SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND PRELIMINARY ANTIMICROBIAL EVALUATION OF NEW SCHIFF BASES OF AMPICILLIN AND AMOXICILLIN DERIVED FROM ISATIN DERIVATIVES

Objectives: Six different Schiff bases were synthesized from ampicillin and amoxicillin with isatin, 5-bromoisatin, and 5-nitroisatin.Methods: Ampicillin and Amoxicillin are linked directly through their α-amino groups to the acyl side chain with isatin and isatin derivatives by nucleophilic addition using glacial acetic acid as a catalyst.Results: chemical structures of these Schiff bases were confirmed using FTIR, 1H NMR and elemental microanalysis. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by measuring minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and showed various degrees of antibacterial activities when compared with parent drugs. Compounds 1a and 2b, which are the Schiff bases of ampicillin and amoxicillin with isatin, showed very significant activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Moreover, Schiff bases with 5-bromoisatin (1b and 2b) displayed significant activity against MRSA and less activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).Conclusion: The new Schiff bases of isatin and 5-bromoisatin linked to ampicillin and amoxicillin showed interesting antibacterial activities.Keywords: Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Schiff bases, Isatin derivative

IMPACT OF SODIUM DICHLOROACETATE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION THERAPIES ON LUNG TUMOR GROWTH AND METASTASIS

Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer with the highest mortality rate worldwide in 2020 despite the advances in targeted- and immuno-therapies. Metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as an essential emerging cancer hallmark in which altered metabolic pathways represent an attractive therapeutic target. Sodium Dichloroacetate (DCA), a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibitor, effect has been investigated in various tumors. Building on the already published data, this pre-clinical study aims to explore the anticancer potential of DCA in lung cancer alone and in combination with chemo- and targeted therapies using two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines namely, A549 and LNM35. This project was addressed through the investigation of the impact of DCA on lung cancer cell viability, migration, invasion, and colony growth in-vitro and on tumor growth and metastasis using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and the nude mice models in-vivo. The anti-angiogenic potential of DCA, its safety profile, and the impact of its combination with the proposed chemotherapy and first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKi) were also investigated. This study demonstrated that DCA causes a concentration- and time-dependent decrease in the viability of A549 and LNM35 cells and the growth of their colonies in-vitro. Similarly, DCA slow-down the growth of A549 and LNM35 tumor xenografts in both the chick embryo CAM and nude mice models in-vivo. DCA decreases the angiogenic capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in-vitro by decreasing HUVECs tube formation and sprouting, suggesting the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis as a potential mechanism behind its anti-tumor growth effect. On the other hand, DCA did not inhibit the in-vitro migration and invasion and the in-vivo incidence and growth of lymph nodes metastases in nude mice xenografted with the highly metastatic lung cancer cells LNM35. Treatment with DCA did not show any significant side effects on the chick embryos viability or on the nude mice weight and survival. In addition, blood, kidney, and liver function tests showed no toxicity with DCA when compared to the control group. Finally, DCA significantly enhanced the anticancer effect of cisplatin in LNM35, gefitinib and erlotinib in both cell lines. In summary, these findings demonstrate that DCA is a safe and promising therapeutic agent for lung cancer and pave the way for further pre-clinical studies validating the impact of DCA in combination with not only the first generation but also the second and third generation of EGFR-Tki in-vivo

Multiagent-Based Control for Plug-and-Play Batteries in DC Microgrids with Infrastructure Compensation

The influence of the DC infrastructure on the control of power-storage flow in micro- and smart grids has gained attention recently, particularly in dynamic vehicle-to-grid charging applications. Principal effects include the potential loss of the charge–discharge synchronization and the subsequent impact on the control stabilization, the increased degradation in batteries’ health/life, and resultant power- and energy-efficiency losses. This paper proposes and tests a candidate solution to compensate for the infrastructure effects in a DC microgrid with a varying number of heterogeneous battery storage systems in the context of a multiagent neighbor-to-neighbor control scheme. Specifically, the scheme regulates the balance of the batteries’ load-demand participation, with adaptive compensation for unknown and/or time-varying DC infrastructure influences. Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop studies in realistic conditions demonstrate the improved precision of the charge–discharge synchronization and the enhanced balance of the output voltage under 24 h excessively continuous variations in the load demand. In addition, immediate real-time compensation for the DC infrastructure influence can be attained with no need for initial estimates of key unknown parameters. The results provide both the validation and verification of the proposals under real operational conditions and expectations, including the dynamic switching of the heterogeneous batteries’ connection (plug-and-play) and the variable infrastructure influences of different dynamically switched branches. Key observed metrics include an average reduced convergence time (0.66–13.366%), enhanced output-voltage balance (2.637–3.24%), power-consumption reduction (3.569–4.93%), and power-flow-balance enhancement (2.755–6.468%), which can be achieved for the proposed scheme over a baseline for the experiments in question.</p

