8 research outputs found
Research Performance of the ASEAN University Network Member Universities
No full textThe purpose of this research paper is to describe the research outputs of the member universities of the ASEAN University Network (AUN). The paper is an inductive type of research that used a variety of information from Scopus to determine what AUN member universities are actively writing about. The author captured data from 1997 to 2017 from scopus.com to analyze what the AUN member universities and their respective countries have been studying. Results show that almost 50% of the total research outputs of all the ASEAN nations are contributed by the AUN member Universities, with Singapore’s NUS and NUT contributing 76% of Singapore’s total research outputs, while the Philippines’ DLSU, ADMU, and UP contributes 50%. Wealthy nations such as Singapore and Malaysia have been focusing their researches on engineering and computer sciences while countries like the Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia have been researching about agriculture and biological sciences. Another study can be conducted to show research activities of the different universities all over Asia, including those that are not part of the ASEAN University Network
Bio-inspired supramolecular materials by orthogonal self-assembly of hydrogelators and phospholipids
No full textThe orthogonal self-assembly of multiple components is a powerful strategy towards the formation of complex biomimetic architectures, but so far the rules for designing such systems are unclear. Here we show how to identify orthogonal self-assembly at the supramolecular level and describe guidelines to achieve self-sorting in self-assembled mixed systems. By investigating multicomponent self-assembled systems consisting of low molecular weight gelators and phospholipids, both at a molecular and a supramolecular level, we found that orthogonal self-assembly can only take place if the entities assemble via a strong and distinct set of interactions. The resulting supramolecular architectures consist of fibrillar networks that coexist with liposomes and thereby provide additional levels of compartmentalization and enhanced stability as compared to self-assembled systems of gelators or phospholipids alone
Development of business process reengineering methodology for a commercial airline.
No full textOver the past few years, much attention has been given to the concept of Business
Process Reengineering (BPR) and its implementation by various companies as a key
strategy to regain or improve their competitive edge in the marketplace. BPR is a new
business concept for organizational review that involves a fundamental rethinking and
systematic redesign of core business processes supported by advance information
technology to achieve sustainable step improvements in measures of performance .
The aim of this research was to develop a BPR methodology for a commercial airline
that could be used for the various levels and types of operation within the airline
business today. The increasing complexity and variety of operations and processes
within the airline industry and at the same time the increased interest in BPR as a way
to change and improvement to meet current and future challenges are all facts that
emphasis the need to tailor a generic BPR methodology to suit the particular
requirements of a commercial airline.
To achieve the research aim, an extensive review of literature was undertaken to
understand the basics and roots of the BPR concept and to establish the need for a
BPR methodology for airline companies. The research method also involved a review
of current BPR practice and comparison of some famous BPR methodologies. This
review and comparison had contributed to develop the basis for the proposed BPR
methodology. A comprehensive review and comparative analysis of both American
Airlines and Saudi Airlines BPR methodologies was undertaken to stress on their
strengths and to overcome their shortcomings which used later to form the basis for
the proposed BPR methodology for a commercial airline. In addition to the findings of
each stage of this research, another factor was contributed to the development of the
proposed methodology is the extensive experience gained by the author in managing
and implementing the BPR projects in Saudi Airlines.
The proposed BPR methodology represents a business process management model
that ensures for the airline the achievement of process awareness, process ownership
and process alignment with the airline vision and strategies. It helps to focus the airline
effort on core business processes that add value to the end customer of the airline and
maintain the required incremental improvement during the continuous improvement
phase which is well defined and linked to the entire BPR effort .
In addition, the proposed methodology was developed within the airline industry. This
involves the application of the roots of this methodology in both American Airlines and
Saudia in major BPR projects. Therefore, the proposed BPR methodology has the
characteristic of being evolved and tested within airline industry which increase the
probability of successful implementation of this methodology for any commercial
airline. Indeed, this research has contributed a lot to the development and success of
the BPR program within Saudi Arabian Airlines and produced many tangible benefits.
