Search results for: plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Authors: Majid Hejazian, Nam-Trung Nguyen

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Over the past few years, microfluidic devices have generated significant attention from industry and academia due to advantages such as small sample volume, low cost and high efficiency. Microfluidic devices have applications in chemical, biological and industry analysis and can facilitate assay of bio-materials and chemical reactions, separation, and sensing. Micromixers are one of the important microfluidic concepts. Micromixers can work as stand-alone devices or be integrated in a more complex microfluidic system such as a lab on a chip (LOC). Micromixers are categorized as passive and active types. Passive micromixers rely only on the arrangement of the phases to be mixed and contain no moving parts and require no energy. Active micromixers require external fields such as pressure, temperature, electric and acoustic fields. Rapid and efficient mixing is important for many applications such as biological, chemical and biochemical analysis. Achieving fast and homogenous mixing of multiple samples in the microfluidic devices has been studied and discussed in the literature recently. Improvement in mixing rely on effective mass transport in microscale, but are currently limited to molecular diffusion due to the predominant laminar flow in this size scale. Using magnetic field to elevate mass transport is an effective solution for mixing enhancement in microfluidics. The use of a non-uniform magnetic field to improve mass transfer performance in a microfluidic device is demonstrated in this work. The phenomenon of mixing ferrofluid and DI-water streams has been reported before, but mass transfer enhancement for other non-magnetic species through magnetic field have not been studied and evaluated extensively. In the present work, permanent magnets were used in a simple microfluidic device to create a non-uniform magnetic field. Two streams are introduced into the microchannel: one contains fluorescent dye mixed with diluted ferrofluid to induce enhanced mass transport of the dye, and the other one is a non-magnetic DI-water stream. Mass transport enhancement of fluorescent dye is evaluated using fluorescent measurement techniques. The concentration field is measured for different flow rates. Due to effect of magnetic field, a body force is exerted on the paramagnetic stream and expands the ferrofluid stream into non-magnetic DI-water flow. The experimental results demonstrate that without a magnetic field, both magnetic nanoparticles of the ferrofluid and the fluorescent dye solely rely on molecular diffusion to spread. The non-uniform magnetic field, created by the permanent magnets around the microchannel, and diluted ferrofluid can improve mass transport of non-magnetic solutes in a microfluidic device. The susceptibility mismatch between the fluids results in a magnetoconvective secondary flow towards the magnets and subsequently the mass transport of the non-magnetic fluorescent dye. A significant enhancement in mass transport of the fluorescent dye was observed. The platform presented here could be used as a microfluidics-based micromixer for chemical and biological applications.

Keywords: ferrofluid, mass transfer, micromixer, microfluidics, magnetic

Procedia PDF Downloads 225

Authors: Shao-Ju Chien, Yi-Chien Wu, Ting-Ying Huang, Li-Tsen Li, You-Jin Chen, Cheng-Nan Chen

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Homocysteine and pro-inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) have been linked to vascular dysfunction and risks of cardiovascular diseases. Fulvic acid (FA) is class of compounds of humic substances and possesses various pharmacological properties. However, the effect of FA on inflammatory responses of the monocytes remains unclear. We investigated the regulatory effect of FA on homocysteine-induced COX-2 expression in human monocytes. Peripheral blood monocytes and U937 cells were kept as controls or pre-treated with FA, and then stimulated with homocysteine. The results show that pretreating monocytes with FA inhibited the homocysteine-induced COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitor for nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) attenuated homocysteine-induced COX-2 expression. Our findings provide a molecular mechanism by which FA inhibit homocysteine-induced COX-2 expression in monocytes, and a basis for using FA in pharmaceutical therapy against inflammation.

Keywords: homocysteine, monocytes, cyclooxygenase-2, fulvic acid, anti-inflammation

Procedia PDF Downloads 597

Authors: Sadaf Karkoodi, Hassan Karampour

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There is a growing interest in the construction industry towards hybrid systems. The hybrid systems use construction materials such as timber, steel, and concrete smartly, can be prefabricated, and are cost-effective and sustainable solutions to an industry targeting reduced carbon footprint. Moreover, in case of periodical shortage in timber resources, reusable and waste wood such as fibres can be used in the hybrid modules, which facilitates the circular economy. In this research, a hybrid frame is proposed and experimentally validated by introducing dried wood fibre products inside cold-formed steel square hollow sections without using any adhesives. As such, fibre-filled steel tubular (FFST) columns, beams, and 2D frames are manufactured and tested. The results show that the FFST columns have stiffness and strength 44% and 55% higher than cold-formed steel columns, respectively. The bearing strength of the FFST beams shows an increase of 39.5% compared to steel only. The flexural stiffness and strength of the FFST beams are 8.5% and 28% higher than the bare steel beams, respectively. The FFST frame depicted an 18.4% higher ultimate load capacity than the steel-only frame under a mid-point concentrated load. Moreover, the FFST beam-to-column bolted connection showed high ductile performance. The initial results and the proposed simple manufacturing process suggest that the proposed FFST concept can be upscaled and used in real structures.

