Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. Hyperuricaemia is the pre-requisite for gout and is influenced by variable modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Clinical features unique for gout are due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystal in articular and extra articular tissues. Among various treating agents, anti-inflammatory drugs and urate lowering therapies (ULT) are used widely and successfully, however, non-medicinal means are also effective in the disorder. In their updated guidelines, ACR (2012) and EULAR (2016) recommended both medicinal and non-medicinal approaches that could be used in treating gout, though some of the recommendations are based on lower level of evidence. Moreover, researchers’ continued effort in finding new gout managing agents appear promising, for example, role of Lesinurad in gout management (CLEAR1, CLEAR2). In this new synthesis the author is aimed to provide updated information on gout management based on a systematic review including published work within last ten years between 2008 and 2018 and for this purpose, using ‘clinical trials in gout management’ string, published worked searched in PubMed database from 1st September 2018 to 30 October 2018. Besides the recent ACR and EULAR evidence based management guidelines, the author reviewed another 91 (total 93) articles to make this new draft – 39 articles describe role of pharmacological agents and 54 describe different gout risks, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of ULT, association between raised sUA level and renal impairment, efficacy of non-pharmacological agents in reducing sUA. According to published work, anti-inflammatory agent is the most appropriate drug group in mitigating inflammatory symptoms of gout, though they often adversely affect over other vital 2 organs with impaired function. Besides ULT, uricase analogues are also found useful in non refractory gout. Since anti-inflammatory agents and ULT contraindicate in some clinical conditions, intra-articular steroid and or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are appropriate alternatives instead. However, head-to-head comparison between different NSAIDs, NSAID and prednisolone, NSAID and colchicine are yet to perform. Use of combined anti-inflammatory preparations in gout is also based on lower level of evidence. Regarding effective maximum dose and long-standing impact of ULT on vital organs we are yet to reach a conclusion. Likewise, non-medicinal approaches are widely using in achieving target sUA level, though some of them are based on biased study outcomes and or study with inadequate power, requiring further analysis. Among non-pharmacological approaches, life-style modification, restriction of purine rich diets, avoidance of gout inciting agents are important, but inconclusive. Educating patients’ about diseases, risk factors, available treatment options and side effects from them are also important in terms of achieving sUA level, nevertheless too much counseling sometimes could be worthless.

The purpose of this study is to present a systematic review of the literature on public blockchain consensus algorithms. Blockchain consensus algorithms have gain much popularity in last few years especially in the cryptocurrency field. Based on a systematic review of the relevant literature, we provide a classification of blockchain consensus algorithms, philosophy behind creation of blockchain consensus algorithms and as well as the rewards and incentive strategies of various public blockchain consensus algorithms. On the basis of these results, the research gaps and future work directions are identified for further study.

We proposed a so-called Beta Kumaraswamy Burr Type X distribution which gives the extension of the Kumaraswamy-G class of family distribution. Some properties of this proposed model were provided, like: the expansion of densi- ties and quantile function. We considered the Bayes and maximum likelihood methods to estimate the parameters and also simulate the model parameters to validate the methods based on dierent set of true values. Some real data sets were employed to show the usefulness and exibility of the model which serves as generalization to many sub-models in the elds of engineering, medical, survival and reliability analysis.

We proposed a so-called Beta Kumaraswamy Burr Type X distribution which gives the extension of the Kumaraswamy-G class of family distribution. Some properties of this proposed model were provided, like: the expansion of densities and quantile function. We considered the Bayes and maximum likelihood methods to estimate the parameters and also simulate the model parameters to validate the methods based on different set of true values. Some real data sets were employed to show the usefulness and flexibility of the model which serves as generalization to many sub-models in the field of engineering, medical, survival and reliability analysis.

Bipolar plates significantly contribute in the development of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells technology due to their ability to produce high electrical conductivity based on type of materials used. Mismatching of inappropriate materials and manufacture may lead to the inferior performance of PEM fuel cells. Hence, material development was determined crucial to balance the overall performance of PEM fuels including the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the materials. Studies on conductive polymer composites (CPCs) offered filler orientation as an alternative method to enhance the overall performance of bipolar plate. Filler orientations permit an excellent conductivity network formation while controlling the filler alignment based on required applications. This paper reviewed various studies of filler orientations including materials used and methods of manufacture of CPC materials for the effective development of bipolar plate.