Recommendations for further work with respect to some key tools and techniques that
needed to support and facilitate the implementation of the proposed BPR methodology
are provided
Isometric and dynamic strength and neuromuscular attributes as predictors of vertical jump performance in 11‒13 year-old male athletes
No full textIn explosive contractions, neural activation is a major factor in determining the rate of torque development, while the latter is an important determinant of jump performance. However, the contribution of neuromuscular activation and rate of torque development to jump performance in children and youth is unclear. PURPOSE: To examine the relationships between the rate of neuromuscular activation, peak torque, rate of torque development, and jump performance in young male athletes. METHODS: Forty-one 12.5±0.5-year-old male soccer players completed explosive, unilateral isometric and dynamic (240º/s) knee extensions (Biodex System III), as well as counter-movement-, squat-, and drop-jumps. Peak torque (pT), peak rate of torque development (pRTD) and rate of vastus lateralis activation (Q30) during the isometric and dynamic contractions were examined in relation to attained jump heights. RESULTS: Isometric pT and pRTD were strongly correlated (r=0.71) but not related to jump performance. Dynamic pT and pRTD, normalized to body mass, were significantly related to jump height in all three jumps (r=0.38‒0.66, pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
The Inframammary Fold (IMF): A Poorly Appreciated Landmark in Prosthetic/Alloplastic Breast Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery—Personal Experience
No full textAbstract: The inframammary fold (IMF) is the most critical visual landmark that affects final aesthetic outcome of augmentation mammoplasty and even post-mastectomy alloplastic breast reconstruction. Unfortunately, structural integrity of this landmark is greatly overlooked and very often neglected. Excessive undermining of the lower breast pole with aggressive disruption/lowering and subsequent poor reconstitution of the IMF scaffold combined with imbalanced implant-tissue dynamics may result in downward implant displacement with creep bottoming and upward tilt of the nipples. The current report reviews the experience of the senior author (BA) over 30 years in breast aesthetic and reconstructive surgery with IMF reconstruction and fixation to the chest wall at the inferior border of the implant. Illustrative cases are presented. Level of Evidence V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York and International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Collisional excitation of NH by H2: Potential energy surface and scattering calculations
No full textInternational audienceCollisional data for the excitation of NH by H2 are key to accurately derive the NH abundance in astrophysical media. We present a new four-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) for the NH-H2 van der Waals complex. The ab initio calculations of the PES were carried out using the explicitly correlated partially spin-restricted coupled cluster method with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [RCCSD(T)-F12a] with the augmented correlation-consistent polarized valence triple zeta basis set. The PES was represented by an angular expansion in terms of coupled spherical harmonics. The global minimum corresponds to the linear structure with a well depth De = 149.10 cm−1. The calculated dissociation energy D0 is found to be 30.55 and 22.11 cm−1 for ortho-H2 and para-H2 complexes, respectively. These results are in agreement with the experimental values. Then, we perform quantum close-coupling calculations of the fine structure resolved excitation cross sections of NH induced by collisions with ortho-H2 and para-H2 for collisional energies up to 500 cm−1. We find strong differences between collisions induced by ortho-H2 and para-H2. Propensity rules are discussed. The cross sections are larger for fine structure conserving transitions than for fine structure changing ones, as predicted by theory. These new results should help in interpreting NH interstellar spectra and better constrain the abundance of NH in interstellar molecular clouds. © 2021 Author(s)
Topography of the Calabria subduction zone (southern Italy): Clues for the origin of Mt. Etna