Keywords: wood fibre, reusing wood, fibre-filled steel, hybrid construction

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Emin Z. Mahmud

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Shaking table tests are planned in order to deepen the understanding of the behavior of confined masonry structures with or without openings. The tests are realized in the laboratory of the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) – Skopje. The specimens were examined separately on the shaking table, with uniaxial, in-plane excitation. After testing, samples were strengthened with GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and re-tested. This paper presents the observations from a series of shaking-table tests done on a 1:1 scaled confined masonry wall model, with opening for a window – specimens CMWuS (before strengthening) and CMWS (after strengthening). Frequency and stiffness changes before and after GFRP wall strengthening are analyzed. Definition of dynamic properties of the models was the first step of the experimental testing, which enabled acquiring important information about the achieved stiffness (natural frequencies) of the model. The natural frequency was defined in the Y direction of the model by applying resonant frequency search tests. It is important to mention that both specimens CMWuS and CMWS are subjected to the same effects. The initial frequency of the undamaged model CMWuS is 18.79 Hz, while at the end of the testing, the frequency decreased to 12.96 Hz. This emphasizes the reduction of the initial stiffness of the model due to damage, especially in the masonry and tie-beam to tie-column connection. After strengthening the damaged wall, the natural frequency increases to 14.67 Hz. This highlights the beneficial effect of strengthening. After completion of dynamic testing at CMWS, the natural frequency is reduced to 10.75 Hz.

Keywords: behaviour of masonry structures, Eurocode, frequency, masonry, shaking table test, strengthening

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Ahmed Noor Al-qayyim, Barlas Özden Çağlayan

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Structural failure is caused mainly by damage that often occurs on structures. Many researchers focus on obtaining very efficient tools to detect the damage in structures in the early state. In the past decades, a subject that has received considerable attention in literature is the damage detection as determined by variations in the dynamic characteristics or response of structures. This study presents a new damage identification technique. The technique detects the damage location for the incomplete structure system using output data only. The method indicates the damage based on the free vibration test data by using “Two Points - Condensation (TPC) technique”. This method creates a set of matrices by reducing the structural system to two degrees of freedom systems. The current stiffness matrices are obtained from optimization of the equation of motion using the measured test data. The current stiffness matrices are compared with original (undamaged) stiffness matrices. High percentage changes in matrices’ coefficients lead to the location of the damage. TPC technique is applied to the experimental data of a simply supported steel beam model structure after inducing thickness change in one element. Where two cases are considered, the method detects the damage and determines its location accurately in both cases. In addition, the results illustrate that these changes in stiffness matrix can be a useful tool for continuous monitoring of structural safety using ambient vibration data. Furthermore, its efficiency proves that this technique can also be used for big structures.

Keywords: damage detection, optimization, signals processing, structural health monitoring, two points–condensation

Procedia PDF Downloads 365

Authors: Agnieszka Fryźlewicz, Jowita Kras, Mikołaj Sadowski, Agnieszka Łapczuk-Krygier, Agnieszka Kącka-Zych Radomir Jasiński

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Nicotines are a group of compounds containing conjugated pyridine and pyrrolidine molecular segments. They are widely applied in medicine, pharmacy, and agriculture. Namely as researched treatment of Alzheimer, depression, Parkinson's, Tourette syndrome, general nervous and mental disorders. Furthermore, nicotine itself is used as a stimulant, animal repellent and was widely applied as an insecticide. In our work, we obtained nicotine analogues with possible applications in agriculture. The synthesis employed [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reactions, occurring between pirydyl-functionalised nitrones and conjugated nitroalkenes, that allowed us to fully regio- and stereoselectively obtain product. Moreover, cycloaddition reaction realizes rapidly in mild conditions with the full atomic economy, thus fitting into “green chemistry” trends.

Keywords: nicotine, isoxazolidine, 1-3-dipolar cycloaddition, green chemistry, biological and pharmacological activity

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Muhammad Imran Din

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The aim of this study was to understand the interaction between multi-walled carbon nano tubes (MCNTs) and anticancer agents and evaluate the drug-loading ability of MCNTs. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out for adsorption of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FL) using MCNTs. The effect of various operating variables, viz., adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time and temperature for adsorption of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FL) has been studied. The Freundlich adsorption model was successfully employed to describe the adsorption process. It was found that the pseudo-second-order mechanism is predominant and the overall rate of the 5-Fluorouracil (5-FL) adsorption process appears to be controlled by the more than one-step. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change (ΔG°), enthalpy change (ΔH°) and entropy change (ΔS°) have been calculated respectively, revealed the spontaneous, endothermic and feasible nature of adsorption process. The results showed that carbon nano tubes were able to form supra molecular complexes with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FL) by π-π stacking and possessed favorable loading properties as drug carriers.

Keywords: drug, adsorption, anticancer, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FL)

Procedia PDF Downloads 361

Authors: Oya Bulut, Oguzhan Avci, Zafer Bulut, Atilla Simsek

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Livestock breeders have focused on the improvement of production traits with little or no attention for improvement of disease resistance traits. In order to determine the association between the genetic structure of the individual gene loci with possibility of the occurrence and the development of diseases, MHC (major histocompatibility complex) are frequently used. Because of their importance in the immune system, MHC locus is considered as candidate genes for resistance/susceptibility against to different diseases. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules play a critical role in both innate and adaptive immunity and have been considered candidate molecular markers of an association between polymorphisms and resistance/susceptibility to diseases. The purpose of this study is to give some information about MHC genes become an important area of study in recent years in terms of animal husbandry and determine the relation between MHC genes and resistance/susceptibility to disease.