Conventionally, partial differential equations (PDE) problems are solved numerically through discretization process by using finite difference approximations. The algebraic systems generated by this process are then finalized by using an iterative method. Recently, scientists invented a short cut approach, without discretization process, to solve the PDE problems, namely by using machine learning (ML). This is potential to make scientific machine learning as a new sub-field of research. Thus, given the interest in developing ML for solving PDEs, it makes an abundance of an easy-to-use methods that allows researchers to quickly set up and solve problems. In this review paper, we discussed at least three methods for solving high dimensional of PDEs, namely PyDEns, NeuroDiffEq, and Nangs, which are all based on artificial neural networks (ANNs). ANN is one of the methods under ML which proven to be a universal estimator function. Comparison of numerical results presented in solving the classical PDEs such as heat, wave, and Poisson equations, to look at the accuracy and efficiency of the methods. The results showed that the NeuroDiffEq and Nangs algorithms performed better to solve higher dimensional of PDEs than the PyDEns.

Advances in reconfigurable liquid-based reconfigurable antennas are enabling new possibilities to fulfil the requirements of more advanced wireless communication systems. In this review, a comparative analysis of various state-of-the-art concepts and techniques for designing reconfigurable antennas using liquid is presented. First, the electrical properties of different liquids at room temperature commonly used in reconfigurable antennas are identified. This is followed by a discussion of various liquid actuation techniques in enabling high frequency reconfigurability. Next, liquid-based reconfigurable antennas in literature used to achieve the different types of reconfiguration will be critically reviewed. These include frequency-, polarization-, radiation pattern- and compound reconfigurability. The current concepts of liquid-based reconfigurable antennas can be classified broadly into three basic approaches: altering the physical (and electrical) dimensions of antennas using liquid, applying liquid-based sections as reactive loads; and implementation of liquids as dielectric resonators. Each concept and their design approaches will be examined, outlining their benefits, limitations, and possible future improvements.

Background: The demand in the development of cancer nanomedicine has increased due to various limitations in conventional cancer therapy. This study assessed the mRNA transcriptomic profiling of human HepG2 cells exposed to C. roseus-AgNPs. Methods: The proliferative activity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and normal human liver (THLE3) cells treated with C. roseus‑AgNPs were measured using MTT assay. The RNA samples were extracted and sequenced using BGIseq500 platform. This is followed by data filtering, mapping, gene expression analysis, DEG analysis, GO analysis, and pathway analysis. Results: The mean IC₅₀ values of C. roseus‑AgNPs on HepG2 was 4.38±1.59 µg/mL while on THLE3 cells was 800±1.55 µg/mL. Transciptomic profiling revealed an alteration of 296 genes. C. roseus‑AgNPs induced the expression of stress-associated genes such as MT, HSP and HMOX-1. Cellular signaling pathways were potentially activated through MAPK, TNF and TGF pathways that responsible for apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The alteration of ARF6, EHD2, FGFR3, RhoA, EEA1, VPS28, VPS25, TSG101 indicated the uptake of C. roseus-AgNPs via both clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent endocytosis. Conclusions: This study provides the new insights on gene expression study of biosynthesized AgNPs on cancer cells. The cytotoxicity effect is mediated by the aberrant gene alteration, and more interestingly the unique selective antiproliferative properties indicates the C. roseus‑AgNPs as an ideal anticancer candidate.

