Search results for: in-vivo antimalarial activity

Authors: M. S. M. Yusof, R. Ramli, S. K. C. Soh, N. Ismail, N. Ngah

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This study presents the synthesis of a series of methoxybenzoylthiourea amino acid derivatives. The compounds were obtained from the reactions between 2/3/4-methoxybenzoyl isothiocyanate with threonine. All of the compounds were characterized via mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectrometry, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and FT-IR spectroscopy. Mass spectra for all of the compounds showed the presence of molecular ion [M]⁺ peaks at m/z 312, which are in agreement to the calculated molecular weight. For ¹H NMR spectra, the presence of OCH₃, C=S-NH and C=O-NH protons were observed within range of δ_H 3.8-4.0 ppm, 11.1-11.5 ppm and 10.0-11.5 ppm, respectively. ¹³C NMR spectra in all compounds displayed the presence of OCH₃, C=O-NH, C=O-OH and C=S carbon resonances within range of δ_C 55.0-57.0 ppm, 165.0-168.0 ppm, 170.0-171.0 ppm and 180.0-182.0 ppm, respectively. In UV spectra, two absorption bands have been observed and both were assigned to the n-π* and π-π* transitions. Six vibrational modes of v(N-H), v(O-H), v(C=O-OH), v(C=O-NH), v(C=C) aromatic and v(C=S) appeared in the FT-IR spectra within the range of 3241-3467 cm^-1, 2976-3302 cm^-1, 1720-1768 cm^-1, 1655-1672 cm^-1, 1519-1525 cm^-1 and 754-763 cm^-1, respectively. The antibacterial activity for all of the compounds was screened against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. However, no activity was observed.

Keywords: methoxybenzoyl isothiocyanate, amino acid, threonine, antibacterial

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Authors: Nail Nazarov, Alexandra Vyshtakalyuk, Vyacheslav Semenov, Irina Galyametdinova, Vladimir Zobov, Vladimir Reznik

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Among hepatic pyrimidine used as a means of stimulating protein synthesis and recovery of liver cells in her damaged toxic and infectious etiology. When an experimental toxic hepatitis hepatoprotective activity detected some pyrimidine derivatives. There are literature data on oksimetiluratcila hepatoprotective effect. For analogs of pyrimidine nucleobases - drugs Methyluracilum pentoxy and hepatoprotective effect of weakly expressed. According to the American scientists broad spectrum of biological activity, including hepatoprotective properties, have a 2,4-dioxo-5-arilidenimino uracils. Influenced Xymedon medicinal preparation (1- (beta-hydroxyethyl) -4,6-dimethyl-1,2-dihydro-2-oksopirimidin) developed as a means of stimulating the regeneration of tissue revealed increased activity of microsomal oxidases human liver. In studies on the model of toxic liver damage in rats have shown hepatoprotective effect xymedon and stimulating its impact on the recovery of the liver tissue. Hepatoprotective properties of the new compound in the series of pyrimidine derivatives L-ascorbate 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4,6-dimethyl-1,2-dihydropirimidine-2-one synthesized on the basis Xymedon preparation were firstly investigated on rats under the carbon tetrachloride action. It was shown the differences of biochemical parameters from the reference value and severity of structural-morphological liver violations decreased in comparison with control group under the influence of the compound injected before exposure carbon tetrachloride. Hepatoprotective properties of the investigated compound were more pronounced in comparison with Xymedon.

Keywords: hepatoprotectors, pyrimidine derivatives, toxic liver damage, xymedon

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Authors: Zhanzhao Fu, Chongyi Ling, Jinlan Wang

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Water splitting and rechargeable air-based batteries are emerging as new renewable energy storage and conversion technologies. However, the discovery of suitable catalysts with high activity and low cost remains a great challenge. In this work, we report a single-atom trifunctional catalyst, namely Ti₃C₂O₂ supported single Pd atom (Pd1@Ti₃C₂O₂), for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This catalyst is selected from 12 candidates and possesses low overpotentials of 0.22 V, 0.31 V and 0.34 V for the HER, OER and ORR, respectively, making it an excellent electrocatalyst for both overall water splitting and rechargeable air-based batteries. The superior OER and ORR performance originates from the optimal d band center of the supported Pd atom. Moreover, the excellent activity can be maintained even if the single Pd atoms aggregate into small clusters. This work offers new opportunities for advancing the renewable energy storage and conversion technologies and paves a new way for the development of multifunctional electrocatalysts.

Keywords: DFT, SACs, OER, ORR, HER

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Authors: Emmanuel Kamal Aziz Saba, Hussein Al-Moghazy Sultan

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The aim of this study was to evaluate clinically and electro physiologically the autonomic nervous system changes associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The present study included 25 patients with RA [22 women (88%)] and 30 apparently healthy control subjects [27 women (90%)]. A thorough clinical examination was carried out. Disease activity and functional disability were assessed. Tests for assessment of autonomic functions include active and passive orthostatic stress tests, and sympathetic skin response (SSR). The presence of abnormality in 2 tests or more was a clue for the presence of autonomic neuropathy (AN). Sural sensory nerve conduction study and posterior tibial motor nerve conduction study were done. There was a statistically significant decrease in standing systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) components of the active orthostatic stress test and SSR amplitude as well as statistically significant prolongation of SSR latency of RA patients when compared to control. Three patients (12%) had clinical symptoms suggestive of AN; increased to 14 patients (56 %) when orthostatic stress tests and SSR were utilized. There were no statistically significant differences between patients with different disease activity score 28 with 4 variables grades of RA activity and SSR latency and amplitude. There were no statistically significant differences between patients with different Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index grades of RA functional disability and SSR latency and amplitude. In conclusion, autonomic neuropathy is a common extra-articular manifestation of RA affecting sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers.

