squamosa and its phytoconstituents as a source of potential anti-diabetic agents

Quasichemical Models of Multicomponent Nonlinear Diffusion

Diffusion preserves the positivity of concentrations, therefore, multicomponent diffusion should be nonlinear if there exist non-diagonal terms. The vast variety of nonlinear multicomponent diffusion equations should be ordered and special tools are needed to provide the systematic construction of the nonlinear diffusion equations for multicomponent mixtures with significant interaction between components. We develop an approach to nonlinear multicomponent diffusion based on the idea of the reaction mechanism borrowed from chemical kinetics. Chemical kinetics gave rise to very seminal tools for the modeling of processes. This is the stoichiometric algebra supplemented by the simple kinetic law. The results of this invention are now applied in many areas of science, from particle physics to sociology. In our work we extend the area of applications onto nonlinear multicomponent diffusion. We demonstrate, how the mechanism based approach to multicomponent diffusion can be included into the general thermodynamic framework, and prove the corresponding dissipation inequalities. To satisfy thermodynamic restrictions, the kinetic law of an elementary process cannot have an arbitrary form. For the general kinetic law (the generalized Mass Action Law), additional conditions are proved. The cell--jump formalism gives an intuitively clear representation of the elementary transport processes and, at the same time, produces kinetic finite elements, a tool for numerical simulation.Comment: 81 pages, Bibliography 118 references, a review paper (v4: the final published version

Imetelstat-mediated alterations in fatty acid metabolism to induce ferroptosis as a therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia

Telomerase enables replicative immortality in most cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Imetelstat is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor with clinical efficacy in myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes. Here, we develop an AML patient-derived xenograft resource and perform integrated genomics, transcriptomics and lipidomics analyses combined with functional genetics to identify key mediators of imetelstat efficacy. In a randomized phase II-like preclinical trial in patient-derived xenografts, imetelstat effectively diminishes AML burden and preferentially targets subgroups containing mutant NRAS and oxidative stress-associated gene expression signatures. Unbiased, genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 editing identifies ferroptosis regulators as key mediators of imetelstat efficacy. Imetelstat promotes the formation of polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing phospholipids, causing excessive levels of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. Pharmacological inhibition of ferroptosis diminishes imetelstat efficacy. We leverage these mechanistic insights to develop an optimized therapeutic strategy using oxidative stress-inducing chemotherapy to sensitize patient samples to imetelstat causing substantial disease control in AML

Fungal diversity notes 253–366: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa

Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper, including 11 new genera, 89 new species, one new subspecies, three new combinations and seven reference specimens. A wide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed. In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora (Testudinaceae), Camporesia (Xylariaceae), Clematidis, Crassiparies (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), Farasanispora, Longiostiolum (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), Multilocularia (Parabambusicolaceae), Neophaeocryptopus (Dothideaceae), Parameliola (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), and Towyspora (Lentitheciaceae) are introduced. Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis, Aniptodera aquibella, Annulohypoxylon albidiscum, Astrocystis thailandica, Camporesia sambuci, Clematidis italica, Colletotrichum menispermi, C. quinquefoliae, Comoclathris pimpinellae, Crassiparies quadrisporus, Cytospora salicicola, Diatrype thailandica, Dothiorella rhamni, Durotheca macrostroma, Farasanispora avicenniae, Halorosellinia rhizophorae, Humicola koreana, Hypoxylon lilloi, Kirschsteiniothelia tectonae, Lindgomyces okinawaensis, Longiostiolum tectonae, Lophiostoma pseudoarmatisporum, Moelleriella phukhiaoensis, M. pongdueatensis, Mucoharknessia anthoxanthi, Multilocularia bambusae, Multiseptospora thysanolaenae, Neophaeocryptopus cytisi, Ocellularia arachchigei, O. ratnapurensis, Ochronectria thailandica, Ophiocordyceps karstii, Parameliola acaciae, P. dimocarpi, Parastagonospora cumpignensis, Pseudodidymosphaeria phlei, Polyplosphaeria thailandica, Pseudolachnella brevifusiformis, Psiloglonium macrosporum, Rhabdodiscus albodenticulatus, Rosellinia chiangmaiensis, Saccothecium rubi, Seimatosporium pseudocornii, S. pseudorosae, Sigarispora ononidis and Towyspora aestuari. New combinations are provided for Eutiarosporella dactylidis (sexual morph described and illustrated) and Pseudocamarosporium pini. Descriptions, illustrations and / or reference specimens are designated for Aposphaeria corallinolutea, Cryptovalsa ampelina, Dothiorella vidmadera, Ophiocordyceps formosana, Petrakia echinata, Phragmoporthe conformis and Pseudocamarosporium pini. The new species of Basidiomycota are Agaricus coccyginus, A. luteofibrillosus, Amanita atrobrunnea, A. digitosa, A. gleocystidiosa, A. pyriformis, A. strobilipes, Bondarzewia tibetica, Cortinarius albosericeus, C. badioflavidus, C. dentigratus, C. duboisensis, C. fragrantissimus, C. roseobasilis, C. vinaceobrunneus, C. vinaceogrisescens, C. wahkiacus, Cyanoboletus hymenoglutinosus, Fomitiporia atlantica, F. subtilissima, Ganoderma wuzhishanensis, Inonotus shoreicola, Lactifluus armeniacus, L. ramipilosus, Leccinum indoaurantiacum, Musumecia alpina, M. sardoa, Russula amethystina subp. tengii and R. wangii are introduced. Descriptions, illustrations, notes and / or reference specimens are designated for Clarkeinda trachodes, Dentocorticium ussuricum, Galzinia longibasidia, Lentinus stuppeus and Leptocorticium tenellum. The other new genera, species new combinations are Anaeromyces robustus, Neocallimastix californiae and Piromyces finnis from Neocallimastigomycota, Phytophthora estuarina, P. rhizophorae, Salispina, S. intermedia, S. lobata and S. spinosa from Oomycota, and Absidia stercoraria, Gongronella orasabula, Mortierella calciphila, Mucor caatinguensis, M. koreanus, M. merdicola and Rhizopus koreanus in Zygomycota

