Search results for: protein secondary structure

Authors: Luciano Roberto Fernandez-Sola, Cesar Augusto Arredondo-Velez, Miguel Angel Jaimes-Tellez

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This paper explores the modifications on peak acceleration, velocity and displacement profiles over the structure due to dynamic soil-structure interaction (DSSI). A shear beam model is used for the structure. Soil-foundation flexibility (inertial interaction) is considered by a set of springs and dashpots at the structure base. Kinematic interaction is considered using transfer functions. Impedance functions are computed using simplified expressions for rigid foundations. The research studies the influence of the slenderness ratio on the value of the peak floor response. It is shown that the modifications of peak floor responses are not the same for acceleration, velocity and displacement. This is opposite to the hypothesis used by methods included in several building codes. Results show that modifications produced by DSSI on different response quantities are not equal.

Keywords: peak floor intensities, dynamic soil-structure interaction, buildings with flexible base, kinematic and inertial interaction

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Authors: Homa Torabizadeh, Mohaddeseh Mikani

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Inulinase from Aspergillus niger was covalently immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs/Fe₃O₄) covered with soy protein isolate (SPI/Fe₃O₄) functionalized by bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles. MNPs are promising enzyme carriers because they separate easily under external magnetic fields and have enhanced immobilized enzyme reusability. As MNPs aggregate simply, surface coating strategy was employed. SPI functionalized by BSA was a suitable candidate for nanomagnetite coating due to its superior biocompatibility and hydrophilicity. Fe₃O₄@SPI-BSA nanoparticles were synthesized as a novel carrier with narrow particle size distribution. Step by step fabrication monitoring of Fe₃O₄@SPI-BSA nanoparticles was performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The results illustrated that nanomagnetite with the spherical morphology was well monodispersed with the diameter of about 35 nm. The average size of the SPI-BSA nanoparticles was 80 to 90 nm, and their zeta potential was around −34 mV. Finally, the mean diameter of fabricated Fe₃O₄@SPI-BSA NPs was less than 120 nm. Inulinase enzyme from Aspergillus niger was covalently immobilized through gluteraldehyde on Fe₃O₄@SPI-BSA nanoparticles successfully. Fourier transform infrared spectra and field emission scanning electron microscopy images provided sufficient proof for the enzyme immobilization on the nanoparticles with 80% enzyme loading.

Keywords: high fructose syrup, inulinase immobilization, functionalized magnetic nanoparticles, soy protein isolate

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Authors: Famurewa Olumide Joseph, Akinsulore Adesanmi

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The current study investigated aggressive behaviour and its association with substance use disorder among senior secondary school students in Ilesha, Nigeria. Participants were three hundred and seventy-five (375) comprising (212) females and (163) males of senior secondary school students in Ilesa East and Ilesa West; who were randomly selected among the population of students from the schools. The mean age of the respondents was 14.61 years (S.D = 1.16), with 311 (82.9%) between 14 – 16 years. Female respondents were 212 (56.5%), while male respondents were 163 (43.5%). A cross sectional design was adopted. Three instruments were used for data collection. Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST). It was hypothesized that aggressive behaviour will be associated with substance use disorder among senior secondary school students in Ilesa East and Ilesa West. The result indicated that the overall prevalence of substance use disorder was 16.0%. Chi-Square test exploring the association between aggressive behaviour and substance use disorder shows that there is a significant association between aggressive behaviour and substance use disorder (χ2 =8.55, p =0.014). Results also showed that emotional problem (χ2 (2) =13.0; p = 0.001) was statistically significant while current medications intake (χ2 (2) =2.03; p =0.362) and overall wellbeing (χ2 (4) =2.49; p =0.646) were not statistically significant. There is an inverse association between prosocial behaviour and aggressive behaviour (r= -0.037, p>0.05). This indicates that as the level of prosocial behaviour increases, the level of aggressive behaviour among respondents decreases. However, alcohol use had no correlation with aggressive behaviour (r=0.070, p>0.05). Among the implications stated is that factors such as emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problem and drug use contributed to the prevalence of aggressive behaviour among students. Suggestions for further studies were equally made.

Keywords: aggressive behaviour, alcohol, prevalence, students, substance use disorder (SUD)

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Authors: Ruwani N. Nugara, Masashi Inafuku, Kensaku Takara, Hironori Iwasaki, Hirosuke Oku