Keywords: autonomic neuropathy, orthostatic stress test, rheumatoid arthritis, sympathetic skin response

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Authors: Siham Rahoui, Amr Mahfouz, Amr Arisha

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In a highly competitive environment characterised by uncertainty and disruptions, such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak, supply chains (SC) face the challenge of maintaining their cost at minimum levels while continuing to provide customers with high-quality products and services. More importantly, businesses in such an economic context strive to maintain survival by keeping the cost of undertaken activities (such as logistics) low and in-house. To do so, managers need to understand the costs associated with different products and services in order to have a clear vision of the SC performance, maintain profitability levels, and make strategic decisions. In this context, SC literature explored different costing models that sought to determine the costs of undertaking supply chain-related activities. While some cost accounting techniques have been extensively explored in the SC context, more contributions are needed to explore the potential of time driven activity-based costing (TDABC). More specifically, more applications are needed in the manufacturing context of the SC, where the debate is ongoing. The aim of the study is to assess the capability of the technique to assess the operational performance of the logistics function. Through a case study methodology applied to a manufacturing company operating in the automotive industry, TDABC evaluates the efficiency of the current configuration and its logistics processes. The study shows that monitoring the process efficiency and cost efficiency leads to strategic decisions that contributed to improve the overall efficiency of the logistics processes.

Keywords: efficiency, operational performance, supply chain costing, time driven activity based costing

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Authors: Layane Sara Vieira, Paulo Egidio Bernardo, Roberto Saverio Souza Costa

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Anthropogenic occupations and agricultural explorations without concern for the preservation and sustainability of the activity result in soil degradation that can make rural activity unfeasible. The objective of this work was to characterize and evaluate the recovery costs of an area degraded by major erosion (gully) in the municipality of Monte Alto (SP). Topographic characterization was carried out by means of a planialtimetric survey with a total station. The contours of the gully, internal area, slope height, contribution area, volume, and costs of operations for the recovery of the gully were delimited. The results obtained showed that the gully has a length of 145.56 m, a maximum width of 36.61 m, and a gap of 19.48 m. The external area of the gully is 1,039.8741 m², and the internal area is 119.3470 m². The calculated volume was 3,282.63 m³. The intervention area for breaking slopes was measured at 8,471.29 m², requiring the construction of 19 terraces in this area, vertically spaced at 2.8 m. The estimated costs for mechanical recovery of the gully were R$ 19,167.84 (US$ 3.657,98).

Keywords: erosion, volumetric assessment, soil degradation, terraces

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Authors: Roman J. Jedrzejczyk, Damian K. Chlebda, Anna Dziedzicka, Rafal Wazny, Agnieszka Domka, Maciej Sitarz, Przemyslaw J. Jodlowski

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The aim of this study was to obtain antimicrobial material based on thin zirconium dioxide coatings on structured reactors doped with metal nanoparticles using the sonochemical sol-gel method. As a result, dense, uniform zirconium dioxide films were obtained on the kanthal sheets which can be used as support materials in antimicrobial converters with sophisticated shapes. The material was characterised by physicochemical methods, such as AFM, SEM, EDX, XRF, XRD, XPS and in situ Raman and DRIFT spectroscopy. In terms of antimicrobial activity, the material was tested by ATP/AMP method using model microbes isolated from the real systems. The results show that the material can be potentially used in the market as a good candidate for active package and as active bulkheads of climatic systems. The mechanical tests showed that the developed method is an efficient way to obtain durable converters with high antimicrobial activity against fungi and bacteria.

Keywords: antimicrobial properties, kanthal steel, nanocomposite, zirconium oxide

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Authors: Martha Ndeley, John Ikome

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In this paper, we expand the scope of constraint-directed techniques to deal with the case of transportation schedule with capacity restrictions where the scheduling problem includes alternative activities. That is, not only does the scheduling problem consist of determining when an activity is to be executed, but also determining which set of alternative activities is to be executed at all level of transportation from input to output. Such problems encompass both alternative resource problems and alternative process plan problems. We formulate a constraint-based representation of alternative activities to model problems containing such choices. We then extend existing constraint-directed scheduling heuristic commitment techniques and propagators to reason directly about the fact that an activity does not necessarily have to exist in a final transportation schedule without being completed. Tentative results show that an algorithm using a novel texture-based heuristic commitment technique propagators achieves the best overall performance of the techniques tested.

Keywords: production, transportation, scheduling, integrated

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Authors: Tomas Drevinskas, Ruta Mickiene, Audrius Maruska, Nicola Tiso, Algirdas Salomskas, Raimundas Lelesius, Agneta Karpovaite, Ona Ragazinskiene, Loreta Kubiliene

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Antiviral effect of substances accumulated by plants and natural products is known to ethno-pharmacy and modern day medicine. Antiviral properties are usually assigned to volatile compounds and polyphenols. This research work is divided into several parts and the task of this part was to investigate potential plants, potential substances and potential preparation conditions that can be used for the preparation of antiviral agents. Sixteen different medicinal plants, their parts and two types of propolis were selected for screening. Firstly, extraction conditions of non-volatile compounds were investigated: 3 pre-selected plants were extracted with 5 different ethanol – water mixtures (96%, 75%, 60%, 40%, 20 %, vol.) and bidistilled water. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and radical scavenging activity was determined. The results indicated that optimal extrahent is 40%, vol. of ethanol – water mixture. Further investigations were performed with the extrahent of 40%, vol. ethanol – water mixture. All 16 of selected plants, their parts and two types of propolis were extracted using selected extrahent. Determined total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and radical scavenging activity indicated that extracts of Origanum Vulgare L., Mentha piperita L., Geranium macrorrhizum L., Melissa officinalis L. and Desmodium canadence L. contains highest amount of extractable phenolic compounds (7.31, 5.48, 7.88, 8.02 and 7.16 rutin equivalents (mg/ ml) respectively), flavonoid content (2.14, 2.23, 2.49, 0.79 and 1.51 rutin equivalents (mg/ml) respectively) and radical scavenging activity (11.98, 8.72, 13.47, 13.22 and 12.22 rutin equivalents (mg/ml) respectively). Composition of the extracts is analyzed using HPLC.