BPA is a commonly used compound in many industries and has versatile applications in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins production. BPA is classified as endocrine-disrupting chemical which can hamper fetal development during pregnancy and may have long term negative health outcomes in humans. Dietary sources, main route of BPA exposure, can be contaminated by the migration of BPA into food during processing. The global regulatory framework for using this compound in food contact materials is currently not harmonized. This review aims to outline, survey, and critically evaluate BPA contamination in meat products, including level of BPA and/or metabolites present, exposure route, and recent advancements in the analytical procedures of these compounds from meat and meat products. The contribution of meat and meat products to the total dietary exposure of BPA ranges between 10 and 50% depending on the country and exposure scenario considered. From can lining materials of meat products, BPA migrates towards the solid phase resulting higher BPA concentration in solid phase than the liquid phase of the same can. The analytical procedure is comprised of meat sample pre-treatment, followed by cleaning with SPE, and chromatographic analysis. Considering several potential sources of BPA in industrial and home culinary practices, BPA can also accumulate in non-canned or raw meat products. Very few scientific studies have been conducted to identify the amount in raw meat products. Similarly, analysis of metabolites and identification of the origin of BPA contamination in meat products is still a challenge to overcome.

The initial outbreak of COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan (China) during the latter part of December 2019. Indonesia has the fourth-largest population globally and reported the country’s first case of the virus on 2nd March 2020. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in addition to several neighbouring provinces and educational institutions within the region began questioning the Indonesian government upon the initial case reported. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia during March 2020. The data were collected from Indonesian government databases and non-government organisations (NGOs). The data were analysed using Microsoft Office 2019 (Excel) and Adobe Illustrator 2017 software, was used in drawing the map depicting the distribution of COVID-19 in Indonesia. As at 31st March 2020, a total of 1,528 people in Indonesia have been infected by COVID-19, in addition to 136 mortalities (CFR of 8.9%). Jakarta, as the principal capital of Indonesia, quickly has become the epicentre of the virus since this period. Most patient cases were attributed to those aged between 31 and 70 years (72.64%), with male patients (64.93%) representing the highest incidence of cases compared to female patients (35.07%). The number of ventilating machines was 3,326, with hospital numbers at 859. The distribution of cases depicting COVID-19 was mainly seen in urban areas compared to rural areas. Males compared to females, are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, including those aged below 30, between 30 and 60 or above. Indonesia also has the highest case fatality rate (CFR) with respect to mortalities in Southeast Asia and has the second-highest CFR globally. Similarly, while the number of ventilator machines as at 31st March 2020 were sufficient in meeting the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, it is possible that the government may need to increase the number of ventilators if the cases continue to escalate.

The establishment of low carbon assessment initiatives is a crucial task especially at the city level. The determination of which source of carbon contributed more require robust data set and strategic approach. Hence, by using the campus as a small city approach, the establishment of carbon assessment and its’ reduction initiatives was required to keep track of the hotspot of the carbon source. The substantial amount of carbon source from campus operations such as energy consumption in the building, waste generation, and water consumption were identified. Moreover, as institutions of higher education, the execution of low carbon campus was initiated structurally involves the triangulation of research activities, teaching & learning and as well as campus operations or known as campus living lab approach. The application of low carbon cities framework, LCCF and assessment system enables to strategize the low carbon campus initiatives through the use of carbon footprint concept and the LCCF carbon track.

The establishment of low carbon assessment initiatives is a crucial task especially at the city level. The determination of which source of carbon contributed more require robust data set and strategic approach. Hence, by using the campus as a small city approach, the establishment of carbon assessment and its’ reduction initiatives was required to keep track of the hotspot of the carbon source. The substantial amount of carbon source from campus operations such as energy consumption in the building, waste generation, and water consumption were identified. Moreover, as institutions of higher education, the execution of low carbon campus was initiated structurally involves the triangulation of research activities, teaching & learning and as well as campus operations or known as campus living lab approach. The application of low carbon cities framework, LCCF and assessment system enables to strategize the low carbon campus initiatives through the use of carbon footprint concept and the LCCF carbon track.

Precast concrete sandwich panels (PCSP) are energy efficient building system that is achieved through an insulation layer created between the concrete wythes. The insulation layer is usually of low bearing strength material making it more applicable for non-structural building systems. Hence, shear connectors are introduced to improve its structural capacity, which subsequently degrades it thermal performance by serving as thermal bridges across the panel. This article review researches of alternative materials and methods used to improve the thermal efficiency as well as reduced the strength loss due to insulation in PCSP. The alternative materials are basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP), carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), and foam concrete which are selected due to their low thermal conductivity for use in shear connection. While thermal path method has been used to prevent the effect of thermal bridges. Although, some of these materials have successfully achieved the desirable behaviours, however, several undesirable properties such as brittleness, bond slip, the sudden crushing of the panel system, and FRP failure below its ultimate strength were observed. Hence, the practicality of the alternative materials is still questionable despite its higher cost compared to the conventional steel and concrete used in the PCSP system.