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Pteryxin from the partially purified hexane phase (HP) of Peucedanum japonicum Thunb (PJT) was identified as the active compound related to anti-obesity. Thus, in this study we investigated the mechanisms related to anti-obesity activity in-vitro. The HP was fractionated, and effect on the triglyceride (TG) content was evaluated in 3T3-L1 and HepG2 cells. Comprehensive spectroscopic analyses were used to identify the structure of the active compound. The dose dependent effect of active constituent on the TG content, and the gene expressions related to adipogenesis, fatty acid catabolism, energy expenditure, lipolysis and lipogenesis (20 μg/mL) were examined in-vitro. Furthermore, higher dosage of pteryxin (50μg/mL) was tested against 20μg/mL in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The mRNA were subjected to SOLiD next generation sequencer and the obtained data were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). The active constituent was identified as pteryxin, a known compound in PJT. However, its biological activities against obesity have not been reported previously. Pteryxin dose dependently suppressed TG content in both 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 hepatocytes (P < 0.05). Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1 c), Fatty acid synthase (FASN), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC1) were downregulated in pteryxin-treated adipocytes (by 18.0, 36.1 and 38.2%; P < 0.05, respectively) and hepatocytes (by 72.3, 62.9 and 38.8%, respectively; P < 0.05) indicating its suppressive effects on fatty acid synthesis. The hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), a lipid catabolising gene was upregulated (by 15.1%; P < 0.05) in pteryxin-treated adipocytes suggesting improved lipolysis. Concordantly, the adipocyte size marker gene, paternally expressed gene1/mesoderm specific transcript (MEST) was downregulated (by 42.8%; P < 0.05), further accelerating the lipolytic activity. The upregulated trend of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2; by 77.5%; P < 0.05) reflected the improved energy expenditure due to pteryxin. The 50μg/mL dosage of pteryxin completely suppressed PPARγ, MEST, SREBP 1C, HSL, Adiponectin, Fatty Acid Binding Protein (FABP) 4, and UCP’s in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The IPA suggested that pteryxin at 20μg/mL and 50μg/mL suppress obesity in two different pathways, whereas the WNT signaling pathway play a key role in the higher dose of pteryxin in preadipocyte stage. Pteryxin in PJT play the key role in regulating lipid metabolism related gene network and improving energy production in vitro. Thus, the results suggests pteryxin as a new natural compound to be used as an anti-obesity drug in pharmaceutical industry.

Keywords: obesity, peucedanum japonicum thunb, pteryxin, food science

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Authors: Davide Forcellini

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The most recent development of earthquake engineering is based on concept of design consisting in prescribed performance rather than the more traditional prescriptive approaches. The paper aims to assess the effects of isolation devices and soil structure interaction on a benchmark bridge adopting a Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering methodology. Several isolated configurations of abutments and pier connections are compared performing the most representative isolation devices. Isolation systems suitability depends on many factors, mainly connected with ground effects. In this regard, the second purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of soil-structure interaction (SSI) on the studied bridge configurations. Contributions of isolation technique and soil structure interaction are assessed evaluating the resistance effects applied to Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) levels in terms of cost and time repair quantities.

Keywords: base isolation, bridge, earthquake engineering, non linearity, PBEE methodology, seismic assessment, soil structure interaction

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Authors: Nicole C. Valdez, Vincent L. Borromeo, Conrad C. Chong, Ahmad F. Mazahery

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Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide, where the majority of cases are estrogen-receptor positive and involve 2 receptor proteins. The binding of estrogen to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) promotes breast cancer growth, while it's binding to estrogen-receptor beta (ERβ) inhibits tumor growth. While natural products have been a promising source of chemotherapeutic agents, the challenge remains in finding a bioactive compound that specifically targets cancer cells, minimizing side effects on normal cells. Flavonoids are natural products that act as phytoestrogens and induce the same response as estrogen. They are able to compete with estrogen for binding to ERα; however, it has a higher binding affinity for ERβ. Their abundance in nature and low toxicity make them a potential candidate for breast cancer treatment. This study aimed to determine which particular flavonoids can specifically recognize ERβ and potentially be used for breast cancer treatment through molecular docking. A total of 206 flavonoids comprised of 97 isoflavones and 109 flavanones were collected from ZINC15, while the 3D structures of ERβ and ERα were obtained from Protein Data Bank. These flavonoid subclasses were chosen as they bind more strongly to ERs due to their chemical structure. The structures of the flavonoid ligands were converted using Open Babel, while the estrogen receptor protein structures were prepared using Autodock MGL Tools. The optimal binding site was found using BIOVIA Discovery Studio Visualizer before docking all flavonoids on both ERβ and ERα through Autodock Vina. Genistein is a flavonoid that exhibits anticancer effects by binding to ERβ, so its binding affinity was used as a baseline. Eriodictyol and 4”,6”-Di-O-Galloylprunin both exceeded genistein’s binding affinity for ERβ and was lower than its binding affinity for ERα. Of the two, eriodictyol was pursued due to its antitumor properties on a lung cancer cell line and on glioma cells. It is able to arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase by inhibiting the mTOR/PI3k/Akt cascade and is able to induce apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt/NF-kB pathway. Protein pathway and gene analysis were also conducted using ChEMBL and PANTHER and it was shown that eriodictyol might induce anticancer effects through the ROS1, CA7, KMO, and KDM1A genes which are involved in cell proliferation in breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and other diseases. The high binding affinity of eriodictyol to ERβ, as well as its potential affected genes and antitumor effects, therefore, make it a candidate for the development of new breast cancer treatment. Verification through in vitro experiments such as checking the upregulation and downregulation of genes through qPCR and checking cell cycle arrest using a flow cytometry assay is recommended.

Keywords: breast cancer, estrogen receptor, flavonoid, molecular docking

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Authors: Chimeri Muzano Leonard

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The study was carried out to investigate the perceptions of male and female Ordinary Level students on the effects of alcohol abuse at Gatsi Secondary School. The study showed that alcohol abuse has academic, social, psychological and health effects on Ordinary Level students. The negative effects comprises of death, dropping out, poor grades, poor concentration, risky behaviors, impairment of the brain and central nervous system , risky behaviors and Impairment of reproductive functioning Only students who enrolled for Ordinary Level in the 2014 academic year participated in this study. Fifty students (25 males and 25 females) were randomly selected to participate in the study. A formal survey questionnaire was used to collect data. The respondents were asked to use a scale of 0 (totally disagree) to 10 (completely agree) to indicate the extent to which they agreed with each perception. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0 was used for data analysis. The Mann Whitney U test was used to test for the significance of differences in the perceptions of male and female students. No statistically significant differences were detected between males and females in most of their perceptions regarding the effects of alcohol abuse on Ordinary Level students. However, there were three perceptions found to be significantly different between male and female. They comprises of “Peers influence one to drink alcohol”, “Alcohol abuse is a major problem among male students compared to their female peers” and “ Female students should not drink beer”.It was evident from this study that Gatsi Secondary School needs to implement more effective interventions that combat alcohol abuse. A deeper analysis of the issues that predispose Ordinary Level students to alcohol abuse should inform the interventions. Consequently, unravelling the problem of negative effects of alcohol abuse was desirable because of its potential usefulness in developing strategies that might help curb the problem and presumably improve the performance of Ordinary Level students and above all the quality of education at Gatsi Secondary School.