Keywords: MHC, polymorphism, disease, resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 633

Authors: El H. Bouziani, H. A. Reguieg Yssaad

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The phytotoxicity of heavy metals can be expressed on roots and visible part of plants and is characterized by molecular and metabolic answers at various levels of organization of the whole plant. The present study was undertaken on two varieties of broad bean Vicia faba (Sidi Aïch and Super Aguadulce). The device was mounted on a substrate prepared by mixing sand, soil and compost, the substrate was artificially contaminated with three doses of lead nitrate [Pb(NO3)2] 0, 500 and 1000 ppm. Our objective is to follow the behavior of plant opposite the stress by evaluating the physiological parameters. The results reveal a reduction in the parameters of the productivity (chlorophyll and proteins production) with an increase in the osmoregulators (soluble sugars and proline).These results show that the production of broad bean is strongly modified by the disturbance of its internal physiology under lead exposure.

Keywords: broad bean, lead, stress, physiological parameters, phytotoxicity

Procedia PDF Downloads 308

Authors: Shivalinge Gowda

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The total mass attenuation coefficients m/r, of some halides such as, NaCl, KCl, CuCl, NaBr, KBr, RbCl, AgCl, NaI, KI, AgBr, CsI, HgCl₂, CdI₂ and HgI₂ were determined at photon energies 279.2, 320.07, 514.0, 661.6, 1115.5, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV in a well-collimated narrow beam good geometry set-up using a high resolution, hyper pure germanium detector. The mass attenuation coefficients and the effective atomic cross sections are found to be in good agreement with the XCOM values. From these mass attenuation coefficients, the effective atomic cross sections s_a, of the compounds were determined. These effective atomic cross section s_a data so obtained are then used to compute the effective atomic numbers Z_eff. For this, the interpolation of total attenuation cross-sections of photons of energy E in elements of atomic number Z was performed by using the logarithmic regression analysis of the data measured by the authors and reported earlier for the above said energies along with XCOM data for standard energies. The best-fit coefficients in the photon energy range of 250 to 350 keV, 350 to 500 keV, 500 to 700 keV, 700 to 1000 keV and 1000 to 1500 keV by a piecewise interpolation method were then used to find the Z_eff of the compounds with respect to the effective atomic cross section s_a from the relation obtained by piece wise interpolation method. Using these Z_eff values, the electron densities N_el of halides were also determined. The present Z_eff and N_el values of halides are found to be in good agreement with the values calculated from XCOM data and other available published values.

Keywords: mass attenuation coefficient, atomic cross-section, effective atomic number, electron density

Procedia PDF Downloads 377

Authors: Sibghat Mansoor Rana, Muhammad Islam, Hamid Saeed, Hummera Rafique, Muhammad Majid, Muhammad Tahir Aqeel, Fariha Imtiaz, Zaman Ashraf

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The 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives Ox-6a-f have been synthesized by incorporating flur- biprofen moiety with the aim to explore the potential of target molecules to decrease the oxidative stress. The title compounds Ox-6a-f were prepared by simple reactions in which a flurbiprofen –COOH group was esterified with methanol in an acid-catalyzed medium, which was then reacted with hydrazine to afford the corresponding hydrazide. The acid hydrazide was then cyclized into 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol by reacting with CS2 in the presence of KOH. The title compounds Ox-6a-f were synthesized by the reaction of an –SH group with various alkyl/aryl chlorides, which involves an S-alkylation reaction. The structures of the synthesized Ox-6a-f derivatives were ascer- tained by spectroscopic data. The in silico molecular docking was performed against target proteins cyclooxygenase-2 COX-2 (PDBID 5KIR) and cyclooxygenase-1 COX-1 (PDBID 6Y3C) to determine the binding affinity of the synthesized compounds with these structures. It has been inferred that most of the synthesized compounds bind well with an active binding site of 5KIR compared to 6Y3C, and especially compound Ox-6f showed excellent binding affinity (7.70 kcal/mol) among all synthesized compounds Ox-6a-f. The molecular dynamic (MD) simulation has also been performed to check the stability of docking complexes of ligands with COX-2 by determining their root mean square deviation and root mean square fluctuation. Little fluctuation was observed in case of Ox-6f, which forms the most stable complex with COX-2. The comprehensive antioxidant potential of the synthesized compounds has been evaluated by determining their free radical scavenging activity, including DPPH, OH, nitric oxide (NO), and iron chelation assay. The derivative Ox-6f showed promising results with 80.23% radical scavenging potential at a dose of 100 μg/mL while ascorbic acid exhibited 87.72% inhibition at the same dose. The anti-inflammatory activity of the final products has also been performed, and inflammatory markers were assayed, such as a thiobarbituric acid-reducing substance, nitric oxide, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and COX-2. The derivatives Ox-6d and Ox-6f displayed higher anti-inflammatory activity, exhibiting 70.56% and 74.16% activity, respectively. The results were compared with standard ibuprofen, which showed 84.31% activity at the same dose, 200 μg/mL. The anti-inflammatory potential has been performed by following the carrageen-induced hind paw edema model, and results showed that derivative Ox-6f exhibited 79.83% reduction in edema volume compared to standard ibuprofen, which reduced 84.31% edema volume. As dry lab and wet lab results confirm each other, it has been deduced that derivative Ox-6f may serve as the lead structure to design potent compounds to address oxidative stress.