Regarding landscape preferences for highways, there is a dynamic interaction between users and the variety of natural and cultural landscape elements along the roadside, reflecting a balance between the highway and the natural environment. However, the rapid pace of urbanization has accelerated the development of highways, leading to the neglect or destruction of valuable landscapes. This highlights the need for visual preference assessments to protect aesthetic and environmental values. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive criteria for assessing the visual preference of highway landscapes. Therefore, this study aims to review existing literature and establish complete assessment criteria. This study conducted a systematic literature review by searching for keywords in three databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The review included 22 papers published between 2013 and 2023 that met the criteria. An additional four relevant papers were included through a “snowballing” approach to supplement the research and results. The results of the study focused on the relationships between highway landscapes and users, user preferences, preference methods, and related variables. These inter-established relationships were used to complete an assessment framework, which establishes a basic reference standard for professionals.

The rural road landscape is crucial in forming rural areas' landscape character (LC). As a platform for portraying the rural landscape, the rural roads demonstrate the area's unique natural and cultural characteristics to the visitors. However, with the continuous development of rural areas, the rural LC has been severely impacted, thus impacting visitors' visual experience. In order to preserve and protect the rural landscape, this study aims to assess the visual quality of rural road landscapes based on public preference and heatmap analysis. The results indicated that most of the participants had a higher level of preference for rural landscapes with open horizontal views represented by agricultural areas such as paddy fields. It was also found that different paddy field characters based on their planting stages can also positively affect the visual quality of rural road landscapes. The study also revealed that rural LCs with roadside settlements, commercial structures, mixed agricultural crops, and vegetation received low preference ratings. These characters negatively impact the visual quality of the rural road landscape. These findings provide significant insight for planners and decision-makers regarding protecting and preserving the essential rural road landscapes for the rural tourism experience.

A pandemic happens when a novel influenza A virus is able to infect and transmit efficiently to a new, distinct host species. Although the exact timing of pandemics is uncertain, it is known that both viral and host factors play a role in their emergence. Species-specific interactions between the virus and the host cell determine the virus tropism. These include binding and entering cells, replicating the viral RNA genome within the host cell nucleus, assembling, maturing, and releasing the virus to neighbouring cells, tissues, or organs before transmitting it between individuals. Influenza has a vast and antigenically varied reservoir. In wild aquatic birds, the infection is typically asymptomatic. Avian influenza virus (AIV) can cross into new species, and occasionally, it can acquire the ability to transmit from human to human. A pandemic might occur if a new influenza virus acquires enough adaptive mutations to maintain transmission between people. This review highlights the key determinants AIV must achieve to initiate a human pandemic and describes how AIV mutates to establish tropism and stable human adaptation. Understanding the tropism of AIV may be crucial in preventing virus transmission in humans and may help design vaccines, antivirals and therapeutic agents against the virus.

Lead (Pb) is a toxic environmental heavy metal that induces serious clinical defect on all organs with the nervous system being the primary target. Curcumin is the main active constituent of turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study is aimed at evaluating the therapeutic potentials of curcumin on Pb-induced neurotoxicity. Thirty six male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into five (5) groups with 12 rats in the control (normal saline) and 6 rats for the lead treated group (LTG) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks), recovery group (RC) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks), treatment group 1 (Cur100) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks, followed by 100 mg/kg curcumin for 4 weeks) and treatment group 2 (Cur200) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks, followed by 200 mg/kg curcumin for 4 weeks) groups each. All experimental groups received the oral treatments through orogastric-tube on alternate days. Motor function was assessed using horizontal bar method while Pb concentration in the cerebellum of the rats were evaluated using ICP-MS techniques. Pb-administered rats showed significant decrease in motor scores, SOD activity with increase MDA levels and Pb concentration in their cerebellum with marked alterations in the histological architecture of the cerebellar cortex layers. However, treatment with curcumin improved the motor score, reduced Pb concentration in the cerebellum and ameliorates the markers of oxidative stress as well as restored the histological architecture of the cerebellum. The results this in study suggested that curcumin attenuates Pb-induced neurotoxicity via inhibition of oxidative stress and chelating activity.