Keywords: perceived effects, alcohol, Gatsi Secondary School, alcohol abuse

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Authors: Ryspek Usubamatov, Tan San Chin, Sarken Kapaeva

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Productivity of the manufacturing systems depends on technological processes, a technical data of machines and a structure of systems. Technology is presented by the machining mode and data, a technical data presents reliability parameters and auxiliary time for discrete production processes. The term structure of manufacturing systems includes the number of serial and parallel production machines and links between them. Structures of manufacturing systems depend on the complexity of technological processes. Mathematical models of productivity rate for manufacturing systems are important attributes that enable to define best structure by criterion of a productivity rate. These models are important tool in evaluation of the economical efficiency for production systems.

Keywords: productivity, structure, manufacturing systems, structural design

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Authors: Kavita Jaidiya, Anju Chahar, Chitra Jaidiya

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The present study was conducted on 200 quarters from 50 apparently healthy cows. Samples are subjected to California Mastitis Test (CMT), cultural examination, and mPCR. Milk samples were also subjected to changes in composition Viz. fat, protein, and lactose. The prevalence of subclinical mastitis based on culture examination was 30(60/200), 36 (72/200), and 40 percent (93/200) based on CMT, culture examination, and mPCR on a quarterly basis. The prevalence of subclinical mastitis on animal basis was 40 (20/50), 46 (23/50), and 52 percent (26/50) based on CMT, Culture examination, and mPCR. The highest prevalence was observed in IVth parity on a quarterly basis and in Vth parity on cow basis. On culture examination, Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent organism (50.56%), followed by Streptococcus dysaglactiae (11.33%), E. coli (7.8 %), Staphylococcus agalactiae (13.48 %), Staphylococcus epidermidis (2.2 %), Streptococcus hyicus (6.94%), Streptococcus uberis (5.16%), Klebsiella pneumonia (6.74%). On isolation by bacterial mPCR, Staphylococcus spp. (42%) was the major pathogen. Organisms isolated in mixed infections are Streptococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumonia, E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginous. The average mean value of fat, protein, and lactose content in subclinically affected milk samples were 3.40 ± 0.101, 3.009 ± 0.033, and 4.48 ± 0.03, and the mean value of fat, protein, and lactose content in normal milk were 4.13 ± 0.035, 3.39 ± 0.021, and 5.10 ± 0.016. The mean blood level of reduced glutathione in subclinical mastitis (30.44 ± 1.87 ng/ml) was lower than healthy cows (47.98 ± 4.04ng/ml). The concentration of malondialdehyde (10.026 ± 0.21mmol/L) in subclinical mastitis was significantly higher as compared to healthy group cows (2.19 ± 0.23mmol/L).

Keywords: cow, subclinical mastitis, mPCR, California Mastitis test

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Authors: Selvavinayagan Babiharan

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This research aims to develop a deep learning platform to enhance mathematics education for secondary students in Sri Lanka. The platform will be designed to incorporate interactive and user-friendly features to engage students in active learning and promote their mathematical skills. The proposed platform will be developed using TensorFlow and Keras, two widely used deep learning frameworks. The system will be trained on a large dataset of math problems, which will be collected from Sri Lankan school curricula. The results of this research will contribute to the improvement of mathematics education in Sri Lanka and provide a valuable tool for teachers to enhance the learning experience of their students.

Keywords: information technology, education, machine learning, mathematics

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Authors: Richa Mardianingrum, Srie R. N. Endah

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In this research, we have designed four isoniazid derivatives i.e., isonicotinohydrazide (1-isonicotinoyl semicarbazide, 1-thiosemi isonicotinoyl carbazide, N '-(1,3-dimethyl-1 h-pyrazole-5-carbonyl) isonicotino hydrazide, and N '-(1,2,3- 4-thiadiazole-carbonyl) isonicotinohydrazide. The docking and molecular dynamic have performed to them in order to study its interaction with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase (InhA). Based on this research, all of the compounds were predicted to have a stable interaction with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase (INHA) receptor, so they could be used as an anti-tuberculosis drug candidate.

Keywords: anti-tuberculosis, docking, Inhibin alpha subunit, InhA, inhibition, synthesis, isonicotinohydrazide

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Authors: Fatima Zohra Bissaad, Farid Bounaceur, Nassima Behidj, Nadjiba Chebouti, Fatma Halouane, Bahia Doumandji-Mitiche

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Effect of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum on the 5^th instar nymphs of Schistocerca gregaria was studied in the laboratory. Infection by these both entomopathogenic fungi caused reduction in the hemolymph total protein. The average amounts of total proteins were 2.3, 2.07, 2.09 µg/100 ml of haemolymph in the control and M. anisopliae var. acridum, and B. bassiana based-treatments, respectively. Three types of haemocytes were recognized and identified as prohaemocytes, plasmatocytes and granulocytes. The treatment caused significant reduction in the total haemocyte count and in each haemocyte type on the 9^th day after its application.

