Healthy tourism initiative in the age of COVID-19 in Indonesia

正The severity of COVID-19 epidemic is more salient for regions that are heavily reliant on tourism industry. The pandemic along with travel restrictions, border closures and social distancing requirements pose serious threats for the sustainability of tourism sectors in many regions of Indonesia, putting livelihoods for the whole societies at risk.     

A Distinctive Pattern of Beauveria bassiana‐biotransformed Ginsenoside Products Triggers Mitochondria/FasL‐mediated Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells

Ginseng is one of the most commonly used adaptogens. Transformation into the minor ginsenosides produces compounds with more effective action. Beauveria bassiana, a teleomorph of Cordyceps bassiana, is a highly efficient producer of mammalian steroids and produces large amounts of sugar‐utilizing enzymes. However, the fermentation of steroid glycosides in ginseng with B. bassiana has never been studied. Thus, we evaluated the bioconversion of the major ginsenosides in white ginseng by B. bassiana. Interestingly, B. bassiana increased the total amount of protopanaxadiols and hydrolyzed Rb1 into minor ginsenosides, exhibiting high levels of Rd and Rg3, as well as moderate levels of Rb2 and Rc analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light‐scattering detection. The β‐glucosidase activity was highly increased, which led to the selective elimination of sugar moiety at the 20‐C position of Rb1 to Rd, followed by Rg3. Rb2 and Rc accumulated because of the minimal activities of α‐L‐arabinopyranosidase and α‐L‐arabinofuranosidase, respectively. The fermentation product exerted dose‐dependent cytotoxicity in HCT‐15 cells, which are resistant to ginseng. The product, but not white ginseng, exhibited apoptotic effects via the Fas ligand and caspase 8/9. This study demonstrates for the first time that the B. bassiana‐fermented metabolites have potent apoptotic activity in colon cancer cells, linking to a therapeutic use. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

dPQL: a lossless distributed algorithm for generalized linear mixed model with application to privacy-preserving hospital profiling

ObjectiveTo develop a lossless distributed algorithm for generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with application to privacy-preserving hospital profiling.Materials and MethodsThe GLMM is often fitted to implement hospital profiling, using clinical or administrative claims data. Due to individual patient data (IPD) privacy regulations and the computational complexity of GLMM, a distributed algorithm for hospital profiling is needed. We develop a novel distributed penalized quasi-likelihood (dPQL) algorithm to fit GLMM when only aggregated data, rather than IPD, can be shared across hospitals. We also show that the standardized mortality rates, which are often reported as the results of hospital profiling, can also be calculated distributively without sharing IPD. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed dPQL algorithm by ranking 929 hospitals for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality or referral to hospice that have been previously studied.ResultsThe proposed dPQL algorithm is mathematically proven to be lossless, that is, it obtains identical results as if IPD were pooled from all hospitals. In the example of hospital profiling regarding COVID-19 mortality, the dPQL algorithm reached convergence with only 5 iterations, and the estimation of fixed effects, random effects, and mortality rates were identical to that of the PQL from pooled data.ConclusionThe dPQL algorithm is lossless, privacy-preserving and fast-converging for fitting GLMM. It provides an extremely suitable and convenient distributed approach for hospital profiling.     

Recent Advances in Adsorptive Nanocomposite Membranes for Heavy Metals Ion Removal from Contaminated Water: A Comprehensive Review

Water contamination is one of the most urgent concerns confronting the world today. Heavy metal poisoning of aquatic systems has piqued the interest of various researchers due to the high toxicity and carcinogenic consequences it has on living organisms. Due to their exceptional attributes such as strong reactivity, huge surface area, and outstanding mechanical properties, nanomaterials are being produced and employed in water treatment. In this review, recent advances in the use of nanomaterials in nanoadsorptive membrane systems for wastewater treatment and heavy metal removal are extensively discussed. These materials include carbon-based nanostructures, metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and layered double hydroxide-based compounds. Furthermore, the relevant properties of the nanostructures and the implications on their performance for water treatment and contamination removal are highlighted. The hydrophilicity, pore size, skin thickness, porosity, and surface roughness of these nanostructures can help the water permeability of the nanoadsorptive membrane. Other properties such as surface charge modification and mechanical strength can improve the metal adsorption effectiveness of nanoadsorptive membranes during wastewater treatment. Various nanocomposite membrane fabrication techniques are also reviewed. This study is important because it gives important information on the roles of nanomaterials and nanostructures in heavy metal removal and wastewater treatment.     

