Characterization of a negative cis-acting DNA element regulating the transcription of CYP2B1/B2 gene in rat liver

Polymeric films were deposited from hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) plasma on non-woven poly(butyleneterephtalate) (PBT) filter materials. To test the effect of deposition conditions on surface properties, film were deposited using a constant monomer flow rate and a discharge power ranging from 40-100 W. Surface composition and surface energetics were evaluated by Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) and contact angle measurement, respectively. Albumin (Alb) and fibrinogen (Fg) adsorption from single protein solutions to the plasma-coated filters was measured. Results illustrate the marked effects of the deposition condition on the surface composition, the surface field of forces, and the protein adsorption behavior. The latter is modeled by the application of the Good-van Oss-Chaudhury theory of Lewis acid-base contribution to interfacial energetics. Materials endowed with widely different properties are obtained from the same monomer and different deposition conditions, a result that must be taken into account both in the production step, to assure constant quality, and in the development of specifically tailored materials.     

Redox proteomics identification of 4‐hydroxynonenal‐modified brain proteins in Alzheimer's disease: Role of lipid peroxidation in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis

Numerous studies have shown that neuronal lipids are highly susceptible to oxidative stress including in those brain areas directly involved in the neurodegenerative process of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lipid peroxidation directly damages membranes and also generates a number of secondary biologically active products (toxic aldehydes)that are capable of easily attacking lipids, proteins, and DNA. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated regionally increased brain lipid peroxidation in patients with AD; however, extensive studies on specific targets of lipid peroxidation‐induced damage are still missing. The present study represents a further step in understanding the relationship between oxidative modification of protein and neuronal death associated with AD. We used a proteomics approach to determine specific targets of lipid peroxidation in AD brain, both in hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule, by coupling immunochemical detection of 4‐hydroxynonenal‐bound proteins with 2‐D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and MS analysis. We identified 4‐hydroxynonenal‐bound proteins in the hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule brain regions of subjects with AD. The identified proteins play different biological functions including energy metabolism, antioxidant system, and structural proteins, thus impairing multiple molecular pathways. Our results provide further evidence for the role of lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of AD.     

Multicast Network Security with Asymmetric Cooperative Relaying

International Journal of Wireless Information Networks - This paper exhibits the confidentiality performance study of a cooperative multicast network consisting of $${\mathcal {K}}$$ asymmetric...     

Radiation crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone/acrylic acid hydrogels: swelling,crosslinking and dye adsorption study

Iranian Polymer Journal - Hydrogels were produced from mixtures of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and acrylic acid (AAc) using γ-radiation at doses of 3, 7, and...     

Urban expansion modeling using an enhanced decision tree algorithm

Decision tree (DT) algorithms have been applied for classification and change detection in various geospatial studies and more recently, for urban expansion and land use/land cover (LULC) change modeling. However, these studies have not elaborated on specification of DT algorithms regarding data sampling, predictor variables, model configuration, and model evaluation. The focus of this study is to explore several balanced and unbalanced sampling methods, various predictor variables, different configurations of stopping rules, and reliable evaluation metrics to enhance the performance of classification and regression tree (CART), one of the most efficacious DT algorithms, for urban expansion modeling. The implementation of the model in the Triangle Region, North Carolina (NC) State, over the period of 2001 to 2011 demonstrates a striking performance with the training accuracy of 97%, the testing accuracy of 94%, and the Kappa value of 0.80. This performance was achieved using a training dataset containing all changed land cells and three times of that randomly selected from unchanged land cells and regulating the minimum number of records in a leaf node equal to 1, the minimum number of records in a parent node equal to 2, and the value of 10,000 for the maximum number of splits. The CART DT algorithm indicates that proximity to built areas, proximity to highways, current LULC type, elevation, and distance to water bodies are the most significant predictor variables for the urban expansion prediction in the study area.

     

Pollen morphological investigations of family Cactaceae and its taxonomic implication by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

The family Cactaceae is the diversified group of angiosperm plants whose pollen statistics has been used for taxonomic identification. In this article, we present the pollen morphology of eight species belong to seven taxonomically complex genera of Cactaceae including Astrophytum, Cylindropuntia, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Mammillaria, Opuntia, and Thelocactus using light and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described, and electron photomicrographs were taken. Cactaceae can be characterized by presenting different palynomorphological features including pollen type, sculpturing, polar and equatorial diameter, aperture orientation, exine thickness, P/E ratio, and echini features. Four types of pollen shapes, that is, prolate spheroidal (three species), subprolate (two species), prolate (two species), and oblate spheroidal in Echinocereus reichenbachii were observed. The polar and equatorial diameter observed maximum in O. ficus indica 116.95 and 112.27 μm while minimum in M. compressa 38.42 and 21.05 μm. Pollen of two types, tricolpate in members of subfamily Cactioideae and pantoporate in the Opuntioideae were examined. The fertility percentage has been observed maximum in Opuntia macrocentra (83.84%) and minimum in Opuntia ficus‐indica (57.89%). Exine sculpturing showing great variations such as granulate, reticulate, granulate perforate and micro‐echinate foveolate ornamentation was examined only in Echinopsis eyriesii. A key to species, based on pollen micromorphological attributes, has been constructed for correct identification of complex cactus species.     

Integration of GIS and multicriteria decision analysis for urban aquaculture development in Bangladesh

Site selection is a key factor in any aquaculture operation, affecting both success and sustainability as well as solving land or water use conflicts. This study was conducted to identify suitable sites for carp farming development in urban water bodies (UWBs) of Chittagong, Bangladesh using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based MultiCriteria Evaluation (MCE) of water, soil and infrastructure database. ASTER imagery and 14 thematic layers were analyzed with ENVI and GIS capabilities, and developed a series of GIS models to identify and prioritize the appropriate UWBs for carp farming. The study identified 487 UWBs occupying 362 ha and revealed 280 ha (77%) is the most suitable, 36 ha (10%) is moderately suitable and 46 ha (13%) is not suitable which was consistent with field verification. The results are encouraging for extension of carp culture and diversify the economic activities of the urban dwellers.     

Taste masking technologies in oral pharmaceuticals: recent developments and approaches

Taste is one of the most important parameters governing patient compliance. Undesirable taste is one of several important formulation problems that are encountered with certain drugs. Oral administration of bitter drugs with an acceptable degree of palatability is a key issue for health care providers, especially for pediatric patients. Several oral pharmaceuticals, numerous food and beverage products, and bulking agents have unpleasant, bitter-tasting components. So, any pharmaceutical formulation with a pleasing taste would definitely be preferred over a competitor's product and would translate into better compliance and therapeutic value for the patient and more business and profits for the company. The desire of improved palatability in these products has prompted the development of numerous formulations with improved performance and acceptability. This article reviews the earlier applications and methodologies of taste masking and discusses the most recent developments and approaches of bitterness reduction and inhibition for oral pharmaceuticals.