Lead (Pb) is a toxic environmental heavy metal that induces serious clinical defect on all organs with the nervous system being the primary target. Curcumin is the main active constituent of turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study is aimed at evaluating the therapeutic potentials of curcumin on Pb-induced neurotoxicity. Thirty six male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into five (5) groups with 12 rats in the control (normal saline) and 6 rats for the lead treated group (LTG) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks), recovery group (RC) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks), treatment group 1 (Cur100) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks, followed by 100 mg/kg curcumin for 4 weeks) and treatment group 2 (Cur200) (50 mg/kg lead acetate for 4 weeks, followed by 200 mg/kg curcumin for 4 weeks) groups each. All experimental groups received the oral treatments through orogastric-tube on alternate days. Motor function was assessed using horizontal bar method while Pb concentration in the cerebellum of the rats were evaluated using ICP-MS techniques. Pb-administered rats showed significant decrease in motor scores, SOD activity with increase MDA levels and Pb concentration in their cerebellum with marked alterations in the histological architecture of the cerebellar cortex layers. However, treatment with curcumin improved the motor score, reduced Pb concentration in the cerebellum and ameliorates the markers of oxidative stress as well as restored the histological architecture of the cerebellum. The results this in study suggested that curcumin attenuates Pb-induced neurotoxicity via inhibition of oxidative stress and chelating activity.

Dengue virus (DENV) is a member of the Flaviviridae family and is responsible for the most common mosquito-borne human disease. Currently, there are no available antiviral drugs to treat DENV infections. However, certain flavonoids, including baicalein and baicalin, have demon-strated significant anti-DENV effects in vitro. This study aimed to assess the bioavailability of baicalein and its metabolite, baicalin, in the blood serum of Albino Wistar rats using the LC/MS/MS method. The in vitro activity of sera obtained from rats administered baicalein was evaluated for its anti-DENV properties using quantitative RT-PCR and the Foci Forming Reduction Assay (FFRA). The results obtained through LC/MS/MS analysis indicated that the bioavailability of baicalin in rat blood serum reached 44.20 µg/ml one hour after oral administration of baicalein. Furthermore, the sera collected from rats given baicalein exhibited a significant 78.26% inhibition of DENV-2 replication when tested against Dengue-2 using both quantitative RT-PCR and FFRA. These findings suggest that baicalein and baicalin hold promise as potential therapeutic candidates for further investigation in the development of treatments against DENV infections.

Seaports are well known as the medium that has evolved into the central link between sea and land for complex marine activities. The growth in maritime logistics especially necessitates a large volume of energy supply to maintain the operation of sea trade, resulting in an imbalance between the generation and demand sides. Future projections for three major concerns show an increase in load demand, cost of operation, and environmental issues. In order to overcome these problems, integrating microgrids as an innovative technology in the seaport power system appears to be a vital strategy. It is believed that microgrids enhance the seaport operation by providing sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective energy. Despite the fact that microgrids are well established and widely used in a variety of operations on land, their incorporation into the seaport is still limited. The involvement of a variety of heavy loads such as all-electric ships, cranes, cold ironing, and buildings infrastructure makes it a complicated arrangement task in several aspects, which necessitate further research and leave space for improvement. In this paper, an overview of the seaport microgrids in terms of their concepts, requirements, and operation management is presented. It provides the perspectives of integrating the microgrid concept into a seaport from both shore side and seaside as a smart initiative for the green ports vision. Future research directions are discussed towards the development of more efficient marine power system.