Keywords: Beauveria bassiana, haemolymph picture, haemolymph protein, Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum, Schistocerca gregaria

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Authors: Hina Javed

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This study investigated the different strategies used by Pakistani students learning English as a second language at secondary level school. The basic premise of the study is that ESL students face tremendous difficulty while they are reading a text in English. It also purports to dig into the different causes of their slow reading. They might range from word reading accuracy, mental translation, lexical density, cultural gaps, complex syntactic constructions, and back skipping. Sixty Grade 7 students from two secondary mainstream schools in Lahore were selected for the study, thirty being boys and thirty girls. They were administered reading-related and reading speed pre and post-tests. The purpose of the tests was to gauge their performance on different reading tasks so as to be able to see how they used strategies, if any, and also to ascertain the causes hampering their performance on those tests. In the pretests, they were given simple texts with considerable lexical density and moderately complex sentential layout. In the post-tests, the reading tasks contained comic strips, texts with visuals, texts with controlled vocabulary, and an evenly distributed varied range of simple, compound, and complex sentences. Both the tests were timed. The results gleaned through the data gathered corroborated the researchers’ basic hunch that they performed significantly better than pretests. The findings suggest that the morphological structure of words and lexical density are the main sources of reading comprehension difficulties in poor ESL readers. It is also confirmed that if the texts are accompanied by pictorial visuals, it greatly facilitates students’ reading speed and comprehension. There is no substantial evidence that ESL readers adopt any specific strategy while reading in English.

Keywords: slow ESL reading speed, mental translation, complex syntactic constructions, back skipping

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Authors: Leila Noori, Rosario Barone, Francesca Rappa, Antonella Marino Gammazza, Alessandra Maria Vitale, Giuseppe Donato Mangano, Giusy Sentiero, Filippo Macaluso, Kathryn H. Myburgh, Francesco Cappello, Federica Scalia

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The neuromuscular system controls, directs, and allows movement of the body through the action of neural circuits, which include motor neurons, sensory neurons, and skeletal muscle fibers. Protein homeostasis of the involved cytotypes appears crucial to maintain the correct and prolonged functions of the neuromuscular system, and both neuronal cells and skeletal muscle fibers express significant quantities of protein chaperones, the molecular machinery responsible to maintain the protein turnover. Genetic mutations or defective post-translational modifications of molecular chaperones (i.e., genetic or acquired chaperonopathies) may lead to neuromuscular disorders called as neurochaperonopathies. The limited knowledge of the effects of the defective chaperones on skeletal muscle fibers and neurons impedes the progression of therapeutic approaches. A distinct genetic variation of CCT5 gene encoding for the subunit 5 of the chaperonin CCT (Chaperonin Containing TCP1; also known as TRiC, TCP1 Ring Complex) was recently described associated with severe distal motor neuropathy by our team. In this study, we investigated the histopathological abnormalities of the skeletal muscle biopsy of the pediatric patient affected by the mutation Leu224Val in the CCT5 subunit. We provide molecular and structural features of the diseased skeletal muscle tissue that we believe may be useful to identify undiagnosed cases of this rare genetic disorder. We investigated the histological abnormalities of the affected tissue via hematoxylin and eosin staining. Then we used immunofluorescence and qPCR techniques to explore the expression and distribution of CCT5 in diseased and healthy skeletal muscle tissue. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays were performed to study the sarcomeric and structural proteins of skeletal muscle, including actin, myosin, tubulin, troponin-T, telethonin, and titin. We performed Western blot to examine the protein expression of CCT5 and some heat shock proteins, Hsp90, Hsp60, Hsp27, and α-B crystallin, along with the main client proteins of the CCT5, actin, and tubulin. Our findings revealed muscular atrophy, abnormal morphology, and different sizes of muscle fibers in affected tissue. The swollen nuclei and wide interfiber spaces were seen. Expression of CCT5 had been decreased and showed a different distribution pattern in the affected tissue. Altered expression, distribution, and bandage pattern were detected by confocal microscopy for the interested muscular proteins in tissue from the patient compared to the healthy control. Protein levels of the studied Hsps normally located at the Z-disk were reduced. Western blot results showed increased levels of the actin and tubulin proteins in the diseased skeletal muscle biopsy compared to healthy tissue. Chaperones must be expressed at high levels in skeletal muscle to counteract various stressors such as mechanical, oxidative, and thermal crises; therefore, it seems relevant that defects of molecular chaperones may result in damaged skeletal muscle fibers. So far, several chaperones or cochaperones involved in neuromuscular disorders have been defined. Our study shows that alteration of the CCT5 subunit is associated with the damaged structure of skeletal muscle fibers and alterations of chaperone system components and paves the way to explore possible alternative substrates of chaperonin CCT. However, further studies are underway to investigate the CCT mechanisms of action to design applicable therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: molecular chaperones, neurochaperonopathy, neuromuscular system, protein homeostasis

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Authors: Lee A. Browne, K. Rumbold