Keywords: synthetic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, oxadiazole derivatives, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compounds

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Authors: H. Benaldjia, N. Habib, F. Djefaflia, A. Nait-Merzoug, A. Harat, J. El-Haskouri, O. Guellati

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Currently, the technology has attracted knowledge of energy storage sources similar to batteries, capacitors and super-capacitors because of its very different applications in many fields with major social and economic challenges. Moreover, hydroxides have attracted much attention as a promising and active material choice in large-scale applications such as molecular adsorption/storage and separation for the environment, ion exchange, nanotechnology, supercapacitor for energy storage and conversion, electro-biosensing, and catalysts, due to their unique properties which are strongly influenced by their composition, microstructure, and synthesis method. In this context, we report in this study the synthesis of hydroxide-based nanomaterials precisely based on Ni and Fe using a simple hydrothermal method with mono and bi precursors at optimized growth conditions (6h-120°C). The obtained products were characterized using different techniques, such as XRD, FTIR, FESEM and BET, as well as electrochemical measurements.

Keywords: energy storage, Supercapacitors, nanocomposites, nanohybride, electro-active materials.

Procedia PDF Downloads 84

Authors: A. Kudrev

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The duplex Poly(A)-Poly(U) denaturation in an aqueous solutions in mixtures with the tetracationic MeTMPyP4 (Me = 2H, Zn(II); TMPyP4 is 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin), was investigated by monitoring the changes in the UV-Vis absorbance spectrum with increasing temperatures from 20°С to 70°С (рН 7.0, I=0.15M). The absorbance data matrices were analyzed with a versatile chemometric procedure that provides the melting profile (distribution of species) and the pure spectrum for each chemical species present along the heating experiment. As revealed by the increase of Tm, the duplex structure was stabilized by these porphyrins. The values of stabilization temperature ΔTm in the presence of these porphyrins are relatively large, 1.2-8.4 °C, indicating that the porphyrins contribute differently in stabilizing the duplex Poly(A)-Poly(U) structure. Remarkable is the fact that the porphyrin TMPyP4 was less effective in the stabilization of the duplex structure than the metalloporphyrin Zn(X)TMPyP4 which suggests that metallization play an important role in porphyrin-RNA binding. Molecular Dynamics Simulations has been used to illustrate melting of the duplex dsRNA bound with a porphyrin molecule.

Keywords: melting, Poly(A)-Poly(U), TMPyP4, Zn(X)TMPyP4

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Biswaranjan D. Mohapatra, Ipsha Hota, Swarna P. Mantry, Nibedita Behera, Kumar S. K. Varadwaj

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Designing highly active and low-cost oxygen evolution (2H₂O → 4H⁺ + 4e⁻ + O₂) electrocatalyst is one of the most active areas of advanced energy research. Some precious metal-based electrocatalysts, such as IrO₂ and RuO₂, have shown excellent performance for oxygen evolution reaction (OER); however, they suffer from high-cost and low abundance which limits their applications. Recently, layered double hydroxides (LDHs), composed of layers of divalent and trivalent transition metal cations coordinated to hydroxide anions, have gathered attention as an alternative OER catalyst. However, LDHs are insulators and coupled with carbon materials for the electrocatalytic applications. Graphene covalently doped with nitrogen has been demonstrated to be an excellent electrocatalyst for energy conversion technologies such as; oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) & hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, they operate at high overpotentials, significantly above the thermodynamic standard potentials. Recently, we reported remarkably enhanced catalytic activity of benzoate or 1-pyrenebutyrate functionalized N-doped graphene towards the ORR in alkaline medium. The molecular and heteroatom co-doping on graphene is expected to tune the electronic structure of graphene. Therefore, an innovative catalyst architecture, in which LDHs are anchored on aromatic acid functionalized ‘N’ doped graphene may presumably boost the OER activity to a new benchmark. Herein, we report fabrication of Co₂Fe-LDH on aromatic acid (AA) functionalized ‘N’ doped reduced graphene oxide (NG) and studied their OER activities in alkaline medium. In the first step, a novel polyol method is applied for synthesis of AA functionalized NG, which is well dispersed in aqueous medium. In the second step, Co₂Fe LDH were grown on AA functionalized NG by co-precipitation method. The hybrid samples are abbreviated as Co₂Fe LDH/AA-NG, where AA is either Benzoic acid or 1, 3-Benzene dicarboxylic acid (BDA) or 1, 3, 5 Benzene tricarboxylic acid (BTA). The crystal structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). These studies confirmed the growth of layered single phase LDH. The electrocatalytic OER activity of these hybrid materials was investigated by rotating disc electrode (RDE) technique on a glassy carbon electrode. The linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) on these catalyst samples were taken at 1600rpm. We observed significant OER performance enhancement in terms of onset potential and current density on Co₂Fe LDH/BTA-NG hybrid, indicating the synergic effect. This exploration of molecular functionalization effect in doped graphene and LDH system may provide an excellent platform for innovative design of OER catalysts.

Keywords: π-π functionalization, layered double hydroxide, oxygen evolution reaction, reduced graphene oxide

Procedia PDF Downloads 207

Authors: Ouardi Okkacha, Kaarour Abedlkrim, Meskine Mohamed

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The effective Hamiltonians are widely used in molecular spectroscopy for the interpretation of the vibration-rotation spectra. Their construction is an ambiguous procedure due to the existence of unitary transformations that change the effective Hamiltonian but do not change its eigenvalues. As a consequence of this ambiguity, it may happen that some parameters of effective Hamiltonians cannot be recovered from experimental data in a unique way. The type of admissible transformations which keeps the operator form of the effective Hamiltonian unaltered and the number of empirically determinable parameters strongly depend on the symmetry type of a molecule (asymmetric top, spherical top, and so on) and on the degeneracy of the vibrational state. In this work, we report the study of the ambiguity of effective Hamiltonian for the fundamental degenerate states v3 of the Molecule 12CD4.