Microgrid is one of the promising green transition technologies that will provide enormous benefit to the seaport, as a solution to the major concerns in this sector, namely energy crisis, economical and environmental pollution. However, finest design of the microgrid is a challenging task considering different objectives, constraints and uncertainties involved. To ensure the optimal operation of the system, determining the right configuration framework and size for each component in the seaport microgrid at the minimum cost is a vital decision at the design stage. This paper aims to design a hybrid system of seaport microgrid with optimally sized component .The selected case study is the Port of Aalborg, Denmark. The proposed grid-connected structure consists of renewable energy sources (photovoltaic system and wind turbines), an energy storage system and cold ironing as seaport’ loads. The architecture is then optimized by utilizing HOMER to meet the maximum load demand by considering a few parameters such as solar global horizontal irradiance, temperature and wind resources. Then, the best configuration framework is analyzed in terms of economic feasibility, energy reliability and environmental impact.

Curcumin has restrained clinical applications due to poor bioavailability. This study aimed to synthesize cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate (aragonite) nanoparticles (CSCaCO3NP) for delivery of curcumin and to evaluate its kinetic release in vitro. CSCaCO3NP was synthesized and conjugated with curcumin (Cur-CSCaCO3NP) using a simple top down approach and characterized for its physicochemical properties as a potential curcumin carrier. In vitro release profile was assessed using dialysis bag membrane method. The release data were fitted to Korsmeyer-Peppas, Zero order and Higuchi models to evaluate the mechanism of release pattern. A spherical shaped CSCaCO3NP with a surface area of 14.48±0.1 m2/g, average mean diameter size of 21.38±2.7 nm and a zeta potential of -18.7 mV was synthesized which has a high loading content and encapsulation efficiency. The FT-IR and XRD revealed less observable changes on the peaks after conjugation. In vitro kinetic release profile demonstrated sustained release and best fitted to the Higuchi equation model. The results of this study showed the capacity of the synthesized CSCaCO3NP to encapsulate curcumin efficiently with a stable release in vitro. This could give an insight and supportive ideas on the potentials of CSCaCO3NP for curcumin delivery. Therefore, CSCaCO3NP holds future prospects in preclinical framework to enhance curcumin efficacy for oral therapeutic applications.

Corporate identity has played a vital role in the Halal industry to create a strong foundation for its reputation in the long run. This paper used two modeling analyses for two different data. The first analysis aims to predict the relationship between Corporate Identity Management between Internal Brand and Employee Brand Support (consequence) mediated by CIM using partial-least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). A total of 206 employees from Malaysia’s Halal food SMEs took part in the survey. The second analysis to identify topic proportions patterns using the topic modeling approach on Halal brand identity Machine learning approach of knowledge mining was applied for this analysis. Metadata of 1,091 articles were mined from the Scopus database on Halal studies across all social sciences fields. The result revealed that there was a partial relationship between Internal Brand (antecedent) and Employee Brand Support (consequence) mediated by CIM. This finding was supported by the identified topic proportions patterns from the topic modeling approach that pointed out a weak topic proportion on the Halal brand identity discussion globally, interestingly the result also found that the Halal brand identity discussion involving the Halal food industry is almost non-existed in Malaysia’s Halal food SMEs. The contributions of this paper were apparent in three major areas which are methodology, theoretical and future suggestions. The utilization of two different model analyses was able to confirm the consistency of the major findings with the literature review which opens up more possibilities for future researchers.

Dengue has long been a serious health burden to the global community, especially for those living in the tropics. In spite of the availability of vaccines, effective treatment for the infection is still needed and currently remained absent. In the present study, antiviral properties of the KSF 103 ME which consisted of a number of potential antiviral compounds were investigated against DENV-2. The effects of this extract against DENV-2 replication were determined using the qRT-PCR. Findings from the study suggested that the KSF 103 ME showed maximum inhibitory properties toward the virus during the virus entry stage at concentrations of more than 12.5 µg/mL. Minimal antiviral activities were observed at other virus replication stages; adsorption (42% reduction at 50 µg/mL), post-adsorption (67.6% reduction at 50 µg/mL), prophylactic treatment (68.4% and 87.7% reductions at 50 µg/mL and 25 µg/mL, respectively) and direct virucidal assay (48% and 56.8% reductions at 50 µg/mL and 25 µg/mL, respectively. The KSF 103 ME inhibited dengue virus repication with an IC50 value of 20.3 µg/mL and SI value of 38.9. The KSF 103 ME showed potent antiviral properties against DENV during the entry stage. Further studies will be needed to deduce the antiviral mechanisms of the KSF 103 ME against DENV.