Keywords: antiviral effect, plants, propolis, phenols

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Authors: Otilia R. Vasile, Florina C. Ilie, Irina F. Nicoara, Cristina D. Ghitulica, Roxana Trusca, Ovidiu Oprea, Vasile A. Surdu, Bogdan S. Vasile, Ecaterina Adronescu

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In this work ZnO nanostructures (nanopowders and nanostars) have been synthesized via a simple sol-gel method. The used methods for synthesizing the nanostructures involve two steps as follows: (1) precipitation of zinc acetate precursor for the synthesis of ZnO nanopowders and zinc chloride precursor for the synthesis of ZnO nanostars and (2) addition of Eu2O3 in different concentrations (1%, 3%, and 5%) using europium acetate as precursor. Detailed crystalline parameters for each of the synthetized species were analysed using X-ray diffraction. Structural transitions were also discussed. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared ZnO nanopowders and nanostars were investigated by electron microscopy. TEM investigations have shown an average particle size range from 23 to 29 nm and polyhedral and spherical morphology with tendency to form aggregates for nanopowders. For nanostars structures, a star-like morphology could be observed. Cytotoxicity tests on MG-63 cell lines were also performed. Photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanopowders have reached higher values compared to ZnO nanostars.

Keywords: cytotoxicity, photocatalytic activity, TEM, ZnO

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Authors: M. I. Nicolas, J. C. Cruz, Ysmael Verde, A.Yeladaqui-Tello

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The manufacture of Portland cement has revolutionized the construction industry since the nineteenth century; however, the high cost and large amount of energy required on its manufacturing encouraged, from the seventies, the search of alternative materials to replace it partially or completely. Among the materials studied to replace the cement are the ashes. In the city of Chetumal, south of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, there are no natural sources of pozzolanic ash. In the present study, the cementitious properties of artificial ash resulting from the combustion of waste pine wood were analyzed. The ash obtained was sieved through the screen and No.200 a fraction was analyzed using the technique of X-ray diffraction; with the aim of identifying the crystalline phases and particle sizes of pozzolanic material by the Debye-Scherrer equation. From the characterization of materials, mixtures for a concrete of f'c = 250 kg / cm2 were designed with the method ACI 211.1; for the pattern mixture and for partial replacements of Portland cement by 5%, 10% and 12% pine wood ash mixture. Simple resistance to axial compression of specimens prepared with each concrete mixture, at 3, 14 and 28 days of curing was evaluated. Pozzolanic activity was observed in the ash obtained, checking the presence of crystalline silica (SiO2 of 40.24 nm) and alumina (Al2O3 of 35.08 nm). At 28 days of curing, the specimens prepared with a 5% ash, reached a compression resistance 63% higher than design; for specimens with 10% ash, was 45%; and for specimens with 12% ash, only 36%. Compared to Pattern mixture, which after 28 days showed a f'c = 423.13 kg/cm2, the specimens reached only 97%, 86% and 82% of the compression resistance, for mixtures containing 5%, 10% ash and 12% respectively. The pozzolanic activity of pine wood ash influences the compression resistance, which indicates that it can replace up to 12% of Portland cement by ash without compromising its design strength, however, there is a decrease in strength compared to the pattern concrete.

Keywords: concrete, pine wood ash, pozzolanic activity, X-ray

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Authors: Amal A. Al-Kahlawy, Heba H. El-Maghrabi

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Due to the increasing need to environment protection in real time need to energize new materials are under extensive investigations. Between others, TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) nanocomposite with iron oxide and silver carbonate, are promising alternatives as high-efficiency visible light photocatalyst due to their unique properties and their superior charge transport properties. Our efforts in this domain aim the construction of novel nanocomposite of TiO2NT/Fe2O3@Ag2CO3. The structure, surface morphology, chemical composition and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). XRD results confirm the interaction of TiO2-NT with iron oxide. This novel nanocomposite shows remarkably enhanced performance for phenol compounds photodegradation. The experimental data shows a promising photocatalytic activity. In particular, a maximum value of 450 mg/g was removed within 60 min at solar light irradiation with degradation efficiency of 99.5%. The high photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite is found to be related to the increased adsorption toward chemical species, enhanced light absorption and efficient charge separation and transfer. Finally, the designed TiO2NT/Fe2O3@Ag2CO3 nanocomposite has a great degree of sustainability and could has a potential application for the industrial treatment of wastewater containing toxic organic materials.