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The first fluorinating enzyme, 5'-fluoro-5'-deoxyadenosine synthase (fluorinase) was isolated from the soil bacterium Streptomyces cattleya. Such an enzyme, with the ability to catalyze a C-F bond, presents great potential as a biocatalyst. Naturally fluorinated compounds are extremely rare in nature. As a result, the number of fluorinases identified remains relatively few. The field of fluorination is almost completely synthetic. However, with the increasing demand for fluorinated organic compounds of commercial value in the agrochemical, pharmaceutical and materials industries, it has become necessary to utilize biologically based methods such as biocatalysts. A key step in this crucial process is the large-scale production of the fluorinase enzyme in considerable quantities for industrial applications. Thus, this study aimed to optimize expression of the fluorinase enzyme in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems in order to obtain high protein yields. The fluorinase gene was cloned into the pET 41b(+) and pPinkα-HC vectors and used to transform the expression hosts, E.coli BL21(DE3) and Pichia pastoris (PichiaPink™ strains) respectively. Expression trials were conducted to select optimal conditions for expression in both expression systems. Fluorinase catalyses a reaction between S-adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAM) and fluoride ion to produce 5'-fluorodeoxyadenosine (5'FDA) and L-Methionine. The activity of the enzyme was determined using HPLC by measuring the product of the reaction 5'FDA. A gradient mobile phase of 95:5 v/v 50mM potassium phosphate buffer to a final mobile phase containing 80:20 v/v 50mM potassium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile were used. This resulted in the complete separation of SAM and 5’-FDA which eluted at 1.3 minutes and 3.4 minutes respectively. This proved that the fluorinase enzyme was active. Optimising expression of the fluorinase enzyme was successful in both E.coli and PichiaPink™ where high expression levels in both expression systems were achieved. Protein production will be scaled up in PichiaPink™ using fermentation to achieve large-scale protein production. High level expression of protein is essential in biocatalysis for the availability of enzymes for industrial applications.

Keywords: biocatalyst, expression, fluorinase, PichiaPink™

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Authors: Soo Dong Cho, In-Ohk Ouh, Byeong Sul Kang, Seyeon Park, In-Soo Cho, Jae Young Song

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An VP2 gene from the current prevalent CPV (Canine Parvovirus) strain (new CPV-2a) in the Republic of Korea was expressed in a baculovirus expression system. Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolate strain CPV-2a. The recombinant baculovirus, containing the coding sequences of VP2 with the histidine tag at the N-terminus, were generated by using the Bac-to-Bac system. For production of the recombinant VP2 proteins, SF9 cells were transfection into 6 wells. Propagation of recombinant baculoviruses and expression of the VP2 protein were performed in the Sf9 cell line maintained. The proteins were detected to Western blot anlaysis. CPV-2a VP2 was detected by Western blotting the monoclonal antibodies recognized 6x His and the band had a molecular weight of 65 KDa. We demonstrated that recombinant CPV-2a VP2 expression in baculovirus. The recombinant CPV-2a VP2 may able to development of specific diagnostic test and vaccination of against CPV2. This study provides a foundation for application of CPV2 on the development of new CPV2 subunit vaccine.

Keywords: baculovirus, canine parvovirus 2a, Dog, Korea

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Authors: M. Ibrir, S. Berri, S. Lakel, D. Maouche And Y. Medkour

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We have performed first-principle calculations of the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of KFeF3, KCoF3, KMnF3, KVF3, using full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) scheme within GGA. Features such as the lattice constant, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are reported. Also, we have presented our results of the band structure and the density of states. The magnetic moments of KFeF3, KCoF3, KMnF3, KVF3 compounds are in most came from the exchange-splitting of X-3d orbital.

Keywords: Ab initio calculations, electronic structure, magnetic materials

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Authors: A. M. Nour, M. A. Zaki, E. A. Omer, Nourhan Mohamed

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Performances of mixed-sex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings (11.33 ± 1.78 g /fish) reared under biofloc system developed by molasses and sucrose as carbon sources in indoor fiberglass tanks were evaluated. Six indoor fiberglass tanks (1m 3 each filled with 1000 l of underground fresh water), each was stocked with 2kg fish were used for 14 weeks experimental period. Three experimental groups were designed (each group 2 tanks) as following: 1-control: 20% daily without biofloc, 2-zero water exchange rate with biofloc (molasses as C source) and 3-zero water exchange rate with biofloc (sucrose as C source). Fish in all aquariums were fed on floating feed pellets (30% crude protein, 3 mm in diameter) at a rate of 3% of the actual live fish body, 3 times daily and 6 days a week. Carbohydrate supplementations were applied daily to each tank two hrs, after feeding to maintain the carbon: nitrogen ratio (C: N) ratio 20:1. Fish were reared under continuous aeration by pumping air into the water in the tank bottom using two sandy diffusers and constant temperature between 27.0-28.0 ºC by using electrical heaters for 10 weeks. Criteria's for assessment of water quality parameters, biofloc production and fish growth performances were collected and evaluated. The results showed that total ammonia nitrogen in control group was higher than biofloc groups. The biofloc volumes were 19.13 mg/l and 13.96 mg/l for sucrose and molasses, respectively. Biofloc protein (%), ether extract (%) and gross energy (kcal/100g DM), they were higher in biofloc molasses group than biofloc sucrose group. Tilapia growth performances were significantly higher (P < 0.05) with molasses group than in sucrose and control groups, respectively. The highest feed and nutrient utilization values for protein efficiency ratio (PER), protein productive (PPV%) and energy utilization (EU, %) were higher in molasses group followed by sucrose group and control group respectively.