Keywords: 12CD4, high-resolution infrared spectra, tetrahedral tensorial formalism, vibrational states, rovibrational line position analysis, XTDS, SPVIEW

Procedia PDF Downloads 416

Authors: Zhi Zhang, Liling Cao, Seyedbabak Momenzadeh, Lisa Davey

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Reinforced concrete (RC) flat slab-column systems are commonly used in residential or office buildings, as the flat slab provides efficient clearance resulting in more stories at a given height than regular reinforced concrete beam-slab system. Punching shear of slab-column joints is a critical component of two-way reinforced concrete flat slab design. The unbalanced moment at the joint is transferred via slab moment and shear forces. ACI 318 provides an equation to evaluate the punching shear under the design load. It is important to note that the design code considers gravity and environmental load when considering the design load combinations, while it does not consider the effect from differential foundation settlement, which may be a governing load condition for the slab design. This paper describes how prestressed reinforced concrete slab punching shear is evaluated based on ACI 318 provisions and finite element analysis. A prestressed reinforced concrete slab under differential settlements is studied using the finite element modeling methodology. The punching shear check equation is explained. The methodology to extract data for punching shear check from the finite element model is described and correlated with the corresponding code provisions. The study indicates that the finite element analysis results should be carefully reviewed and processed in order to perform accurate punching shear evaluation. Conclusions are made based on the case studies to help engineers understand the punching shear behavior in prestressed and non-prestressed reinforced concrete slabs.

Keywords: differential settlement, finite element model, prestressed reinforced concrete slab, punching shear

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Authors: Ariadna Jalife Gómez, Claudia Rangel Escareño

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The Acropora coral genus has experienced impactful consequences of climate change, especially in terms of population reduction related to limited thermal tolerance, however, comprehensive resources for genetic responses of these corals to phenomena are lacking. Thus, this study aims to identify key genes expressed across different developmental stages and conditions of Acropora spp. highlighted in published studies given the shared tissue and polyp-level characteristics among the species comprising the genus, as it is hypothesized that common reproductive, developmental, and stress response mechanisms are conserved. The presented resources, aiming to streamline the genus’ biology, elucidate several signaling pathways of development and stress response that contribute to the understanding of researchers of overall biological responses, while providing a genetic framework for potential further studies that might contribute to reef preservation strategies.

Keywords: acropora, development, genes, transcriptomics

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Authors: Vinaya Kambappa, Chinnadurai Mani, Komaraiah Palle

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Non-small cell-lung cancer (NSCLC) cells have increased expression of EGFR, which makes them a potential target for cancer therapy. Based on molecular docking and previous reports, we designed and synthesized quinazoline derivatives as potent EGFR inhibitors. Among the derivatives, three compounds showed good antiproliferative activity against A-549 and H-1299 cells. Furthermore, these compounds inhibited EGFR signaling exhibiting diminishing p-EGFR and its downstream proteins like p-Akt, p-Erk1/2, and p-mTOR; however, it did not alter the levels of EGFR, Akt, Erk1/2 and mTOR proteins. Flow cytometric analysis indicated the accumulation of cells at G1 phase suggesting induction of apoptosis, which was further confirmed by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. Our study suggested that quinazoline scaffold can be developed as novel EGFR kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy.

Keywords: apoptosis, non-small cell-lung cancer cells, EGFR, quinazoline

Procedia PDF Downloads 187

Authors: E. Obreque-Slier, P. Osorio-Umaña, G. Vidal-Acevedo, A. Peña-Neira, M. Medel-Marabolí

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Sensory and nutraceutical characteristics of a wine are determined by different chemical compounds, such as organic acids, sugars, alcohols, polysaccharides, aromas, and polyphenols. The polyphenols correspond to secondary metabolites that are associated with the prevention of several pathologies, and those are responsible for color, aroma, bitterness, and astringency in wines. These compounds come from grapes and wood during aging in barrels, which correspond to the format of wood most widely used in wine production. However, the barrels is a high-cost input with a limited useful life (3-4 years). For this reason, some oenological products have been developed in order to renew the barrels and increase their useful life in some years. These formats are being used slowly because limited information exists about the effect on the wine chemical characteristics. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of different laubarrel renewal systems (staves and zigzag) on the polyphenolic characteristics of a Carménère wine (Vitis vinifera), an emblematic cultivar of Chile. For this, a completely randomized experimental design with 5 treatments and three replicates per treatment was used. The treatments were: new barrels (T0), used barrels during 4 years (T1), scraped used barrels (T2), used barrels with staves (T3) and used barrels with zigzag (T4). The study was performed for 12 months, and different spectrophotometric parameters (phenols, anthocyanins, and total tannins) and HPLC-DAD (low molecular weight phenols) were evaluated. The wood inputs were donated by Toneleria Nacional and corresponded to products from the same production batch. The total phenols content increased significantly after 40 days, while the total tannin concentration decreased gradually during the study. The anthocyanin concentration increased after 120 days of the assay in all treatments. Comparatively, it was observed that the wine of T2 presented the lowest values of these polyphenols, while the T0 and T4 presented the highest total phenol contents. Also, T1 presented the highest values of total tannins in relation to the rest of the treatments in some samples. The low molecular weight phenolic compounds identified by HPLC-DAD were 7 flavonoids (epigallocatechin, catechin, procyanidin gallate, epicatechin, quercetin, rutin and myricetin) and 14 non-flavonoids (gallic, protocatechuic, hydroxybenzoic, trans-cutaric, vanillinic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric and ellagic acids; tyrosol, vanillin, syringaldehyde, trans-resveratrol and cis-resveratrol). Tyrosol was the most abundant compound, whereas ellagic acid was the lowest in the samples. Comparatively, it was observed that the wines of T2 showed the lowest concentrations of flavonoid and non-flavonoid phenols during the study. In contrast, wines of T1, T3, and T4 presented the highest contents of non-flavonoid polyphenols. In summary, the use of barrel renovators (zig zag and staves) is an interesting alternative which would emulate the contribution of polyphenols from the barrels to the wine.