Keywords: nanocomposite, photocatalyst, solar energy, titanium dioxide nanotubes

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Authors: Gajanan M. Sonwane

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The computational studies on 2-phenazinamines with their protein targets have been carried out to design compounds with potential anticancer activity. This strategy of designing compounds possessing selectivity over specific tyrosine kinase has been achieved through G-QSAR and molecular docking studies. The objective of this research has been to design newer 2-phenazinamine derivatives as Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitors by G-QSAR, molecular docking studies followed by wet-lab studies along with evaluation of their anticancer potential. Computational chemistry was done by using VLife MDS 4.3 and Autodock 4.2 followed by wet-lab experiments for synthesizing 2-phenazinamine derivatives. The chemical structures of ligands in 2D were drawn by employing Chemdraw 2D Ultra 8.0 and were converted into 3D. These were optimized by using a semi-empirical method called MOPAC. The protein structure was retrieved from RCSC protein data bank as a PDB file. The binding interactions of protein and ligands were done by using PYMOL. The molecular properties of the designed compounds were predicted in silico by using Osiris property explorer. The parent compound 2-phenazinamine was synthesized by reduction of 2, 4-dinitro-N-phenyl-benzenamine in the presence of tin chloride followed by cyclization in the presence of nitrobenzene and magnesium sulfate. The derivatization at the amino function of 2-phenazinamine was performed by treating parent compound with various aldehydes in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and urea to afford 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-3-(phenazine-2-yl) thiazolidine-4-one. Synthesized 39 novel derivatives of 2-phenazinamine and performed antioxidant activity, anti antiproliferative on the bulb of onion and anticancer activity on cell line showing significant competition with marked blockbuster drug imatinib.

Keywords: computer-aided drug design, tyrosin kinases, anticancer, docking

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Authors: B. Sadek, N. Khan, D. Łażewska, K. Kieć-Kononowicz

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The effects of the non-imidazole histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonist DL77 in passive avoidance paradigm (PAP) and novel object recognition (NOR) task in MK801-induced cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia (CDS) in adult male rats, and applying donepezil (DOZ) as a reference drug were investigated. The results show that acute systemic administration of DL77 (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved MK801-induced (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) memory deficits in PAP. The ameliorating activity of DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) in MK801-induced deficits was partly reversed when rats were pretreated with the centrally-acting H2R antagonist zolantidine (ZOL, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) or with the antimuscarinic antagonist scopolamine (SCO, 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), but not with the CNS penetrant H1R antagonist pyrilamine (PYR, 10 mg/kg, i.p.). Moreover, the memory enhancing effect of DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) in MK801-induced memory deficits in PAP was strongly reversed when rats were pretreated with a combination of ZOL (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and SCO (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.). Furthermore, the significant ameliorative effect of DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) on MK801-induced long-term memory (LTM) impairment in NOR test was comparable to the DOZ-provided memory-enhancing effect, and was abrogated when animals were pretreated with the histamine H3R agonist R-(α)-methylhistamine (RAMH, 10 mg/kg, i.p.). However, DL77(5 mg/kg, i.p.) failed to provide procognitive effect on MK801-induced short-term memory (STM) impairment in NOR test. In addition, DL77 (5 mg/kg) did not alter anxiety levels and locomotor activity of animals naive to elevated-plus maze (EPM), demonstrating that improved performances with DL77 (5 mg/kg) in PAP or NOR are unrelated to changes in emotional responding or spontaneous locomotor activity. These results provide evidence for the potential of H3Rs for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders related to impaired memory function, e.g. CDS.

Keywords: histamine H3 receptor, antagonist, learning, memory impairment, passive avoidance paradigm, novel object recognition

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Authors: Shweta Singh, Dipali Bansal, Rashima Mahajan

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Psychoacoustics has become a potential area of research due to the growing interest of both laypersons and medical and mental health professionals. Non-invasive brain computer interface like Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely being used in this field. An attempt has been made in this paper to examine the response of EEG signals to acoustic stimuli further analysing the brain electrical activity. The real time EEG is acquired for 6 participants using a cost effective and portable EMOTIV EEG neuron headset. EEG data analysis is further done using EMOTIV test bench, EDF browser and EEGLAB (MATLAB Tool) application software platforms. Spectral analysis of acquired neural signals (AF3 channel) using these software platforms are clearly indicative of increased brain activity in various bands. The inferences drawn from such an analysis have significant correlation with subject’s subjective reporting of the experiences. The results suggest that the methodology adopted can further be used to assist patients with sleeping and depressive disorders.

Keywords: OM chant, spectral analysis, EDF browser, EEGLAB, EMOTIV, real time acquisition

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Authors: Danica Vidotto

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Digital technology is continuing to disrupt and challenge local conventions of teaching and education. As mobile devices continue to make their way into contemporary classrooms, educators need new pedagogies incorporating information communication technology to help reform the learning environment. In physical education, however, this can seem controversial as physical inactivity is often related to an excess of screen-time. This qualitative research project is an investigation on how physical educators use mobile device applications (apps) in their pedagogy and to what end. A comprehensive literature review is included to examine and engage current academic research of new pedagogies and technology, and their relevance to physical activity. Data were collected through five semi-structured interviews resulting in three overarching themes; i) changing pedagogies in physical education; ii) the perceived benefits and experienced challenges of using apps; and iii) apps, physical activity, and physical education. This study concludes with a discussion of the findings engaging the literature, discussing the implications of findings, and recommendations for future research.

Keywords: applications (apps), mobile devices, new pedagogies, physical education

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Authors: Marinos Xagoraris, Iliada K. Lappa, Charalambos Kanakis, Dimitra Daferera, Christina Papadopoulou, Georgios Sourounis, Charilaos Giotis, Pavlos Bouchagier, Christos S. Pappas, Petros A. Tarantilis, Efstathia Skotti

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The aim of this work was to recover phenolic compounds from grape skins produced in Greek varieties of the Ionian Islands in order to form the basis of calculations for their further utilization in the context of the circular economy. Isolation and further utilization of phenolic compounds is an important issue in winery by-products. For this purpose, 37 samples were collected, extracted, and analyzed in an attempt to provide the appropriate basis for their sustainable exploitation. Extraction of the bioactive compounds was held using an eco-friendly, non-toxic, and highly effective water-glycerol solvent system. Then, extracts were analyzed using UV-Vis, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Also, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were measured. LC-MS chromatography showed qualitative differences between different varieties. Peaks were attributed to monomeric 3-flavanols as well as monomeric, dimeric, and trimeric proanthocyanidins. The FT-IR and Raman spectra agreed with the chromatographic data and contributed to identifying phenolic compounds. Grape skins exhibited high total phenolic content (TPC), and it was proved that during vinification, a large number of polyphenols remained in the pomace. This study confirmed that grape skins from Ionian Islands are a promising source of bioactive compounds, suggesting their utilization under a bio-economic and environmental strategic framework.