Keywords: biofloc, Nile tilapia, cabohydrates, performances

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Authors: Ram Narayan Khare, Adhyatma Khare, Aradhna Shrivastava

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In this study, numerical modeling of ‘Lime Surkhi’ masonry building has been carried out for a prototype ancient building situated at seismic zone III using the Finite Element Method by Abaqus software. The model is designed in order to get the failure envelope and then decide the best method of retrofitting the structure so that the structure is made to withstand more decades, given its historical background. Previously, due to a lack of technologies, it was difficult to determine the mode of failure. Present technological development can predict the mode of failure, and subsequently, the structure can be refabricated accordingly. The study makes an important addition to the understanding of retrofitting ancient and old buildings based on the results of FEM modeling.

Keywords: seismic retrofitting, Abaqus, FEM, historic building, Lime Surkhi masonry

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Authors: M. Thuanthong, W. Youravong, N. Sirinupong

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Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is one of fish species cultured in Thailand with a high production volume. A lot of skin is generated during fish processing. In addition, there are many research reported that fish skin contains abundant of collagen. Thus, the use of Nile tilapia skin as collagen source can increase the benefit of industrial waste. In this study, Acid soluble collagen (ASC) was extracted at 5, 15 or 25 ˚C with 0.5 M acetic acid then the acid was removed out and collagen was concentrated by ultrafiltration-diafiltration (UFDF). The triple helix collagen from UFDF process was used as substrate to produce collagen peptides by alcalase hydrolysis in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) coupling with 1 kDa molecular weight cut off (MWCO) polysulfone hollow fiber membrane. The results showed that ASC extracted at high temperature (25 ˚C) with 0.5 M acetic acid for 5 h still preserved triple helix structure. In the UFDF process, the acid removal was higher than 90 % without any effect on ASC properties, particularly triple helix structure as indicated by circular dichroism spectrum. Moreover, Collagen from UFDF was used to produce collagen peptides by EMR. In EMR, collagen was pre-hydrolyzed by alcalase for 60 min before introduced to membrane separation. The EMR operation was operated for 10 h and provided a good of protein conversion stability. The results suggested that there is a successfulness of UF in application for acid removal to produce ASC with desirable preservation of its quality. In addition, the EMR was proven to be an effective process to produce low molecular weight peptides with ACE-inhibitory activity properties.

Keywords: acid soluble collagen, ultrafiltration-diafiltration, enzymatic membrane reactor, ace-inhibitory activity

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Authors: Ebissa Gadissa Kedir, C. S. P. Ojha, K. S. Hari Prasad

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In the present study, the depth-averaged velocity and boundary shear stress in non-prismatic compound channels with three different converging floodplain angles ranging from 1.43ᶱ to 7.59ᶱ have been studied. The analytical solutions were derived by considering acting forces on the channel beds and walls. In the present study, five key parameters, i.e., non-dimensional coefficient, secondary flow term, secondary flow coefficient, friction factor, and dimensionless eddy viscosity, were considered and discussed. An expression for non-dimensional coefficient and integration constants was derived based on the boundary conditions. The model was applied to different data sets of the present experiments and experiments from other sources, respectively, to examine and analyse the influence of floodplain converging angles on depth-averaged velocity and boundary shear stress distributions. The results show that the non-dimensional parameter plays important in portraying the variation of depth-averaged velocity and boundary shear stress distributions with different floodplain converging angles. Thus, the variation of the non-dimensional coefficient needs attention since it affects the secondary flow term and secondary flow coefficient in both the main channel and floodplains. The analysis shows that the depth-averaged velocities are sensitive to a shear stress-dependent model parameter non-dimensional coefficient, and the analytical solutions are well agreed with experimental data when five parameters are included. It is inferred that the developed model may facilitate the interest of others in complex flow modeling.

Keywords: depth-average velocity, converging floodplain angles, non-dimensional coefficient, non-prismatic compound channels

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Authors: Nafees Ahmed, Nur Izyani Kamaruzman, Saralla Nathan, Mohd Ezharul Hoque Chowdhury, Anuar Zaini Md Zain, Iekhsan Othman, Sharifah Binti Syed Hassan

Abstract:

Meat quality is always subject to consumer scrutiny when purchasing from retail markets on mislabeling as fresh meat. Various physiological and biochemical changes influence the quality of meat. As a major component of muscle tissue, proteins play a major role in muscle foods. In meat industry, freezing is the most common form of storage of meat products. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing are common in restaurants, kitchen, and retail outlets and can also occur during transportation or storage. Temperature fluctuation is responsible for physical, chemical, and biochemical changes. Repeated cycles of ‘freeze-thaw’ degrade the quality of meat by stimulating the lipid oxidation and surface discoloration. The shelf life of meat is usually determined by its appearance, texture, color, flavor, microbial activity, and nutritive value and is influenced by frozen storage and subsequent thawing. The main deterioration of frozen meat during storage is due to protein. Due to the large price differences between fresh and frozen–thawed meat, it is of great interest to consumer to know whether a meat product is truly fresh or not. Researchers have mainly focused on the reduction of moisture loss due to freezing and thawing cycles of meat. The water holding capacity (WHC) of muscle proteins and reduced water content are key quality parameters of meat that ultimately changes color and texture. However, there has been limited progress towards understanding the actual mechanisms behind the meat quality changes under the freeze–thaw cycles. Furthermore, effect of freeze-thaw process on integrity of proteins is ignored. In this paper, we have studied the effect of ‘freeze-thawing’ on physicochemical changes of chicken meat protein. We have assessed the quality of meat by pH, spectroscopic measurements, Western Blot. Our results showed that increase in freeze-thaw cycles causes changes in pH. Measurements of absorbance (UV-visible and IR) indicated the degradation of proteins. The expression of various proteins (CREB, AKT, MAPK, GAPDH, and phosphorylated forms) were performed using Western Blot. These results indicated the repeated cycles of freeze-thaw is responsible for deterioration of protein, thus causing decrease in nutritious value of meat. It damges the use of these products in Islamic Sharia.

