Geological Effect on GPR System Due to Soil Properties in Malaysia

This paper present the measurement of dielectric properties of soil in Malaysia in three differences condition which are normal condition  (ambience), heated (up to 50 OC) and wet condition (10 % water content). Eight (8) samples of soil have been collected in the local region and was measured in the frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 3.5 GHz for Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) applications. The measurement of the dielectric properties has been conducted using Agilent high temperature probe (Model) integrated with Performance Network Analyzer (PNA E8362B). The uncertainties in measurement process, especially dealing with measurement data have been considered in order to eliminate the probability of error during the measurement. The measured result for permittivity and loss factor of the measured samples are tabulated in graphs and the analysis of the measured data are discussed in this paper

Out-of-the-box versus in-house tools: how are they affecting data journalism in Australia?

The proliferation of data journalism has enabled newsrooms to deploy technologies for both mundane and more sophisticated workplace tasks. To bypass long-term investment in developing data skills, out-of-the-box software solutions are commonly used. Newsrooms today are partially dependent on third-party platforms to build interactive and visual stories – but the business models of platforms are predisposed to changes, frequently inducing losses of stories. This article combines in-depth interviews and an ancillary survey to study the status quo and identify future challenges in embracing out-of-the-box and in-house tools, and their impact on Australian data journalism. Results indicate a dichotomy between commercial and public service media organisations. Commercial outlets are heavily reliant on out-of-the-box solutions to develop stories, due to a lack of skillsets and a shortage of skilled labour. By contrast, public service media are developing their own in-house solutions, which reflects their desire for the continuous digital preservation of data stories despite the challenges identified

O-GlcNAcase Fragment Discovery with Fluorescence Polarimetry

The attachment of the sugar N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) to specific serine and threonine residues on proteins is referred to as protein O-GlcNAcylation. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is the enzyme responsible for carrying out the modification, while O-GlcNAcase (OGA) reverses it. Protein O-GlcNAcylation has been implicated in a wide range of cellular processes including transcription, proteostasis, and stress response. Dysregulation of O-GlcNAc has been linked to diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease. OGA has been proposed to be a drug target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease given that increased O-GlcNAc levels appear to exert a protective effect. The search for specific, potent, and drug-like OGA inhibitors with bioavailability in the brain is therefore a field of active research, requiring orthogonal high-throughput assay platforms. Here, we describe the synthesis of a novel probe for use in a fluorescence polarization based assay for the discovery of inhibitors of OGA. We show that the probe is suitable for use with both human OGA, as well as the orthologous bacterial counterpart from <i>Clostridium perfringens</i>, <i>Cp</i>OGA, and the lysosomal hexosaminidases HexA/B. We structurally characterize <i>Cp</i>OGA in complex with a ligand identified from a fragment library screen using this assay. The versatile synthesis procedure could be adapted for making fluorescent probes for the assay of other glycoside hydrolases

Gauges and Cosmological Backreaction

We present a formalism for spatial averaging in cosmology applicable to general spacetimes and coordinates, and allowing the easy incorporation of a wide variety of matter sources. We apply this formalism to a Friedmann-LeMaitre-Robertson-Walker universe perturbed to second-order and present the corrections to the background in an unfixed gauge. We then present the corrections that arise in uniform curvature and conformal Newtonian gauges.Comment: 13 pages. Updated: reference added, typos corrected, exposition clarified. Version 3: Replaced with version published by JCA

Investigation of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) embedded with artocarpus odorattisimus mechanical behaviour as an alternative replacement for raw material in wood industry

This paper presented the investigation of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) reinforced with Artocarpus Odorattisimus (Mahang/Tarap) board in which fabricated manually using hand lay method and hot pressed in order to determine a suitable alternative fiber board as a replacement for the usage of woods as raw materials in various types of industry. The idea of conducting this research came due to the worldwide community attention on major deforestation which may lead to natural disaster throughout the world. The effects of adding Artocarpus Odorattisimus (Mahang/Tarap) to the oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) on certain dry weight ratios are being studied and the main objective of this research is to determine certain mechanical properties of the board especially tensile strength to be compared to the pure oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) board (4.712 Nmm-2)[22]. The experimental process is carried out in accordance to test standard of ASTM D3039/3039m-17. Morphological structure study by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) also conducted on the tested samples to further understand the board properties.Practically, aluminium swarf (chips) collected from an automotive production line is less likely to have any contaminants once the lubricants are removed. In theory, metals do not degrade in value and can be used infinitely

Room for improvement: The HIV-diabetes care continuum over 15 years in the women's interagency HIV study

Background. Gains in life expectancy through optimal control of HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART) may be threatened if other comorbidities, such as diabetes, are not optimally managed. Methods. We analyzed cross-sectional data of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) from 2001, 2006, and 2015. We estimated the proportions of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women with diabetes who were engaged in care and achieved treatment goals (hemoglobin A1c [A1c] <7.0%, blood pressure [BP] <140/90 mmHg, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol <100 mg/dL, not smoking) and viral suppression. Repeated-measures models were used to estimate the adjusted prevalence of achieving each diabetes treatment goal at each time point, by HIV status. Results. We included 486 HIV-positive and 258 HIV-negative women with diabetes. In 2001, 91.8% visited a health care provider, 60.7% achieved the A1c target, 70.5% achieved the BP target, 38.5% achieved the LDL cholesterol target, 49.2% were nonsmokers, 23.3% achieved combined ABC targets (A1c, BP, and cholesterol), and 10.9% met combined ABC targets and did not smoke. There were no differences by HIV status, and patterns were similar in 2006 and 2015. Among HIV-positive women, viral suppression increased from 41% in 2001 to 87% in 2015 compared with 8% and 13% achieving the ABC goals and not smoking. Viral suppression was not associated with achievement of diabetes care goals. Conclusions. Successful management of HIV is outpacing that of diabetes. Future studies are needed to identify factors associated with gaps in the HIV-diabetes care continuum and design interventions to better integrate effective diabetes management into HIV care

Predicting diabetes risk among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women

Objective:To assess the performance of an adapted American Diabetes Association (ADA) risk score and the concise Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINRISC) for predicting type 2 diabetes development in women with and at risk of HIV infection.Design:Longitudinal analysis of the Women's Interagency HIV Study.Methods:The women's Interagency HIV Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study of women with and at risk for HIV infection. Women without prevalent diabetes and 3-year data on fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, self-reported diabetes medication use, and self-reported diabetes were included. ADA and FINRISC scores were computed at baseline and their ability to predict diabetes development within 3 years was assessed [sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve].Results:A total of 1111 HIV-positive (median age 41, 60% African American) and 454 HIV-negative women (median age 38, 63% African-American) were included. ADA sensitivity did not differ between HIV-positive (77%) and HIV-negative women (81%), while specificity was better in HIV-negative women (42 vs. 49%, P = 0.006). Overall ADA discrimination was suboptimal in both HIV-positive [AUROC = 0.64 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.70)] and HIV-negative women [AUROC = 0.67 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.77)]. FINRISC sensitivity and specificity did not differ between HIV-positive (72 and 49%, respectively) and HIV-negative women (86 and 52%, respectively). Overall FINRISC discrimination was suboptimal in HIV-positive [AUROC = 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.75)] and HIV-negative women [AUROC = 0.78 (95% CI: 0.66, 0.90)].Conclusion:Model performance was suboptimal in women with and at risk of HIV, while greater misclassification was generally observed among HIV-positive women. HIV-specific risk factors known to contribute to diabetes risk should be explored in these models