Synthesis Optimization of Piezo Driven Four Bar Mechanism Using Genetic Algorithm

Over the past few years, there has been a growing demand to develop efficient precision mechanisms for fine moving applications. Therefore, several piezoelectric driven mechanisms have been proposed for such applications. In this work an optimal synthesis of a four-bar mechanism with three PEAs is proposed. Two evolutionary multi-objective Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are formulated and applied; A Genetic Algorithm Synthesis method (GAS) is first used to obtain a synthesis solution for the mechanism regardless of power consumption. Then another Genetic Algorithm Minimum Power Synthesis method (GAMPS) is used to obtain the synthesis solution of minimum power consumption. For that purpose, the study performs simulation investigation of the aforementioned algorithms for each point along sinusoidal and kidney shaped paths of motion. Results show capability of both methods in obtaining a synthesis solution. However, GAMPS outperformed GAS in terms of driving power consumption as it is minimized by 99% ratio.     

An efficient method for the synthesis of peptide aldehyde libraries employed in the discovery of reversible SARS coronavirus main protease (SARS-CoV Mpro) inhibitors

A method for the parallel solid-phase synthesis of peptide aldehydes has been developed. Protected amino acid aldehydes obtained by the racemization-free oxidation of amino alcohols with Dess-Martin periodinane were immobilized on threonyl resins as oxazolidines. Following Boc protection of the ring nitrogen to yield the N-protected oxazolidine linker, peptide synthesis was performed efficiently on this resin. A peptide aldehyde library was designed for targeting the SARS coronavirus main protease, SARS-CoV M(pro)(also known as 3CL(pro)), on the basis of three different reported binding modes and supported by virtual screening. A set of 25 peptide aldehydes was prepared by this method and investigated in inhibition assays against SARS-CoV M(pro). Several potent inhibitors were found with IC(50) values in the low micromolar range. An IC(50) of 7.5 muM was found for AcNSTSQ-H and AcESTLQ-H. Interestingly, the most potent inhibitors seem to bind to SARS-CoV M(pro) in a noncanonical binding mode.     

Solubility and dissolution rate of progesterone-cyclodextrin-polymer systems

This contribution focused on the solubility improvement of the poorly water-soluble steroid hormone progesterone which, in its natural state, presents a reduced oral bioavailability. In the first part of this study, two simple, reproducible methods that were candidates for use in the preparation of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins were investigated. Solubility capacities of the progesterone complex with hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HPβ-CD), hydoxypropyl-γ-CD (HPγ-CD), permethyl-β-CD (PMβ-CD), and sulfobutylether-β-CD (SBEβ-CD), prepared by the freeze-drying and precipitation methods, were evaluated by Higuchi phase solubility studies. The results showed that HPβ-CD and PMβ-CD were the most efficient among the four cyclodextrins for the solubilization of progesterone, with the highest apparent stability constants. Therefore, dissolution studies were conducted on these latest progesterone/cyclodextrin complexes and physical mixtures. Two additional natural cyclodextrins, β-CD and γ-CD, were taken as references. Hence, the influence of more highly soluble derivatives of β-CD (HPβ-CD, PMβ-CD) on the progesterone dissolution rate, in comparison to pristine β-CD, alongside an increase in the cavity width for γ-CD versus β-CD, were investigated. The dissolution kinetics of progesterone dissolved from HPβ-CD, PMβ-CD, and γ-CD revealed higher constant rates in comparison to β-CD. Therefore, the aim of the second part of this study was to investigate the possibility of improving the dissolution rate of progesterone/β-CD binary systems upon formation of ternary complexes with the hydrophilic polymer, PEG 6000, as β-CD had the smallest progesterone solubility and dissolution capacity among the four cyclodextrins studied (β-CD, HPβ-CD, HPγ-CD and PMβ-CD). The results indicated that dissolution constant rates were considerably enhanced for the 5% and 10% progesterone/β-CD complexes in PEG 6000.

The interaction of progesterone with the cyclodextrins of interest on the form of the binary physical mixtures, complexes, or ternary complexes were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transformed-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results proved that progesterone was diffused into the cyclodextrin cavity, replacing the water molecules and, in case of ternary systems, that the progesterone β-cyclodextrin was well dispersed into PEG, thus improving progesterone bioavailability for subsequent oral delivery in the same way as derivatized cyclodextrins. The present work proves that ternary complexes are promising systems for drug encapsulation.     