Keywords: chicken meat, freeze-thaw, halal, protein, western blot

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Authors: Lucia Salvioni, Pietro Giorgio Lovaglio, Valerio Leoni, Miriam Colombo, Luisa Fiandra

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The involvement of plasmatic surfactant protein-D (SP-D) in pulmonary diseases has been long investigated, and over the last two years, more interest has been directed to determine its role as a marker of COVID-19. In this direction, several studies aimed to correlate pulmonary surfactant proteins with the clinical manifestations of the virus indicated SP-D as a prognostic biomarker of COVID-19 pneumonia severity. The present work has performed a retrospective study on a relatively large cohort of patients of Hospital Pio XI of Desio (Lombardia, Italy) with the aim to assess differences in the hematic SP-D concentrations among COVID-19 patients and healthy donors and the role of SP-D as a prognostic marker of severity and/or of mortality risk. The obtained results showed a significant difference in the mean of log SP-D levels between COVID-19 patients and healthy donors, so as between dead and survived patients. SP-D values were significantly higher for both hospitalized COVID-19 and dead patients, with threshold values of 150 and 250 ng/mL, respectively. SP-D levels at admission and increasing differences among follow-up and admission values resulted in the strongest significant risk factors of mortality. Therefore, this study demonstrated the role of SP-D as a predictive marker of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its outcome. A significant correlation of SP-D with patient mortality indicated that it is also a prognostic factor in terms of mortality, and its early detection should be considered to design adequate preventive treatments for COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19, surfactant protein-D (SP-D), mortality, biomarker

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Authors: Slamet Subiyantoro, Mulyanto

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Revealing the structure and symbolism meaning of the walisanga’s mosque arts in Java is very important to explain the philosophy of religious foundation which is a manifestation of the norms/ value system and behavior of the Javanese Islam society that support the culture. This research's aims are also to find the structure pattern of walisanga’s mosque and its symbolic meaning in the context of Javanese Islam society. In order to obtain the research objectives, the research were done in several walisanga’s mosques in Java using anthropological approach which is focused on its interpretation and semiotic analysis. The data were collected through interviews with key informants who well informed about the shape and symbolism of walisanga’s mosques in Java. The observation technique is done through visiting walisanga’s mosques to see directly about its structure/ architecture. In completing the information of comprehensive result of the research, it is also used documents and archives as well as any other source which is analyzed to deepen the discussion in answering the problems research. The flow of analysis is done using an interactive model through stages of data collection, data reduction, data presentation and verification. The analysis is done continuously in a cycle system to draw valid conclusions. The research result indicates that the structure/architecture of walisanga’s mosque in Java is structured/built up vertically as well as horizontally. Its structure/architecture is correlated to each other which is having a sacred meaning that is a process represents the mystical belief such as sangkan paraning dumadi and manuggaling kawula gusti.

Keywords: Walisanga’s mosques, Java, structure and architecture, meaning

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Authors: O. B. Imoukhuede, M. O. Ale

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The periodic scarcity of onion requires an urgent solution in Nigerian agro- economy. The high percentage of onion losses incurred after the harvesting period is due to non-availability of appropriate facility for its storage. Therefore, some storage structures were constructed with different roofing materials. The response of the materials to the weather parameters like temperature and relative humidity were evaluated to know their effects on the performance of the storage structures. The temperature and relative humidity were taken three times daily alongside with the weight of the onion in each of the structures; the losses as indicated by loss indices like shrinkage, rottenness, sprouting, and colour were identified and percentage loss per week determined. The highest mean percentage loss (22%) was observed in the structure with iron roofing materials while structure with thatched materials had the lowest (9.4%); The highest temperature was observed in the structure with Asbestos roofing materials and no significant difference in the temperature value in the structure with thatched and Iron materials; highest relatively humidity was found in Asbestos roofing material while the lowest in the structure with iron matetrials. It was conclusively found that the storage structure with thatched roof had the best performance in terms of losses.

Keywords: Nigeria, onion, storage structures, weather parameters, roof materials, losses

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Authors: George Nyori Makari

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Data on 92 industrial organizations point to the existence of relationships between advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) adoption and some aspects of organizational structure, including the number of specialized sub-units, the number of levels of authority, span of control, degree of role programming specification, degree of communication programming specification and the degree of output programming. Primary finding is that as the investments and integration of AMTs increases, the more likely the foregoing aspects of structure increase. The findings hold with size and a number of other organizational variables controlled. The results indicate that a company’s capacity to assimilate technology depends on its organizational capabilities. The study encapsulates the need for companies to increase their organizational capabilities during investment and integration of AMTs.