As an uncommon cause of spinal cord infarction, anterior spinal cord syndrome can manifest with motor paralysis, loss of pain, and temperature sensation distal to the site of the lesion. The main pathogenesis of this syndrome is the disruption of blood flow in the anterior spinal artery. Mortality and morbidity differ with the etiology of the syndrome. So knowing the etiology of blood flow disruption is essential for patient management. This review article highlights the important clinical manifestation of Anterior spinal artery syndrome. Also describes etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis, possible management, and complications.

The development of analog rice, apart from being an effort to diversify food, also has the potential to be develop as functional food in fulfilling the nutrients needed by a community. Katuk leaf is known for its ability to accelerate breast milk production for lactating women which is inseparable from sterol as bioactive content. This study aimed to determine the best formulation of analog rice made from cassava flour, banana flour, Katuk leaf powder and soy lecithin that was sensory acceptable, in a shape resembling rice, and able to fulfill the nutritional needs of lactating women. Analog rice was produced using extruder machine before the physical and sensory properties analyses were carried out, followed by the chemical properties analysis. Formulation C (80% cassava flour, 20% banana flour, 3% Katuk leaf powder and 0.5% soy lecithin) was obtained as the best or most preferred formulation based on sensory analysis which the grain shaped oval round resembling original rice and had green-brownish color, fluffy texture, distinct aroma and taste derived from the raw material used. Therefore, this research is expected to support the development of analog rice for providing the main staple food for fulfilling the lactating women’s nutrition.

The software industry has adopted component-based software development (CBSD) to rapidly build and deploy large and complex software systems with significant savings at minimal engineering effort, cost, and time. However, CBSD encounters issues on security trust, mainly with respect to dependability attributes. A system is considered dependable when it can produce the outputs for which it was designed with no adverse effect on its intended environment. Dependability consists of several attributes that imply availability, confidentiality, integrity, reliability, safety, and maintainability. Dependability attributes must be embedded in a CBSD model to develop dependable component software. Motivated by the importance of these attributes, this paper pursues two objectives: to design a model for developing a dependable system that mitigates the vulnerabilities of software components, and to evaluate the proposed model. The model proposed in this study is labelled as developing dependable component-based software (2DCBS). To develop this model, the CBSD architectural phases and processes must be framed and the six dependability attributes embedded according to the best practice method. The expert opinion approach was applied to evaluate 2DCBS framing. In addition, the 2DCBS model was applied to the development of an information communication technology (ICT) portal through an empirical study method. Vulnerability assessment tools (VATs) were employed to verify the dependability attributes of the developed ICT portal. Results show that the 2DCBS model can be adopted to develop web application systems and to mitigate the vulnerabilities of the developed systems. This study contributes to CBSD and facilitates the specification and evaluation of dependability attributes throughout model development. Furthermore, the reliability of the dependable model can increase confidence in the use of CBSD for industries.

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the leading cause of skin cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Effective strategies are needed to control NMSC occurrence and progression. Non-toxic, plant-derived extracts have been shown to exert multiple anti-cancer effects. Graviola (Annona muricata), a tropical fruit-bearing plant, has been used in traditional medicine against multiple human diseases including cancer. The current study investigated the effects of graviola leaf and stem extract (GLSE) and its solvent-extracted fractions on two human NMSC cell lines, UW-BCC1 and A431. GLSE was found to: i) dose-dependently suppress UW-BCC1 and A431 cell growth, motility, wound closure, and clonogenicity; ii) induce G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest by downregulating cyclin/cdk factors while upregulating cdk inhibitors, and (iv) induce apoptosis as evidenced by cleavage of caspases-3, -8 and PARP. Further, GLSE suppressed levels of activated hedgehog (Hh) pathway components Smo, Gli 1/2, and Shh while inducing SuFu. GLSE also decreased the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax while decreasing the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. We determined that these activities were concentrated in an acetogenin/alkaloid-rich dichloromethane subfraction of GLSE. Our data identify graviola extracts and their constituents as promising sources for new chemopreventive and therapeutic agent(s) to be further developed for the control of NMSCs