Effects of DDT on Amyloid Precursor Protein Levels and Amyloid Beta Pathology: Mechanistic Links to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

Background: The interaction of aging-related, genetic, and environmental factors is thought to contribute to the etiology of late-onset, sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We previously reported that serum levels of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a long-lasting metabolite of the organochlorine pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), were significantly elevated in patients with AD and associated with the risk of AD diagnosis. However, the mechanism by which DDT may contribute to AD pathogenesis is unknown.Objectives: This study sought to assess effects of DDT exposure on the amyloid pathway in multiple in vitro and in vivo models.Methods: Cultured cells (SH-SY5Y and primary neurons), transgenic flies overexpressing amyloid beta (Aβ), and C57BL/6J and 3xTG-AD mice were treated with DDT to assess impacts on the amyloid pathway. Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, multiplex assay, western immunoblotting and immunohistochemical methods were used to assess the effects of DDT on amyloid precursor protein (APP) and other contributors to amyloid processing and deposition.Results: Exposure to DDT revealed significantly higher APP mRNA and protein levels in immortalized and primary neurons, as well as in wild-type and AD-models. This was accompanied by higher levels of secreted Aβ in SH-SY5Y cells, an effect abolished by the sodium channel antagonist tetrodotoxin. Transgenic flies and 3xTG-AD mice had more Aβ pathology following DDT exposure. Furthermore, loss of the synaptic markers synaptophysin and PSD95 were observed in the cortex of the brains of 3xTG-AD mice.Discussion: Sporadic Alzheimer’s disease risk involves contributions from genetic and environmental factors. Here, we used multiple model systems, including primary neurons, transgenic flies, and mice to demonstrate the effects of DDT on APP and its pathological product Aβ. These data, combined with our previous epidemiological findings, provide a mechanistic framework by which DDT exposure may contribute to increased risk of AD by impacting the amyloid pathway. https://doi.org/10.1289/{"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"EHP10576","term_id":"372009961","term_text":"EHP10576"}}EHP10576     

Dietary red chilli (Capsicum frutescens L.) is insulinotropic rather than hypoglycemic in type 2 diabetes model of rats

The present study was conducted to clarify whether a low or a high, but tolerable, dietary dose of red chilli (RC) can ameliorate the diabetes related complications in a high-fat (HF) diet-fed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetes model of rats. Five-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a HF diet for 2 weeks then randomly divided into four groups namely: normal control (NC), diabetic control (DBC), red chilli low (RCL, 0.5%) and red chilli high (RCH, 2.0%) groups. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of STZ (40 mg/kg BW) in all groups except the NC group. After 4 weeks feeding of experimental diets, the fasting blood glucose concentrations in both RC fed groups were not significantly different. The serum insulin concentration was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the RCH group compared with the DBC and RCL groups. Blood HbA1c, liver weight, liver glycogen and serum lipids were not influenced by the feeding of RC-containing diets. The data of this study suggest that 2% dietary RC is insulinotropic rather than hypoglycemic at least in this experimental condition.     

Enhanced healing efficacy of an optimized gabapentin-melittin nanoconjugate gel-loaded formulation in excised wounds of diabetic rats

The present study aimed to design and optimize, a nanoconjugate of gabapentin (GPN)-melittin (MLT) and to evaluate its healing activity in rat diabetic wounds. To explore the wound healing potency of GPN-MLT nanoconjugate, an in vivo study was carried out. Diabetic rats were subjected to excision wounds and received daily topical treatment with conventional formulations of GPN, MLT, GPN-MLT nanoconjugate and a marketed formula. The outcome of the in vivo study showed an expedited wound contraction in GPN-MLT-treated animals. This was confirmed histologically. The nanoconjugate formula exhibited antioxidant activities as evidenced by preventing malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymatic exhaustion. Further, the nanoconjugate showed superior anti-inflammatory activity as it inhibited the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). This is in addition to enhancement of proliferation as indicated by increased expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF- β), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRB). Also, nanoconjugate enhanced hydroxyproline concentration and mRNA expression of collagen type 1 alpha 1 (Col 1A1). In conclusion, a GPN-MLT nanoconjugate was optimized with respect to particle size. Analysis of pharmacokinetic attributes showed the mean particle size of optimized nanoconjugate as 156.9 nm. The nanoconjugate exhibited potent wound healing activities in diabetic rats. This, at least partly, involve enhanced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, proliferative and pro-collagen activities. This may help to develop novel formulae that could accelerate wound healing in diabetes.     