Keywords: advanced manufacturing technology, adoption, organizational structure, Kenya

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Authors: Sameerah A. Al-Hariri Al-Zahrani

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The current study aims at getting acquainted with the impact of the use of some multiple intelligence-based teaching strategies on developing moral intelligence and inferential jurisprudential thinking among secondary school female students. The study has endeavored to answer the following questions: What is the impact of the use of some multiple intelligence-based teaching strategies on developing inferential jurisprudential thinking and moral intelligence among first-year secondary school female students? In the frame of this main research question, the study seeks to answer the following sub-questions: (i) What are the inferential jurisprudential thinking skills among first-year secondary school female students? (ii) What are the components of moral intelligence among first year secondary school female students? (iii) What is the impact of the use of some multiple intelligence‐based teaching strategies (such as the strategies of analyzing values, modeling, Socratic discussion, collaborative learning, peer collaboration, collective stories, building emotional moments, role play, one-minute observation) on moral intelligence among first-year secondary school female students? (iv) What is the impact of the use of some multiple intelligence‐based teaching strategies (such as the strategies of analyzing values, modeling, Socratic discussion, collaborative learning, peer collaboration, collective stories, building emotional moments, role play, one-minute observation) on developing the capacity for inferential jurisprudential thinking of juristic rules among first-year secondary school female students? The study has used the descriptive-analytical methodology in surveying, analyzing, and reviewing the literature on previous studies in order to benefit from them in building the tools of the study and the materials of experimental treatment. The study has also used the experimental method to study the impact of the independent variable (multiple intelligence strategies) on the two dependent variables (moral intelligence and inferential jurisprudential thinking) in first-year secondary school female students’ learning. The sample of the study is made up of 70 female students that have been divided into two groups: an experimental group consisting of 35 students who have been taught through multiple intelligence strategies, and a control group consisting of the other 35 students who have been taught normally. The two tools of the study (inferential jurisprudential thinking test and moral intelligence scale) have been implemented on the two groups as a pre-test. The female researcher taught the experimental group and implemented the two tools of the study. After the experiment, which lasted eight weeks, was over, the study showed the following results: (i) The existence of significant statistical differences (0.05) between the mean average of the control group and that of the experimental group in the inferential jurisprudential thinking test (recognition of the evidence of jurisprudential rule, recognition of the motive for the jurisprudential rule, jurisprudential inferencing, analogical jurisprudence) in favor of the experimental group. (ii) The existence of significant statistical differences (0.05) between the mean average of the control group and that of the experimental group in the components of the moral intelligence scale (sympathy, conscience, moral wisdom, tolerance, justice, respect) in favor of the experimental group. The study has, thus, demonstrated the impact of the use of some multiple intelligence-based teaching strategies on developing moral intelligence and inferential jurisprudential thinking.

Keywords: moral intelligence, teaching, inferential jurisprudential thinking, secondary school

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Authors: Hefzollah Mohammadiyan, Mohammad Bagher Heidari, Ensiyeh Hajeb

Abstract:

In this paper investigates and analyses the structure of nano sensors will be discussed. The structure can be classified based of nano sensors: quantum points, carbon nanotubes and nano tools, which details into each other and in turn are analyzed. Then will be fully examined to the Carbon nanotubes as chemical and mechanical sensors. The following discussion, be examined compares the advantages and disadvantages as different types of sensors and also it has feature and a wide range of applications in various industries. Finally, the structure and application of Chemical sensor transistors and the sensors will be discussed in air pollution control.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes, quantum points, chemical sensors, mechanical sensors, chemical sensor transistors, single walled nanotube (SWNT), atomic force microscope (AFM)

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Authors: S. Yezli-Touiker, L. Kirane-Amrani, N. Soltani-Mazouni

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Ephestia kuehniella Zeller Lepidoptera, Pyralidae commonly called Mediterranean flour moth, is serious cosmopolitan pest of stored grain products, particularly flour Month. This species is also a source of allergen that causes asthma and rhinitis. Captopril is an inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) it was tested in vivo by topical application on development of E. kuehniella. The compound is diluted in acetone and applied topically to newly emerged pupae (10mg/2ml). Report chitin protein of cuticule and ecdysteroid Amounts were determined in vivo. Results show that the captopril does not affect chitin protein of cuticule but traitment with captopril increase the hormonal production, the quantitative analysis reveals the presence of two peaks one at third and another at fifth day.

Keywords: Ephestia kuehniella, cuticule, hormone, captopril

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Authors: Olugbade Damola, Adekomi Adebimbo, Sofowora Olaniyi Alaba

Abstract:

One of the major problems facing education in Nigeria is the provision of quality Science and Technology education. Inadequate teaching facilities, non-usage of innovative teaching strategies, ineffective classroom management, lack of students’ motivation and poor integration of ICT has resulted in the increase in percentage of students who failed Basic Science and Technology in Junior Secondary Certification Examination for National Examination Council in Nigeria. To address these challenges, the Federal Government came up with a road map on education. This was with a view of enhancing quality education through integration of modern technology into teaching and learning, enhancing quality assurance through proper monitoring and introduction of innovative methods of teaching. This led the researcher to investigate how MOODLE LMS could be used to enhance students’ learning outcomes in BST. A sample of 120 students was purposively selected from four secondary schools in Ogbomoso. The experimental group was taught using MOODLE LMS, while the control group was taught using the conventional method. Data obtained were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. The result showed that MOODLE LMS was an effective learning platform in teaching BST in junior secondary schools (t=4.953, P<0.05). Students’ attitudes towards BST was also enhanced through MOODLE LMS (t=15.632, P<0.05). The use of MOODLE LMS significantly enhanced students’ retention (t=6.640, P<0.05). In conclusion, the Federal Government efforts at enhancing quality assurance through integration of modern technology and e-learning in Secondary schools proved to have yielded good result has students found MOODLE LMS to be motivating and interactive. Attendance was improved.

Keywords: basic science and technology, MOODLE LMS, performance, quality assurance

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