Keywords: antioxidant activity, grape skin, phenolic compounds, waste recovery

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Authors: Rishi Saxena

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Cyanobacteria is a photosynthetic prokaryote, and these obtain their energy through photosynthesis. In this paper, we studied the effect of iron on metabolic changes in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120. Nowadays, metal contamination due to natural and anthropogenic sources is a global environment concern. Iron induced changes in growth, N2-fixation, CO2 fixation and photosynthetic activity were studied in a diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120. Iron at 50 uM concentration supported the maximum growth, heterocyst frequency, CO2 fixation, photosystem I (PS I), photosystem II (PS II) and nitrogenase activities in the organism. Higher concentration of iron inhibited these processes. Chl a and PS II activities were more sensitive to iron than the protein and PS I activity. Here, it is also mentioned that heavy metal induced altered macromolecules metabolism and changes in the central dogma of life (DNA→ mRNA → Protein). And also recent advances have been made in understanding heavy metal-cyanobacteria interaction and their application for metal detoxification.

Keywords: cyanobacterium anabaena 7120, nitrogen fixation, photosystem I (PS I), photosystem II (PS II)

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Authors: Sunil Kumar

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Background: The present study was performed to investigate the antidiabetic effect of the constituents isolated from Sarca asoca by enzyme inhibitory activity. Methods: The dried leaves of Sarca asoca were defatted with petroleum ether and further the same amount plant materials were extracted with methanol. The dried methanol extract was subjected to fractionation and chromatographic separation, which led to the isolation of kaemferol, β-sitosterol and quercetin stigmasterol. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic studies as well as by comparison with the data available in the literature. The compounds were evaluated for in vitro enzyme inhibition effect. Results: The isolated compounds kaemferol, β-sitosterol and stigmasterol showed 45.32, 40.5 and 41.23% α-amylase inhibition respectively and 43.45, 39.29 and 32.43% α-glucosidase inhibition respectively at the conc. of 50 µg/kg. Conclusion: The compounds isolated from Sarca asoca showed in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic activity. So, Euphorbia hirta is a beneficial plant for management of diabetic disorders.

Keywords: diabetes, quercetin, sitosterol, stigmasterol

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Authors: Frederik Calsius, Mirela Popa, Alexia Briassouli

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In the field of machine learning, it is common practice to use benchmark datasets to prove the working of a method. The domain of action recognition in videos often uses datasets like Kinet-ics, Something-Something, UCF-101 and HMDB-51 to report results. Considering the properties of the datasets, there are no datasets that focus solely on very short clips (2 to 3 seconds), and on highly-similar fine-grained actions within one specific domain. This paper researches how current state-of-the-art action recognition methods perform on a dataset that consists of highly similar, fine-grained actions. To do so, a dataset of skateboarding tricks was created. The performed analysis highlights both benefits and limitations of state-of-the-art methods, while proposing future research directions in the activity recognition domain. The conducted research shows that the best results are obtained by fusing RGB data with OpenPose data for the Temporal Shift Module.

Keywords: activity recognition, fused deep representations, fine-grained dataset, temporal modeling

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Authors: A. A. El Maghrbi

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The control of vectors like mosquitoes based on the application of chemical insecticides but due to its adverse effect on the environment, and development of resistance by most of species of mosquitoes including vectors of important diseases. Ethanol and acetone extracts of nine species of plants (Allium tuberosum, Apium leptophylum, Carica papaya, Cymbopogon citratus, Euphorbia cotinofolia, Melia azedarach, Ocimum canum, Ricinus common, and Tagetes erecta) were tested in respect of their influence on the eggs and larvae of Culex quinquifasciatus in concentration 100, 10 and 1 mg/L. In relation to the survival of larvae, ethanol extract of O. canum and acetone extract of A.tuberosum in 100 mg/L have larvicide activity against L4 of Cx. quinquifasciatus. For hatching of eggs, ethanol and acetone extract of A.tuberosum (100 and 10 mg/L) and acetone extract of C.citratus (100 mg/L) produced reduction in the number of eggs hatched of Cx. quinquifasciatus. Our results indicate that each extract of the plant have potential to control mosquito population and suggest that further studies are needed in this field.

Keywords: Cx. quinquefasciatus, plant extract, ethanol, acetone, larvae, eggs

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Authors: Sylwia K. Naliwajko, Renata Markiewicz-Zukowska, Justyna Moskwa, Krystyna Gromkowska-Kepka, Konrad Mielcarek, Patryk Nowakowski, Katarzyna Socha, Anna Puscion-Jakubik, Maria H. Borawska