No full textCalabria represents an ideal site to analyze the topography of a subduction zone as it is located on top of a narrow active Wadati-Benioff zone and shows evidence of rapid uplift. We analyzed a pattern of surface deformation using elevation data with different filters and showed the existence of a long wavelength (>100 km) relatively positive topographic signal at the slab edges. The elevation of MIS 5.5 stage marine terraces supports this pattern, although the record is incomplete and partly masked by the variable denudation rate. We performed structural analyses along the major active or recently reactivated normal faults showing that the extensional direction varies along the Calabrian Arc and laterally switches from arc-normal, within the active portion of the slab, to arc-oblique or even arc-parallel, along the northern and southern slab edges. This surface deformation pattern was compared with a recent high resolution P wave tomographic model showing that the high seismic velocity anomaly is continuous only within the active Wadati-Benioff zone, whereas the northern and southwestern sides are marked by low velocity anomalies, suggesting that large-scale topographic bulges, volcanism, and uplift could have been produced by mantle upwelling. We present numerical simulations to visualize the three-dimensional mantle circulation around a narrow retreating slab, ideally similar to the one presently subducting beneath Calabria. We emphasize that mantle upwelling and surface deformation are expected at the edges of the slab, where return flows may eventually drive decompression melting and the Mount Etna volcanism.PublishedTC10033.3. Geodinamica e struttura dell'interno della TerraJCR Journalreserve
Role of chemerin, a novel adipochemokine, in the human microvascular endothelial cell (HMEC)-1 line
No full textChemerin is a newly identified adipokine and exerts its functional effects by
binding to its natural GPCR, known as CMKLR1. Chemerin is highly expressed in
the adipose tissue and in lower levels in other body tissues; and is known to play an
important role in adipocyte differentiation and metabolism. Chemerin circulates at
the normal physiological concentrations of approximately 3-4nM in humans, and
circulating chemerin levels positively correlate with various facets of metabolic
abnormalities; such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides,
hypertension, and associated risks of development of diseases of cardiovascular
system. Endothelial Cells (ECs) line the vasculature of the entire circulatory system
and form a direct contact with the bloodstream. In this project, the role of chemerin
in EC biology was proposed, and was studied in terms of activation of important
signalling Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) including Extracellular
signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) 1/2, ERK5, p38, Stress-activated Protein Kinase/c-
Jun NH2-terminal Kinase (SAPK/JNK); and Akt/Protein Kinase B (PKB) and
Adenosine Monophosphate Protein Kinase (AMPK)-α in a time- and concentrationdependent
manners. These signalling kinases regulate the activity of different
transcription factors which then regulate the expression of different genes. Chemerin
increased the expression of Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF)-1α, a hypoxia-inducible
transcription factor which is known to regulate the Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factor (VEGF) gene expression. Interestingly, VEGF165, the most potent
angiogenic isoform of VEGF protein expression was down-regulated by chemerin in
a concentration-dependent manner; whereas, chemerin upregulated the protein
expression of VEGF165b, an opposite anti-angiogenic counterpart of VEGF165.
Chemerin mediated EC proliferation, migration and capillary tube formation; which
are the key processes implicated in the process of normal and pathological
angiogenesis. Chemerin altered the protein expression levels of Cell Adhesion
Molecules (CAMs) including E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 – increased the
activity of Nuclear Factor (NF)–kappa (κ) B pathway – and encouraged Endothelial-
Monocyte cell adhesion in a concentration-dependent manner. Nitric Oxide (NO),
not only keeps the vascular health in check by downregulating the expression levels
of adhesion molecules, but also acts as a potent vasodilator. Endothelial Nitric Oxide
Synthase (eNOS), an enzyme constitutively expressed in the endothelial cells
regulates the production of NO in the endothelium. Chemerin increased eNOS
activity by causing eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177, and dephosphorylating at
Thr495 phosphorylation sites. Chemerin increased the protein expression of nonconstitutively
expressed enzyme, inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), which is
mainly induced during injury or inflammation and is known to produce 100- to
1000-times more NO compared to that of eNOS. However, interestingly, chemerin
failed to show any significant changes in the amounts of combined nitrite and nitrate
(NOx) levels in HMEC-1 cells; whereas, nitrite (NO2–) levels were decreased in a
concentration-dependent manner
