Metabolomic Profiling of Plasma from Melioidosis Patients Using UHPLC-QTOF MS Reveals Novel Biomarkers for Diagnosis

To identify potential biomarkers for improving diagnosis of melioidosis, we compared plasma metabolome profiles of melioidosis patients compared to patients with other bacteremia and controls without active infection, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the metabolomic profiles of melioidosis patients are distinguishable from bacteremia patients and controls. Using multivariate and univariate analysis, 12 significant metabolites from four lipid classes, acylcarnitine (n = 6), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) (n = 3), sphingomyelins (SM) (n = 2) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (n = 1), with significantly higher levels in melioidosis patients than bacteremia patients and controls, were identified. Ten of the 12 metabolites showed area-under-receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) >0.80 when compared both between melioidosis and bacteremia patients, and between melioidosis patients and controls. SM(d18:2/16:0) possessed the largest AUC when compared, both between melioidosis and bacteremia patients (AUC 0.998, sensitivity 100% and specificity 91.7%), and between melioidosis patients and controls (AUC 1.000, sensitivity 96.7% and specificity 100%). Our results indicate that metabolome profiling might serve as a promising approach for diagnosis of melioidosis using patient plasma, with SM(d18:2/16:0) representing a potential biomarker. Since the 12 metabolites were related to various pathways for energy and lipid metabolism, further studies may reveal their possible role in the pathogenesis and host response in melioidosis.     

Production of Gentiobiose from Hydrothermally Treated Aureobasidium pullulans β-1,3-1,6-Glucan

We report production of the functional disaccharide gentiobiose β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-D-Glc by a hydrolysis reaction of hydrothermally treated Aureobasidium pullulans β-1,3-1,6-glucan as the substrate and Kitalase as the enzyme. Gentiobiose was produced over the pH range 4−6 and the concentration of gentiobiose produced decreased above pH 7. The maximum value of gentiobiose production was unaffected by the enzyme concentration. The maximum concentration of gentiobiose produced was dependent on the substrate concentration whereas the maximum ratio of gentiobiose to glucose was not. The production of gentiobiose from yeast β-1,3-1,6-glucan was lower than that from A. pullulans β-1,3-1,6-glucan.     

Approaches to resource reservation for migrating real-time sessions in future mobile wireless networks

This paper presents two novel frameworks for session admission control and resource reservation in the context of next generation mobile and cellular networks. We also devised a special scheme that avoids per-user reservation signaling overhead in order to meet scalability requirements needed for next generation multi-access networks. The first proposal, Distributed Call Admission Control with Aggregate Resource Reservation (VR), uses mobility prediction based on mobile positioning system location information and takes into account the expected bandwidth to be used by calls handing off to and from neighboring cells within a configurable estimation time window. In conjunction, a novel concept called virtual reservation has been devised to prevent per-user reservation. Our second proposal, Local Call Admission Control and Time Series-based Resource Reservation, takes into account the expected bandwidth to be used by calls handed off from neighboring cells based only on local information stored into the current cell a user is seeking admission to. To this end, we suggest the use of two time series-based models for predicting handoff load: the Trigg and Leach (TL), which is an adaptive exponential smoothing technique, and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) that uses the Box and Jenkins methodology. It is worth to emphasize that the use of bandwidth prediction based on ARIMA technique still exist for wireless networks. The novelty of our approach is to build an adaptive framework based on ARIMA technique that takes into account the measured handoff dropping probability in order to tuning the prediction time window size so increasing the prediction accuracy. The proposed schemes are compared through simulations with the fixed guard channel (GC) and other optimized dynamic reservation-based proposals present in the literature. The results show that our schemes outperform many others and that the simpler local proposal based on TL can grant nearly similar levels of handoff dropping probability as compared to those from more the complex distributed approach.     

Predictive Simulation of Deformation and Failure of Peat-Calcareous Soil Layered Ground Due to Multistage Test Embankment Loading

The continuous behaviour of a ground-embankment system from the stage of deformation up to failure was predicted with respect to an actual test embankment that had been constructed in stages on a soft ground made up of peat and calcareous soil. The behaviour prediction was carried out by employing soil-water coupled finite deformation analysis, which also included simulation of the embankment construction process. The information used in the analysis was limited to such things as the results of soil tests on soil materials (peat and calcareous soil) sampled from the ground, including their sensitivity ratios, and the embankment's construction history. The SYS Cam-clay model was used in the constitutive equations of the soils to determine the material constants of the soils and the initial conditions of the ground, and the computations were performed under plane strain conditions. As a result, the computed profiles of W-type ground settlement and of slip surfaces running through the embankment were found to be in good overall agreement with the actual profiles measured at the site. Furthermore, we found that this slippage is attributable to the undrained shear response of the soil elements in the calcareous soil layer, where slippage begins to occur during embankment loading. In other words, the slippage is caused by the rapid softening behaviour caused by the degradation of structure after the effective stress ratio reaches the vicinity of the critical state line.     