Effects of some plant extracts, bioagents, and organic compounds on botrytis and sclerotinia molds

Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum are necrotrophic fungi and are closely related pathogenic fungi that infect hundreds of plant species worldwide. In this study, the natural botryticidal/scleroticidal efficacy of some plant extracts, bioagents, and organic compounds known to possess antifungal activity was evaluated. Pathogenicity tests of the fungal molds showed virulence divergence, depending on the isolate and host plant. All B.cinerea isolates, except the BF isolate that infected only broad bean leaves, demonstrated ability to infect detached lettuce and broad bean leaves. Moreover, all Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates, except for SSP, demonstrated ability to infect the two plant species, whereas the SSB isolate did not cause any infection in broad bean leaves. The efficacies of Moringa oleifera (Mor), Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cin), amino acid derivatives (Aad), Trichoderma harzianum (TH), Cactus spp. (Agr), and Bacillus subtilis (BS) were tested either in vitro or in vivo against the highly virulent isolates of the two pathogenic fungi. The efficacy of most potential biofungicides was consistent in vitro as well as in vivo, and the inhibitory efficacy of TH, BS, Cin, Mor, and Aad treatments was significantly high against Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro and ranged from 62% to 100%, depending on the isolate. In addition, BS, Aad, TH, and Mor treatments had significant inhibitory effects ranging from 53% to 100% against most of the isolates on lettuce leaves. The Agr and Cin treatments exhibited low or no inhibitory effects against many isolates in vivo, and they reduced the mold infection caused by only BCC and SSB isolates. Most of the tested potential biofungicide treatments tended to reduce mold infections, and some of them, such as Cin, exhibited a higher inhibitory effect in vitro than the others. Real-time PCR was conducted for some symptomatic/asymptomatic samples, and the results showed either consistent molecular/symptomatic patterns or latency of B. cinerea. The results confirmed the suitability of the studied natural compounds as effective biofungicides, and they could be the best choice to safely control the most destructive fungal molds

A search for vaccines and therapeutic for dengue: a review

Dengue is a serious emerging or re-emerging infectious disease that is endemic in over 100 countries. There has been an estimated of 50 million infection per year globally with more than 2.5 billion people are at risk for epidemic transmission. The major burden for dengue is in the south-east Asia and the western Pacific although there have been increasing reports of this disease in the Americas. This infectious disease is caused by the dengue virus which is a member of the Flaviviridae and is spread by the highly domesticated Aedes aegypti mosquito. There are two principal illnesses associated with dengue which are Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF). The former is a flu-like illness with symptoms like fever, headaches, joint aches and rashes while the latter is more severe and often fatal complication of DF as a result of the dengue shock syndrome (DSS). To date, there is no licensed vaccine or therapeutic drug available for DF and DHF/DSS, although there have been reports of some vaccine candidates in clinical trials. The treatment for DF and DHF/DSS has only been supportive thus far. This paper discusses the protein of the dengue virus as well as reviews some of the work and strategies that have been carried out in the quest for finding vaccines and therapeutic drugs for dengue, particularly those employing computer-aided approaches