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Glioblastoma (grade IV WHO) is a rapidly progressive brain tumor with very high morbidity and mortality. The vast malignant gliomas are not curable despite the therapy (surgical, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) and patients seek alternative or complementary treatments. Patients often use cannabidiol (CBD) oil as an alternative therapy of glioblastoma. CBD is one of the cannabinoids, an active component of Cannabis sativa. THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) can be addictive, and in many countries CBD oil without THC ( < 0,2%) is available. Propolis produced by bees from the resin collected from trees has antiglioma properties in vitro and can be used as a supplement in complementary therapy of gliomas. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of extract from CBD oil in combination with propolis extract on two glioblastoma cell lines. The MTT (Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide) test was used to determine the influence of CBD oil extract and polish propolis extract (PPE) on the viability of glioblastoma cell lines – U87MG and LN18. The cells were incubated (24, 48 and 72 h) with CBD oil extract and PPE. CBD extract was used in concentration 1, 1.5 and 3 µM and PPE in 30 µg/mL. The data were presented compared to the control. The statistical analysis was performed using Statistica v. 13.0 software. CBD oil extract in concentrations 1, 1.5 and 3 µM did not inhibit the viability of U87MG and LN18 cells (viability more than 90% cells compared to the control). There was no dose-response viability, and IC50 value was not recognized. PPE in the concentration of 30 µg/mL time-dependently inhibited the viability of U87MG and LN18 cell line (after 48 h the viability as a percent of the control was 59,7±6% and 57,8±7%, respectively). In a combination of CBD with PPE, the viability of the treated cells was similar to PPE used alone (58,2±7% and 56,5±9%, respectively). CBD oil extract did not show anti-glioma activity and in combination with PPE did not change the activity of PPE.

Keywords: anticancer, cannabidiol, cell line, glioblastoma

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Authors: Priyanka Sharma, Ranjita Das, Mohan C. Kalita, Debajit Thakur

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Background: Actinomycetes are the richest source of novel bioactive secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, enzymes and other therapeutically useful metabolites with diverse biological activities. The present study aims at the antimicrobial potential and genetic diversity of culturable Actinomycetes isolated from protected forest ecosystems of Assam which includes Kaziranga National Park (26°30˝-26°45˝N and 93°08˝-93°36˝E), Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (26º12˝-26º16˝N and 91º58˝-92º05˝E) and Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (26˚40˝-26˚45˝N and 94˚20˝-94˚25˝E) which are located in the North-eastern part of India. Northeast India is a part of the Indo-Burma mega biodiversity hotspot and most of the protected forests of this region are still unexplored for the isolation of effective antibiotic-producing Actinomycetes. Thus, there is tremendous possibility that these virgin forests could be a potential storehouse of novel microorganisms, particularly Actinomycetes, exhibiting diverse biological properties. Methodology: Soil samples were collected from different ecological niches of the protected forest ecosystems of Assam and Actinomycetes were isolated by serial dilution spread plate technique using five selective isolation media. Preliminary screening of Actinomycetes for an antimicrobial activity was done by spot inoculation method and the secondary screening by disc diffusion method against several test pathogens, including multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The strains were further screened for the presence of antibiotic synthetic genes such as type I polyketide synthases (PKS-I), type II polyketide synthases (PKS-II) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) genes. Genetic diversity of the Actinomycetes producing antimicrobial metabolites was analyzed through 16S rDNA-RFLP using Hinf1 restriction endonuclease. Results: Based on the phenotypic characterization, a total of 172 morphologically distinct Actinomycetes were isolated and screened for antimicrobial activity by spot inoculation method on agar medium. Among the strains tested, 102 (59.3%) strains showed activity against Gram-positive bacteria, 98 (56.97%) against Gram-negative bacteria, 92 (53.48%) against Candida albicans MTCC 227 and 130 (75.58%) strains showed activity against at least one of the test pathogens. Twelve Actinomycetes exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity in the secondary screening. The taxonomic identification of these twelve strains by 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that Streptomyces was found to be the predominant genus. The PKS-I, PKS-II and NRPS genes detection indicated diverse bioactive products of these twelve Actinomycetes. Genetic diversity by 16S rDNA-RFLP indicated that Streptomyces was the dominant genus amongst the antimicrobial metabolite producing Actinomycetes. Conclusion: These findings imply that Actinomycetes from the protected forest ecosystems of Assam, India, are a potential source of bioactive secondary metabolites. These areas are as yet poorly studied and represent diverse and largely unscreened ecosystem for the isolation of potent Actinomycetes producing antimicrobial secondary metabolites. Detailed characterization of the bioactive Actinomycetes as well as purification and structure elucidation of the bioactive compounds from the potent Actinomycetes is the subject of ongoing investigation. Thus, to exploit Actinomycetes from such unexplored forest ecosystems is a way to develop bioactive products.

Keywords: Actinomycetes, antimicrobial activity, forest ecosystems, RFLP

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Authors: Emmanuel Jaluchimike Iloputaife, Kelechi Nkechinyere Mbah-Omeje

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This study was designed to determine the antimicrobial activities and minimum inhibitory concentration of three different batches (Fresh, Oven dried and Sundried) of Ass Hay extracted with water, ethanol and methanolagainst selected human pathogenic microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella Pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Candidaalbicans). All extracts were reconstituted with peptone water and tested for antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal/Fungicidal concentrations were determined by agar well diffusion methodagainst test organismsin which aseptic conditions were observed. The antimicrobial activities of the different batches of Ass Hay on the test organisms varied considerably. The highest inhibition zone diameter at 200 mg/ml for the different batches of Ass Hay was recorded by sundried methanol extract against Escherichia coli at 36.4 ± 0.2 mm while fresh methanol extract inhibited Klebsiela pneumonia with the least inhibition zone diameter at 20.1 ± 0.1mm. At 100 mg/ml the highest inhibition zone diameter was recorded by oven dried water extract against Escherichia coli at 30.3 ± 0.3 mm while sun dried water extract inhibited Staphylococcus aureus with the least inhibition zone diameter at 15.1 ± 0.1 mm. At 50mg/ml, the highest inhibition zone diameter was recorded by fresh water extract against Escherichia coli at 25.9 ± 0.1 mm while oven dried water extract inhibited Klebsiela pneumonia with least inhibition zone diameter at 12.1 ± 0.2 mm. At 25mg/ml, the highest inhibition zone diameter was recorded by fresh water extract against Escherichia coli at 18.3 ± 0.2 mm while sun dried ethanol extract inhibited Escherichia coli with least inhibition zone diameter at 10.1 ± 0.1 mm. The MIC and MBC result of ethanol extract of fresh Ass Hay showed a uniform value of 6.25 mg/ml and 12.5 mg/ml respectively for all test bacterial isolates. The Minimum Inhibitory concentration and Minimum bactericidal concentration results of Oven dried ethanol Ass Hay extract showed a uniform value of 3.125 mg/ml and 6.25 mg/ml respectively for all test bacterial isolates and Minimum fungicidal concentration value of 12.5 mg/ml for Aspergillus niger. Statistical analysis showed there is significant difference in mean zone inhibition diameter of the products at p < 0.05, p = 0.019. This study has shown there is antimicrobial potential in Ass Hay and at such there is need to further exploit Donkey Ass Hay in order to maximize the potential.