Temburong Bridge,Brunei – Design of two cable stayed bridges

The Temburong Bridge Project is a 30 km long dual two‐lane highway crossing over the Brunei Bay. It will connect the relatively isolated Brunei district of Temburong to the other three Brunei districts. The main objective of the project is to stimulate economic growth in the Temburong region by connecting it to the country's airport and ports. The alignment crosses two navigation channels resulting in the need for two cable stayed bridges – the Brunei Channel Bridge (145 m main span) and the Eastern Channel Bridge (260 m main span). The design of these cable stayed bridges is one of the first applications of the Eurocode to a fully concrete cable stayed bridge. Both cable stayed bridges draw on strong Islamic architectural influences from the region to form a tower shape that is unique and instantly recognisable. Temburong Brücke, Brunei – Entwurf von zwei Schrägkabelbrücken Die Temburong Brücke ist eine 30 km lange Verbindung über die Brunei Bucht mit zwei Richtungsfahrbahnen mit je zwei Fahrstreifen. Sie wird den relativ isolierten Distrikt Temburong mit den anderen drei Distrikten Bruneis verbinden. Hauptanliegen des Projekts ist die Stimulierung von ökonomischem Wachstum in der Temburong Region, indem sie an den Flughafen und Seehafen des Landes angebunden wird. Die Trassierung erfordert die Überquerung zweier Schiffahrtsrouten. Dies wird mit der Anordnung zweier Schrägkabelbrücken ermöglicht, der Brunei Channel Brücke (145 m Hauptspannweite) und der Eastern Channel Brücke (260 m Hauptspannweite). Die Bemessung der beiden Brücken stellt eine der ersten Anwendungen des Eurocode auf Schrägkabelbrücken mit Betonüberbau dar. Optisch sind die beiden Brücken geprägt von der islamischen Architektur der Umgebung, die Pylonform ist ein besonderes Erkennungsmerkmal der Brücken.     

Effect of Alumina on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Spark Plasma Sintered Boron Carbide

Uniform densification of relatively thick (~7 mm) consolidated boron carbide plates at relatively low temperatures (e.g. 1800°C) and low facture toughness are two of the primary challenges for further development of boron carbide applications. This work reports that these two challenges can be overcome simultaneously by adding 5 wt% alumina as a sintering aid. Nearly fully dense (97%), fine grained boron carbide (B₄C) samples were produced using spark plasma sintering at 1700°C and above in the B₄C‐5 wt% Al₂O₃ system. The alumina and boron carbide matrix reacted to form an Al₅O₆BO₃ (a mullite‐like phase) during sintering. The Al₅O₆BO₃ phase facilitated uniform densification via liquid phase sintering. This secondary phase is dispersed throughout the intergranular pores, providing obstacles for crack propagation and resulting in tougher boron carbide ceramics.     

Effect of isothermal aging on the imidization of PMR-15

The imidization of polymerizable reactive mixtures, PMR-15 has been performed in a vacuum oven at isothermal aging temperatures ranging from 65 to 200°C for aging periods of 0.5 to 2.5 h. The weight loss of the resin and chemical changes that occurred as a result of aging were monitored gravimetrically and by FT-IR spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the temperature at which imidization took place. Imidization was observed to commence at 65°C after long aging times, t ≥ 2.5 h and at ∼95°C at a shorter time, t ∼0.5 h. At higher aging temperatures of 135 to 165°C, extensive imidization occurred. This was shown by the dramatic increase in imide absorption bands at 1780 and 1380 cm⁻¹. Beyond 165°C, there were no significant changes in the imide absorption bands, suggesting that imidization was nearly complete. The activation energy for isothermal aging was determined from the slope of the log of the rate of weight loss vs 1/T curve to be ∼4.5 kJ/mol and is lower than the average activation energy for imidization ∼43 kJ/mol obtained from the plot of the log of the rate of increase of the imide carbonyl peak absorption at 1780 cm⁻¹ vs 1/T.     

Mumefural and related HMF derivatives from Japanese apricot fruit juice concentrate show multiple inhibitory effects on pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus

Fruit-juice concentrate of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) has been shown to be effective against influenza A infection in MDCK cells. In this study, we isolated five components from the fruit-juice concentrate of Japanese apricot, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-formylfuran (HMF), 1-[5-(2-formylfuryl)methyl]dihydrogen 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate (mumefural, MF), 2-[5-(2-formylfuryl)methyl]dihydrogen 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate (MF‘), 1-[5-(2-formylfuryl)methyl]hydrogen 1-hydroxyethane-1,2-dicarboxylate (MA1) and 2-[5-(2-formylfuryl)methyl]hydrogen 1-hydroxyethane-1,2-dicarboxylate (MA2), and investigated their inhibitory activities against the novel influenza A/Narita/1/2009 (H1N1) pandemic virus hemagglutinin and neuraminidase functions, which are essential for viral attachment and budding, respectively. An hemagglutination inhibition assay indicated that MF and MF‘ were effective at minimum hemagglutination concentrations of 3.1 and 6.3 mM, respectively. An inhibition study for sialidase activity of the neuraminidase spike showed that MF was the most active anti-sialidase compound with an IC₅₀ value of 0.21 ± 0.01 mM, followed by MA2 (IC₅₀, 0.71 ± 0.09 mM), MA1 (IC₅₀, 1.64 ± 0.31 mM) and MF‘(IC₅₀, 1.62 ± 0.22 mM). Furthermore, MF was shown to inhibit the growth of the pandemic virus in a dose-dependent manner (62 ± 3% inhibition at 5 mM). The results suggest that MF, a citric acid ester linked to HMF at the 1-position of the propane backbone, might be a lead compound for the development of anti-influenza A inhibitors.