Design optimization and efficiency enhancement of axial junction nanowire solar cells utilizing a forward scattering mechanism

We report the design, optimization, and performance analysis of three axial junction nanowire solar cells (NW SCs) based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), and copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) with significant improvement in their optical and electrical characteristics compared to their planar counterparts. It is shown that the performance of these NW SCs can be further improved by incorporating a hemispherical indium doped tin oxide (ITO) forward scatterer on top of the ITO front contact of the solar cells. We also compare forward scatterer incorporated NW SCs with forward scatterer incorporated planar solar cells (PSCs) and observe that forward scatterers significantly enhance the absorption in both cases. We further study the optimum size and arrangement of ITO hemispheres that result in improved photocurrent. In optimum cases, the incorporation of forward scatterers leads to absorption enhancement of 7.8%, 5.36%, and 8.8% in PSCs, and 21.4%, 7.36%, and 6.02% in NW SCs, respectively, for CdTe, CIGS, and CZTS absorbers in the same order. From the absorption profile at various wavelengths, it is found that forward scatterers enhance absorption in the 450–600 nm wavelength range, while nanowires improve absorption in the 600–800 nm range, and their combination results in an improved absorption profile for the entire visible wavelength range. We also observe increased electron–hole-pair (EHP) generation rate due to increased field-scattering and light concentration at the center of the nanowire below forward scattering hemispheres, leading to 46%, 32%, and 82.5% improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) for the three absorber layers, respectively. The effects of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ passivation layers surrounding the nanowires of the optimized cells are observed, and we conclude that the CIGS absorber benefits the most when the SiO₂ passivation layer is used, increasing its PCE from 29.72% to 32.43%, while the PCEs of CdTe and CZTS are unaffected by the passivation layer due to competing effects of reduced absorption and reduced surface recombination.

We report the design and performance analysis of forward scatterer incorporated axial junction nanowire solar cells based on CdTe, CIGS, and CZTS with significant improvement in their optoelectronic properties compared to their planar counterparts.     

Performance of Microchannel Heat Sink Made of Silicon Material with the Two-Sided Wedge

New designs of the microchannel with a two-sided wedge shape at the base were studied numerically. Five different wedge angles ranging from 3° to 15° were incorporated into the microchannel design. Simulation of this novel microchannel was carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Three-dimensional models of the microchannel heat sink were created, discretized, and based on Navier–Stokes and energy equations; laminar numerical solutions were obtained for heat transfer and pressure drop. Flow characteristics of water as coolant in a microchannel were studied. It was observed that numerical results are in good agreement with experimental results. It was found that the Nusselt number and friction factor are significantly varied with the increase in Reynolds number. The Nusselt number varies in the following ranges of 5.963–8.521, 5.986–8.550, 6.009–8.568, 6.040–8.609, and 6.078–8.644 at 3°, 6°, 9°, 12°, and 15°, respectively. The microchannel with a wedge angle of 15° was found to be better in terms of Nusselt number and thermo-hydraulic performance. The enhancement in the Nusselt number is found as 1.017–1.036 for a wedge angle of 15°; however, friction factors do not show the perceptible values at distinct values of wedge angle. Moreover, the thermo-hydraulic performance parameters (THPP) were evaluated and found to be maximum in the range of 1.027–1.045 for a wedge angle of 15°. However, minimum THPP was found in the range of 1.005–1.0185 for a wedge angle of 3°.     

Investigation of Bamboo Fibrous Tensile Strength Using Modified Weibull Distribution

Ethiopia has a large coverage of bamboo plants that are used for furniture making and house building. So far, researchers have not studied the strength of Ethiopian bamboo fibers, which are utilized for composite applications. The current study measured the strength of bamboo fibers based on various testing lengths and calculated the predictive tensile strength using a modified Weibull distribution. Moreover, the quality of the extraction machine is evaluated based on shape and sensitivity parameters. This research paper incorporates the coefficient of variation of the fiber diameters, considering the defects distribution through the length for measuring the predictive strength of the fibers. The fiber diameters were calculated using the area weight methods, which had its density measured using a Pycnometer. It has been examined that as the testing gauge length and coefficient variation of fiber diameter simultaneously increased, the tensile strength of the bamboo fibers decreased. The shape parameter, sensitivity parameter, and characteristic strength of Injibara bamboo (Y. alpina) are 6.02–7.83, 0.63, and 459–642 MPa, whereas Kombolcha bamboo (B. oldhamii) are 5.87–10.21, 0.33, and 408–638 MPa, as well as Mekaneselam bamboo (Y. alpina) are 5.86–9.63, 0.33 and 488–597 MPa, respectively.