Keywords: microorganisms, Ass Hay, antimicrobial activity, extracts

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Authors: Morteza Elsa, Amirhossein Moghanian

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The major aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CaO content on in vitro hydroxyapatite formation, MC3T3 cells cytotoxicity and proliferation as well as antibacterial efficiency of sol-gel derived SiO₂–CaO–P₂O₅ ternary system. For this purpose, first two grades of bioactive glass (BG); BG-58s (mol%: 60%SiO₂–36%CaO–4%P₂O₅) and BG-68s (mol%: 70%SiO₂–26%CaO–4%P₂O₅)) were synthesized by sol-gel method. Second, the effect of CaO content in their composition on in vitro bioactivity was investigated by soaking the BG-58s and BG-68s powders in simulated body fluid (SBF) for time periods up to 14 days and followed by characterization inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Additionally, live/dead staining, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays were conducted respectively, as qualitatively and quantitatively assess for cell viability, proliferation and differentiations of MC3T3 cells in presence of 58s and 68s BGs. Results showed that BG-58s with higher CaO content showed higher in vitro bioactivity with respect to BG-68s. Moreover, the dissolution rate was inversely proportional to oxygen density of the BG. Live/dead assay revealed that both 58s and 68s increased the mean number live cells which were in good accordance with MTT assay. Furthermore, BG-58s showed more potential antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Taken together, BG-58s with enhanced MC3T3 cells proliferation and ALP activity, acceptable bioactivity and significant high antibacterial effect against MRSA bacteria is suggested as a suitable candidate in order to further functionalizing for delivery of therapeutic ions and growth factors in bone tissue engineering.

Keywords: antibacterial, bioactive glass, hydroxyapatite, proliferation, sol-gel processes

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Authors: Nilgün Öztürk, Hakan Sabahtin Ali, Hülya Tuba Kıyan

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The genus Chenopodium belongs to Amaranthaceae, is represented by approximately 250 species in the world and 15 species and three subspecies in Turkey. Chenopodium species are traditionally used to treat chest and abdominal pain, shortness of breath, cough and neurological disorders. Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Quinoa) is native to Andes region of South America (especially Peru and Bolivia) and cultivated in many countries include also Turkey in the world nowadays. The seeds of quinoa are rich in protein, and the phytochemical composition consists of antioxidant substances such as polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals; anticancer and neuroprotective compounds such as tocotrienols; anti-inflammatory compounds such as carotenoids and anthocyanins and also saponins and starch. Food products of quinoa such as quinoa cereal bar, pasta and cornflakes are used in the diet made during many disorders like obesity, cardiovascular disorder, hypertension and Celiac disease. Also quinoa seems to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and cholesterol-lowering properties because of its bioactive compounds. In this present study, the aqueous ethanolic extracts of the seeds of three different coloured genotypes of quinoa were investigated for their antioxidant activities using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ferrous ion-chelating effect, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, ABTS radical cation decolorization assays and total phenolic contents using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Among the three genotypes of quinoa; the aqueous ethanolic extract of the red genotype had the highest total phenolic content (83.54 ± 2.12 mg gallic acid/100 g extract) whereas the extract of the white genotype had the lowest total phenolic content (70.66 ± 0.25 mg gallic acid/100 g). According to the antioxidant activity results; the extracts showed moderate reducing power effect whereas weak ABTS radical cation decolorization and ferrous ion-chelating effect and also too weak DPPH radical scavenging activity when compared to the positive standards.

Keywords: amaranthaceae, antioxidant activity, Chenopodium quinoa willd., total phenolic content

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Authors: Iman Farasat, Howard M. Salis

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The CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized genome engineering by enabling site-directed and high-throughput genome editing, genome insertion, and gene knockdowns in several species, including bacteria, yeast, flies, worms, and human cell lines. This technology has the potential to enable human gene therapy to treat genetic diseases and cancer at the molecular level; however, the current CRISPR/Cas9 system suffers from seemingly sporadic off-target genome mutagenesis that prevents its use in gene therapy. A comprehensive mechanistic model that explains how the CRISPR/Cas9 functions would enable the rational design of the guide-RNAs responsible for target site selection while minimizing unexpected genome mutagenesis. Here, we present the first quantitative model of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome mutagenesis system that predicts how guide-RNA sequences (crRNAs) control target site selection and cleavage activity. We used statistical thermodynamics and law of mass action to develop a five-step biophysical model of cas9 cleavage, and examined it in vivo and in vitro. To predict a crRNA's binding specificities and cleavage rates, we then compiled a nearest neighbor (NN) energy model that accounts for all possible base pairings and mismatches between the crRNA and the possible genomic DNA sites. These calculations correctly predicted crRNA specificity across 5518 sites. Our analysis reveals that cas9 activity and specificity are anti-correlated, and, the trade-off between them is the determining factor in performing an RNA-mediated cleavage with minimal off-targets. To find an optimal solution, we first created a scheme of safe-design criteria for Cas9 target selection by systematic analysis of available high throughput measurements. We then used our biophysical model to determine the optimal Cas9 expression levels and timing that maximizes on-target cleavage and minimizes off-target activity. We successfully applied this approach in bacterial and mammalian cell lines to reduce off-target activity to near background mutagenesis level while maintaining high on-target cleavage rate.