Enhancement of Return Routability Mechanism for Optimized‐NEMO Using Correspondent Firewall

Network Mobility (NEMO) handles mobility of multiple nodes in an aggregate manner as a mobile network. The standard NEMO suffers from a number of limitations, such as inefficient routing and increased handoff latency. Most previous studies attempting to solve such problems have imposed an extra signaling load and/or modified the functionalities of the main entities. In this paper, we propose a more secure and lightweight route optimization (RO) mechanism based on exploiting the firewall in performing the RO services on behalf of the correspondent nodes (CNs). The proposed mechanism provides secure communications by making an authorized decision about the mobile router (MR) home of address, MR care of address, and the complete mobile network prefixes underneath the MR. In addition, it reduces the total signaling required for NEMO handoffs, especially when the number of mobile network nodes and/or CNs is increased. Moreover, our proposed mechanism can be easily deployed without modifying the mobility protocol stack of CNs. A thorough analytical model and network simulator (Ns‐2) are used for evaluating the performance of the proposed mechanism compared with NEMO basic support protocol and state‐of‐the‐art RO schemes. Numerical and simulation results demonstrate that our proposed mechanism outperforms other RO schemes in terms of handoff latency and total signaling load on wired and wireless links.     

Morphology selective construction of β-cyclodextrin functionalized Fe3O4-Bi2WO6 nanocomposite with superior adsorptivity and visible-light-driven catalytic activity

Controlled growth of Bi₂WO₆ nanorods with exposed [0 0 1] facets and the fabrication of an Fe₃O₄-Bi₂WO₆ magnetic composite by a microwave-assisted polyol process, were achieved in this study. The adsorptivity and photocatalytic performance of the composite toward sunset yellow dye degradation were greatly enhanced by the β-cyclodextrin cavities on its surface, firmly anchored through a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide linkage. A series of examinations and characterizations were carried out to determine the influence of various factors on the morphological modulation-photocatalytic behavior of the pure Bi₂WO₆ prior to final functionalization. Changing the pH of the precursor solution impacted the formation of 0D, 2D, and 3D structures; however, the presence of hexamethylenetetramine surfactant induced the development of 1D nanorod structure. A reasonable crystal growth mechanism was proposed to elucidate the formation process. Conversely, the mechanism of the activity enhancement of β-cyclodextrin functionalized Fe₃O₄-Bi₂WO₆, compared to that of the non-functionalized samples, could be realized with the assistance of chemical trapping experiments on sunset yellow, and was confirmed on the colorless antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole). The high performance and durability of this composite can be attributed to the facet-dependent activity, large adsorption capacity due to inclusion interactions, enhanced visible light absorption, and efficient charge separation.     

The Plant Sesquiterpene Nootkatone Efficiently Reduces Heterodera schachtii Parasitism by Activating Plant Defense

Plant parasitic nematodes, including the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii, constitute a devastating problem for crops worldwide. The limited availability of sustainable management options illustrates the need for new eco-friendly control means. Plant metabolites represent an invaluable source of active compounds for the discovery of such novel antagonistic agents. Here, we evaluated the impact of eight plant terpenoids on the H. schachtii parasitism of Arabidopsis thaliana. None of the metabolites affected the plant development (5 or 10 ppm). Nootkatone decreased the number of adult nematodes on A. thaliana to 50%, with the female nematodes being smaller compared to the control. In contrast, three other terpenoids increased the parasitism and/or female size. We discovered that nootkatone considerably decreased the number of nematodes that penetrated A. thaliana roots, but neither affected the nematode viability or attraction to plant roots, nor triggered the production of plant reactive oxygen species or changed the plant’s sesquiterpene profile. However, we demonstrated that nootkatone led to a significant upregulation of defense-related genes involved in salicylic and jasmonic acid pathways. Our results indicate that nootkatone is a promising candidate to be developed into a novel plant protection agent acting as a stimulator of plant immunity against parasitic nematodes.     

Queue-aware scheduling in full-duplex wireless networks

Wireless Networks - Contemporary progress in telecommunication technologies have made full-duplex wireless communications feasible. The latter promise to double the capacity of wireless networks by...     

Semantic Interoperability of Heterogeneous Semantic Resources

This paper presents a three-step approach to enhance interoperability between heterogeneous se- mantic resources. Firstly, we construct homogeneous representations of these resources in a pivot format, namely OWL DL, with respect to the semantics expressed by the original representation languages. Secondly, mappings are established between concepts of these standardised resources and stored in a so-called articulation ontology. Thirdly, an approach for ranking those mappings is suggested in order to best fit users' needs. This approach is currently being implemented in the Semantic Resources “Interoperabilisation” and Linking System (SRILS). The mapping results as well as the work to be done are discussed.     

Towards a water–energy–food nexus policy: realizing the blue and green virtual water of agriculture in Jordan

Virtual water is an important addendum to how we view a country's water resources. This study examines the virtual water embedded in Jordan's agricultural produce and its impact on future water–energy–food policies. Blue and green virtual waters are calculated from data on rainfall, crop patterns, yields, and water requirements at the district level. Results highlight the advantages of blue water usage in the Jordan Valley and of harnessing more available green water in the Highlands, with both displaying low energy impact. Results also emphasize the high groundwater usage and energy footprint in the Desert regions, signalling a need to rein in groundwater extraction and take advantage of solar power.