Keywords: barrels, oak wood aging, polyphenols, red wine

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Authors: Mafalda Moreira, Diana Alba, Inês Paiva Ferreira, Rita Calejo, Ana Rita Soares, Leonilde Machado

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Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by deficits in intellectualfunctioningassociatedwithalterations in the adaptive behaviour, whose onset is inthedevelopmentalperiod. Itaffects 3% of the population, ofwhich 10% have a geneticaetiology. One of those causes isAlwadeiSyndrome, with 3 cases describedworldwide. It results from a homozygous nonsense mutation in theRUSC2 gene andisassociatedwithintellectualdisabilityanddysmorphic facialfeatures. Theauthorsreportthe case of a 5-year-old-boy, born to a healthymotherafter a full-termuneventfulpregnancy, thatwasreferred to Neurodevelopmentalconsultationdue toglobal developmentaldelay. Familyhistoryrevealedlearningdifficulties in the paternal brotherhood. Milddismorphicfeatureswereevidentsuch as darkinfraorbitalregion, low-set ears, beakednose, retrognathism, high-archedpalateandjointhyperlaxity. WechslerIntelligenceScale for Children III fullscaleIQ quoted 61. Karyotypeandchromosomalmicroarrayanalysiswerenormal, as well as the fragile X molecular study. DNA sequencingwasthenperformedandallowedtheidentificationof amutation in the RUSC2 gene. Theetiologicaldiagnosisof ID remains unknown in up to 80% of cases, creatinguncertainty in children’sfamilies. Theadvances in DNA sequencingtechnologieshaveincreasedourknowledgeofthegeneticdiseasesinvolved, as theAlwadeisyndromewasonlydescribedsince 2016. Thegeneticdiagnosisof ID allowsfamilygeneticcounselingandenablesthedevelopmentof target therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: intellectual disability, genetic aetiology, alwadei syndrome, RUSC2

Procedia PDF Downloads 179

Authors: Ammar Ouahab, Meriem Houichi , Sanna Mihoubi

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Background: Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant, belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. It has many pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory; anti-bacterial; anti-hepatotoxic activities etc. Materials: In order to predict the pharmacological activity of Nigella Sativa’s compounds, some web based servers were used, namely, PubChem, Molinspiration, ADMET-SAR, PASS online and PharMapper. In addition to that, AutoDOCK was used to investigate the different molecular interactions between the selected compounds and their target proteins. Results: All compounds displayed a stable interaction with their targets and satisfactory binding energies, which means that they are active on their targets. Conclusion: Nigella sativa is an effective medicinal plant that has several ethno-medical uses; the latter uses are proven herein via an in-silico study of their pharmacological activities.

Keywords: Nigella sativa, AutoDOCK, PubChem, Molinspiration, ADMET-SAR, PharMapper, PASS online server, docking

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Authors: Zi-Ang Li, Mu-Xuan Tao

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During the process of the industrialization of steel structure housing, a composite structural system with separated gravity and lateral resistant systems has been applied in engineering practices, which consists of composite frame with hinged beam-column joints, steel brace and RC shear wall. As an attempt in steel structural system area, seismic performance evaluation of the separated composite structure is important for further application in steel housing. This paper focuses on the seismic performance comparison of the separated composite structural system and traditional steel frame-shear wall system under the same inter-story drift ratio (IDR) provision limit. The same architectural layout of a high-rise building is designed as two different structural systems at the same IDR level, and finite element analysis using pushover method is carried out. Static pushover analysis implies that the separated structural system exhibits different lateral deformation mode and failure mechanism with traditional steel frame-shear wall system. Different indexes are adopted and discussed in seismic performance evaluation, including IDR, safe factor (SF), shear wall damage, etc. The performance under maximum considered earthquake (MCE) demand spectrum shows that the shear wall damage of two structural systems are similar; the separated composite structural system exhibits less plastic hinges; and the SF index value of the separated composite structural system is higher than the steel frame shear wall structural system.

Keywords: finite element analysis, new composite structural system, seismic performance evaluation, static pushover analysis

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Authors: Boukary Lam, Sebastien Deon, Patrick Fievet, Nadia Crini, Gregorio Crini