Keywords: biophysical model, CRISPR, Cas9, genome editing

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Authors: Luisa Carrer, Lorenzo De Masi

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In this paper, we exploit the massive amount of information from Facebook to build a measure of gender attitudes in Italy at a previously impossible resolution—the municipal level. We construct our index via a machine learning method to replicate a benchmark region-level measure. Interestingly, we find that most of the variation in our Gender Norms Index (GNI) is across towns within narrowly defined geographical areas rather than across regions or provinces. In a second step, we show how this local variation in norms can be leveraged for identification purposes. In particular, we use our index to investigate whether these differences in norms carry over to the policy activity of politicians elected in the Italian Parliament. We document that females are more likely to sit in parliamentary committees focused on gender-sensitive matters, labor, and social issues, but not if they come from a relatively conservative town. These effects are robust to conditioning the legislative term and electoral district, suggesting the importance of social norms in shaping legislators’ policy activity.

Keywords: gender equality, gender norms index, Facebook, machine learning, politics

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Authors: Jovana M. Ćirković, Aleksandar M. Radojković, Sanja Z. Perać, Jelena N. Jovanović, Zorica M. Branković, Slobodan D. Milanović, Ivan Lj. Milenković, Jovan N. Dobrosavljević, Nemanja V. Simović, Vanja M. Tadić, Ana R. Žugić, Goran O. Branković

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The protection of forests is a national interest and of strategic importance in every country. The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a damaging invasive pest that can weaken and destroy trees by defoliating them. Chemical pesticides commonly used to protect forests against spongy moths not only have a negative impact on terrestrial and aquatic organisms/ecosystems but also often fail to provide significant protection. Therefore, many eco-friendly alternatives have been considered. Within this research, a new biopesticide was developed based on the method of nanoencapsulation of plant extracts in a biopolymer matrix, which provides a slow release of the active components during a substantial time period. The antifeedant activity of plant extracts of common (Fraxinus excelsior L.), manna (F. ornus L.) ash tree, and the tree of heaven Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) was tested on the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar L, 1758) larvae. To test the antifeedant activity of these compounds, the choice and non-choice tests in laboratory conditions for different plant extract concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 % v/v) were carried out. In both cases, the best results showed formulations based on the tree of heaven and common ash for the concentration of 1%, with deterioration indices of 163 and 132, respectively. The main benefit of these formulations is their versatility, effectiveness, prolonged effect, and because they are completely environmentally acceptable. Therefore, they can be considered for suppression of the spongy moth in forest ecosystems.

Keywords: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.), Fraxinus excelsior L., encapsulation, Lymantria dispar

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Authors: Ayesha Selwyn, Annapoorni Chandrashekar, Kumar Ashwarya, Nishant Baghel

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Project-based learning (PBL) activities are typically implemented in technology-enabled schools by highly trained teachers. In rural India, students have limited access to technology and quality education. Implementing typical PBL activities is challenging. This study details how Pratham Education Foundation’s Hybrid Learning model was used to implement two PBL activities related to music in 900 remote Indian villages with 46,000 students aged 10-14. The activities were completed by 69% of groups that submitted a total of 15,000 videos (completed projects). Pratham’s H-Learning model reaches 100,000 students aged 3-14 in 900 Indian villages. The community-driven model engages students in 20,000 self-organized groups outside of school. The students are guided by 6,000 youth volunteers and 100 facilitators. The students partake in learning activities across subjects with the support of community stakeholders and offline digital content on shared Android tablets. A training and implementation toolkit for PBL activities is designed by subject experts. This toolkit is essential in ensuring efficient implementation of activities as facilitators aren’t highly skilled and have limited access to training resources. The toolkit details the activity at three levels of student engagement - enrollment, participation, and completion. The subject experts train project leaders and facilitators who train youth volunteers. Volunteers need to be trained on how to execute the activity and guide students. The training is focused on building the volunteers’ capacity to enable students to solve problems, rather than developing the volunteers’ subject-related knowledge. This structure ensures that continuous intervention of subject matter experts isn’t required, and the onus of judging creativity skills is put on community members. 46,000 students in the H-Learning program were engaged in two PBL activities related to Music from April-June 2019. For one activity, students had to conduct a “musical survey” in their village by designing a survey and shooting and editing a video. This activity aimed to develop students’ information retrieval, data gathering, teamwork, communication, project management, and creativity skills. It also aimed to identify talent and document local folk music. The second activity, “Pratham Idol”, was a singing competition. Students participated in performing, producing, and editing videos. This activity aimed to develop students’ teamwork and creative skills and give students a creative outlet. Students showcased their completed projects at village fairs wherein a panel of community members evaluated the videos. The shortlisted videos from all villages were further evaluated by experts who identified students and adults to participate in advanced music workshops. The H-Learning framework enables students in low resource settings to engage in PBL and develop relevant skills by leveraging community support and using video creation as a tool. In rural India, students do not have access to high-quality education or infrastructure. Therefore designing activities that can be implemented by community members after limited training is essential. The subject experts have minimal intervention once the activity is initiated, which significantly reduces the cost of implementation and allows the activity to be implemented at a massive scale.

Keywords: community supported learning, project-based learning, self-organized learning, education technology

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