ERADICATION OF HETEROGENEOUS VANCOMYCIN ITERMEDIATED STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (hVISA) USING PEGANUM HARMALA L. SEEDS EXTRACTS

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the antibacterial essential oil of Peganum harmala L. seeds against locally isolated heterogeneous vancomycin intermediated Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) at doses ranging from 0.03 to 200 mg/ml. The filtered essential oil of P. harmala, after extract by the 96% ethanol in a Soxhlet extraction device, was analyzed by GC/MS (gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy). The results showed that the P. harmala seeds oils contained several compounds, such as Harmine (58.26%), followed by 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, methyl ester (28.55%) and Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (4.30%), It is highly effective against targeted bacteria. The MIC method was used to investigate antibacterial activity by measuring the lowest inhibitory concentration of the extract and observed that the inhibition concentration against hVISA isolates was 0.3 mg/ml. The gene expression was detected after RNA extract from hVISA (untreated and treated) with P. harmala essential oil using the Quantitative Real-Time PCR method the results revealed that gene expression was low after bacterial with plant extract treatment. Finally, the ethanolic extract of p. harmala seeds appears to be a potential therapy choice for hVISA infection

Comprehensive Characterization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Placenta and Fetal Membrane and Their Response to Osteoactivin Stimulation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most promising seed cells for cell therapy and can be isolated from various sources of human adult tissues such as bone marrow (BM-MSC) and adipose tissue. However, cells from these tissues must be obtained through invasive procedures. We, therefore, characterized MSCs isolated from fresh placenta (Pl-MSC) and fetal membrane (Mb-MSC) through morphological and fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). MSC frequency is higher in membrane than placenta (2.14%  ± 0.65 versus 15.67%  ± 0.29%). Pl/Mb-MSCs in vitro expansion potential was significantly higher than BM-MSCs. We demonstrated that one of the MSC-specific marker is sufficient for MSC isolation and that culture in specific media is the optimal way for selecting very homogenous MSC population. These MSCs could be differentiated into mesodermal cells expressing cell markers and cytologic staining consistent with mature osteoblasts and adipocytes. Transcriptomic analysis and cytokine arrays demonstrated broad similarity between placenta- and membrane-derived MSCs and only discrete differences with BM-MSCs with enrichment of networks involved in bone differentiation. Pl/Mb-MSCs displayed higher osteogenic differentiation potential than BM-MSC when their response to osteoactivin was evaluated. Fetal-tissue-derived mesenchymal cells may, therefore, be considered as a major source of MSCs to reach clinical scale banking in particular for bone regeneration

Soft Sensor for NOx Emission using Dynamical Neural Network

In this paper we propose a soft sensor for prediction of NOx emission from the combustion unit of industrial boilers. The soft sensor is based on a dynamical neural network model. A simplified structure of the dynamical neural network model is achieved by grouping the input variables using basic knowledge of the system. Neural network model is trained using real data logs of an industrial boiler. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to reduce number of input variables. Lag space for the model is found by using genetic algorithm to find the best time delayed model. Lag space obtained from the linear model is then used for constriction of the dynamical neural network. The proposed model is validated using different data from the same boiler and its ability to accurately predict NOx emission from the boiler is demonstrated

Principles of meiotic chromosome assembly revealed in S. cerevisiae

During meiotic prophase, chromosomes organise into a series of chromatin loops emanating from a proteinaceous axis, but the mechanisms of assembly remain unclear. Here we use Saccharomyces cerevisiae to explore how this elaborate three-dimensional chromosome organisation is linked to genomic sequence. As cells enter meiosis, we observe that strong cohesin-dependent grid-like Hi-C interaction patterns emerge, reminiscent of mammalian interphase organisation, but with distinct regulation. Meiotic patterns agree with simulations of loop extrusion with growth limited by barriers, in which a heterogeneous population of expanding loops develop along the chromosome. Importantly, CTCF, the factor that imposes similar features in mammalian interphase, is absent in S. cerevisiae, suggesting alternative mechanisms of barrier formation. While grid-like interactions emerge independently of meiotic chromosome synapsis, synapsis itself generates additional compaction that matures differentially according to telomere proximity and chromosome size. Collectively, our results elucidate fundamental principles of chromosome assembly and demonstrate the essential role of cohesin within this evolutionarily conserved process

An analytical model to predict the volume of sand during drilling and production

© 2016 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Sand production is an undesired phenomenon occurring in unconsolidated formations due to shear failure and hydrodynamic forces. There have been many approaches developed to predict sand production and prevent it by changing drilling or production strategies. However, assumptions involved in these approaches have limited their applications to very specific scenarios. In this paper, an elliptical model based on the borehole shape is presented to predict the volume of sand produced during the drilling and depletion stages of oil and gas reservoirs. A shape factor parameter is introduced to estimate the changes in the geometry of the borehole as a result of shear failure. A carbonate reservoir from the south of Iran with a solid production history is used to show the application of the developed methodology. Deriving mathematical equations for determination of the shape factor based on different failure criteria indicate that the effect of the intermediate principal stress should be taken into account to achieve an accurate result. However, it should be noticed that the methodology presented can only be used when geomechanical parameters are accurately estimated prior to the production stage when using wells and field data

A Simple Method Based on the Application of a CCD Camera as a Sensor to Detect Low Concentrations of Barium Sulfate in Suspension

The development of a simple, rapid and low cost method based on video image analysis and aimed at the detection of low concentrations of precipitated barium sulfate is described. The proposed system is basically composed of a webcam with a CCD sensor and a conventional dichroic lamp. For this purpose, software for processing and analyzing the digital images based on the RGB (Red, Green and Blue) color system was developed. The proposed method had shown very good repeatability and linearity and also presented higher sensitivity than the standard turbidimetric method. The developed method is presented as a simple alternative for future applications in the study of precipitations of inorganic salts and also for detecting the crystallization of organic compounds