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Treatment of heavy metal-contaminated industrial wastewater has become a major challenge over the last decades. Conventional processes for the treatment of metal-containing effluents do not always simultaneously satisfy both legislative and economic criteria. In this context, coupling of processes can then be a promising alternative to the conventional approaches used by industry. The polymer-assisted ultrafiltration (PAUF) process is one of these coupling processes. Its principle is based on a sequence of steps with reaction (e.g., complexation) between metal ions and a polymer and a step involving the rejection of the formed species by means of a UF membrane. Unlike free ions, which can cross the UF membrane due to their small size, the polymer/ion species, the size of which is larger than pore size, are rejected. The PAUF process was deeply investigated herein in the case of removal of nickel ions by adding chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Experiments were conducted with synthetic solutions containing 1 to 100 ppm of nickel ions with or without the presence of NaCl (0.05 to 0.2 M), and an industrial discharge water (containing several metal ions) with and without polymer. Chitosan with a molecular weight of 1.8×105 g mol⁻¹ and a degree of acetylation close to 15% was used. CMC with a degree of substitution of 0.7 and a molecular weight of 9×105 g mol⁻¹ was employed. Filtration experiments were performed under cross-flow conditions with a filtration cell equipped with a polyamide thin film composite flat-sheet membrane (3.5 kDa). Without the step of polymer addition, it was found that nickel rejection decreases from 80 to 0% with increasing metal ion concentration and salt concentration. This behavior agrees qualitatively with the Donnan exclusion principle: the increase in the electrolyte concentration screens the electrostatic interaction between ions and the membrane fixed the charge, which decreases their rejection. It was shown that addition of a sufficient amount of polymer (greater than 10⁻² M of monomer unit) can offset this decrease and allow good metal removal. However, the permeation flux was found to be somewhat reduced due to the increase in osmotic pressure and viscosity. It was also highlighted that the increase in pH (from 3 to 9) has a strong influence on removal performances: the higher pH value, the better removal performance. The two polymers have shown similar performance enhancement at natural pH. However, chitosan has proved more efficient in slightly basic conditions (above its pKa) whereas CMC has demonstrated very weak rejection performances when pH is below its pKa. In terms of metal rejection, chitosan is thus probably the better option for basic or strongly acid (pH < 4) conditions. Nevertheless, CMC should probably be preferred to chitosan in natural conditions (5 < pH < 8) since its impact on the permeation flux is less significant. Finally, ultrafiltration of an industrial discharge water has shown that the increase in metal ion rejection induced by the polymer addition is very low due to the competing phenomenon between the various ions present in the complex mixture.

Keywords: carboxymethyl cellulose, chitosan, heavy metals, nickel ion, polymer-assisted ultrafiltration

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Authors: Atakan Efe Akpınar, Zeynep Demir

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Seed priming technologies are frequently used nowadays to increase the germination potential and stress tolerance of seeds. These treatments might be beneficial for native species as well as crops. Different priming treatments can be used depending on the type of plant, the morphology, and the physiology of the seed. Moreover, these may be various physical, chemical, and/or biological treatments. Aiming to improve studies about seed priming, ideas need to be brought into this technological sector related to the agri-seed industry. In this study, seed priming was carried out using some plant extracts. Firstly, some plant extracts prepared from plant leaves, roots, or fruit parts were obtained for use in priming treatments. Then, seeds were kept in solutions containing plant extracts at 20°C for 48 hours. Seeds without any treatment were evaluated as the control group. At the end of priming applications, seeds are dried superficially at 25°C. Seeds were analyzed for vigor (normal germination rate, germination time, germination index etc.). In the future, seed priming applications can expand to multidisciplinary research combining with digital, bioinformatic and molecular tools.

Keywords: seed priming, plant extracts, germination, biology

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Authors: Fakhrosadat Sajjadian

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In the USA, about 5% of women diagnosed with breast cancer annually are affected by Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), which is a highly aggressive type of Locally Advanced Breast Cancer (LABC). It is a type of LABC that is clinically and pathologically different, known for its rapid growth, invasiveness, and ability to promote the growth of blood vessels. Almost all women are found to have lymph nodes affected upon diagnosis, while around 36% show obvious distant metastases. Even with the latest improvements in multimodality therapies, the outlook for patients with IBC remains bleak, as the average disease-free survival time is less than 2.5 years. Recent research on the genetic factors responsible for the IBC phenotype has resulted in the discovery of genes that play a role in the advancement of this illness. The development of primary human cell lines and animal models has assisted in this research. These advancements offer new possibilities for future actions in identifying and treating IBC.

Keywords: breast cancer, inflammation, diagnosis, IBC, LABC

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Authors: Y. Kumru, K. Enhos, H. Köymen

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In this paper, we report the experimental results on using complementary Golay coded signals at 7.5 MHz to detect breast microcalcifications of 50 µm size. Simulations using complementary Golay coded signals show perfect consistence with the experimental results, confirming the improved signal to noise ratio for complementary Golay coded signals. For improving the success on detecting the microcalcifications, orthogonal complementary Golay sequences having cross-correlation for minimum interference are used as coded signals and compared to tone burst pulse of equal energy in terms of resolution under weak signal conditions. The measurements are conducted using an experimental ultrasound research scanner, Digital Phased Array System (DiPhAS) having 256 channels, a phased array transducer with 7.5 MHz center frequency and the results obtained through experiments are validated by Field-II simulation software. In addition, to investigate the superiority of coded signals in terms of resolution, multipurpose tissue equivalent phantom containing series of monofilament nylon targets, 240 µm in diameter, and cyst-like objects with attenuation of 0.5 dB/[MHz x cm] is used in the experiments. We obtained ultrasound images of monofilament nylon targets for the evaluation of resolution. Simulation and experimental results show that it is possible to differentiate closely positioned small targets with increased success by using coded excitation in very weak signal conditions.

Keywords: coded excitation, complementary golay codes, DiPhAS, medical ultrasound

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Authors: Alaa M. M. Badr Eldin, Marwa I. Ezzat, Mohammed S. Sedeek, Manal S. Afifi, Omar M. Sabry

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Cytotoxic activity of the total methanol extract against breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was amazing IC50 at 54 ug/ml. 130 polyphenolic compounds were tentatively identified in pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) methanol extract using HPLC-MS/MS technique. The antiestrogenic activity of the polyphenolic constituents found in pomegranate extract was confirmed experimentally in-vitro and by the in-silico molecular docking using gallagic acid, ellagic acid, and Punicalagin as these are considered model compounds confirmed in pomegranate peel extract. The methanolic extract was found to suppress ER, TGF-β, and NF-kB in-vitro gene expression strongly, and that was verified by qPCR and Western Blot gel electrophoresis techniques.

Keywords: HPLC-MS/MS, pomegranate, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, ER, TGF-β, NF-kB

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Authors: H. Nacef, L. Larous

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Salin soils occupy about 7% of land area; they are characterized by unsuitable physical conditions for the growth of living organisms. However, researches showed that some microorganisms especially fungi are able to grow and adapt to such extreme conditions; it is due to their ability to develop different physiological mechanisms in their adaptation. The aim of this study is to identify qualitatively the osmolytes that the biotechnological important fungus A. oryzae accumulated and/or produced in its adaptation, which they were detected by Thin-layer chromatography technique (TLC) using several systems, from different media (Wheat brane, MNM medium and MM medium). The results showed that The moderately halotolerant fungus A. oryzae, accumulates mixture of molecules, containing polyols and sugars , some amino acids in addition to some molecules which were not defined. Wheat bran was the best medium for the extraction of these molecules, where the proportion was 85.71%, followed by MNM medium 64.28%, then the minimum medium MM 14.28%. Properties of osmolytes are becoming increasingly useful in molecular biology, agriculture pharmaceutical, medicinal, and biotechnological interests.

Keywords: salinity, aspergillus oryzae, halo tolerance, osmolytes, compatible solutes

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Authors: Meenu Kaushik, Ayon K. Bandhoyadhayay, Lalit M. Joshi

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Inductive output tubes (IOTs) are widely used as microwave power amplifiers for broadcast and scientific applications. It is capable of amplifying radio frequency (RF) power with very good efficiency. Its compactness, reliability, high efficiency, high linearity and low operating cost make this device suitable for various applications. The device consists of an integrated structure of electron gun and RF cavity, collector and focusing structure. The working principle of IOT is a combination of triode and klystron. The cathode lies in the electron gun produces a stream of electrons. A control grid is placed in close proximity to the cathode. Basically, the input part of IOT is the integrated structure of gridded electron gun which acts as an input cavity thereby providing the interaction gap where the input RF signal is applied to make it interact with the produced electron beam for supporting the amplification phenomena. The paper presents the design, fabrication and testing of a radial re-entrant cavity for implementing in the input structure of IOT at 350 MHz operating frequency. The model’s suitability has been discussed and a generalized mathematical relation has been introduced for getting the proper transverse magnetic (TM) resonating mode in the radial narrow gap RF cavities. The structural modeling has been carried out in CST and SUPERFISH codes. The cavity is fabricated with the Aluminum material and the RF characterization is done using vector network analyzer (VNA) and the results are presented for the resonant frequency peaks obtained in VNA.

Keywords: inductive output tubes, IOT, radial cavity, coaxial cavity, particle accelerators

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Pakize Ozlem Kurt Polat

Abstract:

GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. This technology includes; nucleic acid hybridization, recombinant DNA, RNA, PCR, cell culture and gene cloning techniques. The studies are divided into three groups of properties transferred to the transgenic plant. Up to 59% herbicide resistance characteristic of the transfer, 28% resistance to insects and the virus seems to be related to quality characteristics of 13%. Transgenic crops are not included in the commercial production of each product; mostly commercial plant is soybean, maize, canola, and cotton. Day by day increasing GMO interest can be listed as follows; Use in the health area (Organ transplantation, gene therapy, vaccines and drug), Use in the industrial area (vitamins, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, anti-cancer compounds, anti -oxidants, plastics, fibers, polyethers, human blood proteins, and are used to produce carotenoids, emulsifiers, sweeteners, enzymes , food preservatives structure is used as a flavor enhancer or color changer),Use in agriculture (Herbicide resistance, Resistance to insects, Viruses, bacteria, fungi resistance to disease, Extend shelf life, Improving quality, Drought , salinity, resistance to extreme conditions such as frost, Improve the nutritional value and quality), we explain all this methods step by step in this research. GMO has advantages and disadvantages, which we explain all of them clearly in full text, because of this topic, worldwide researchers have divided into two. Some researchers thought that the GMO has lots of disadvantages and not to be in use, some of the researchers has opposite thought. If we look the countries law about GMO, we should know Biosafety law for each country and union. For this Biosecurity reasons, the problems caused by the transgenic plants, including Turkey, to minimize 130 countries on 24 May 2000, ‘the United Nations Biosafety Protocol’ signed nudes. This protocol has been prepared in addition to Cartagena Biosafety Protocol entered into force on September 11, 2003. This protocol GMOs in general use by addressing the risks to human health, biodiversity and sustainable transboundary movement of all GMOs that may affect the prevention, transit covers were dealt and used. Under this protocol we have to know the, ‘US Regulations GMO’, ‘European Union Regulations GMO’, ‘Turkey Regulations GMO’. These three different protocols have different applications and rules. World population increasing day by day and agricultural fields getting smaller for this reason feeding human and animal we should improve agricultural product yield and quality. Scientists trying to solve this problem and one solution way is molecular biotechnology which is including the methods of GMO too. Before decide to support or against the GMO, should know the GMO protocols and it effects.

Keywords: biotechnology, GMO (genetically modified organism), molecular marker

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