Petrology and Mineralogy of Jabal Sanam Carbonate Rocks, Basrah, Iraq

يعتبر جبل سنام واحدا من اكثر من مائتين من المقحمات الملحية التي تعود الى سلسلة هرمز في منطقة الخليج العربي والتي يقدر عمرها بتحت الكامبري, تؤكد الملاحظة الميدانية أن سد الملح "سنام" في جنوب العراق يتألف أساسا من صخور رسوبية متعاقبة متداخلة مع ثلاثة سدود نارية وصخور متحولة, تظهر الصفات التكتونية (الفوالق والطيات الصغيرة ) والتركيبية لمنطقة الدراسة, بالإضافة إلى عدة أنواع من التراكيب الرسوبية الأولية والثانوية, وتغطي صخور تكوين دبدبة الصخور المنكشفة من جبل سنام والمناطق المحيطة به.تظهر التحليلات الصخرية و المعدنية ل (27) عينة من الصخور التي تم فحصها حيث تتكون من معدن الدولومايت الذي يمثل المعدن الرئيسي مع كميات قليلة من المعادن الثانوية مثل الجبس والكوارتز ..... إلخ.&nbsp; وتم تحديد ودراسة مجموعة متنوعة من وحدات صخور الدولومايت (carbonate breccias, stromatolite dolomite, dolomite and gypsiferous dolomite) في تركيب سنام. بينت دراسة الدولومايت على وجود تراكيب شبيهة بالستروماتولايت ويعتقد انها ترسبت في بيئة بحرية على حافة الحوض الرسوبي؛ حيث تكون هذه الدولومايت مشابهة لمعظم الدولومايت الرمادي الداكن الشائع في العديد من سدادات الملح في الخليج العربي وعمان وإيران. أدت الحركات التكتونية الشديدة خلال عملية اختراق الصخور نحو السطح إلى تكوين الصخور الكاربونات المترهصة في الجزء العلوي من الترسيب. قد تنتج شرائط من المادة العضوية من الظروف السيئة للأكسجين خلال تحت الكامبري&nbsp;&nbsp;.(Infra-Cambrian)تشير إلى أن الدلمتة يمكن أن يكون نموذج بديل الدلمتة وقد مرت صخور الدولومايت جبل سنام فترة إعادة بلورة موسعة أثناء واختراق قبة الملح, &nbsp;ويعتقد أن عملية الدلمتة مرتبطة بالوضع للضحلة وتدفق الأملاح.The field observation confirms the Sanam salt plug in southern Iraq composed essentially of successive sedimentary rocks interbedded with three igneous dikes and metamorphosed rocks. The tectonic and structural features of this Mountain are faults, minor folds and slickensides; In addition to several types of primary and secondary sedimentary structures. The exposed rocks capped and surroundings belong with the Dibdibba Formation (Pliocene - Pleistocene). Petrographical and XRD analyses of (27) thin sections show that the investigated rocks consist dominantly of dolomite represents the dominant mineral with few to trace amount such as gypsum and quartz. Where A variety of dolomite rock units (carbonate breccias, stromatolite dolomite, dolomite and gypsiferous dolomite) of the Jabal Sanam plug have been identified and studied.&nbsp;&nbsp; Dolomites of the Jabal Sanam are interpreted as stromatolitic bindstones which formed in intertidal to supratidal environment. Where this dolomites are similar to most dark gray dolomites are common in many salt plugs of the Arabian Gulf, Oman and Iran. They seem to be an essential and consistent part of the Hormuz Series. Severe tectonic movements during the exhumation phase led to the formation of the carbonate breccia at the uppermost part of the deposit. Streaks of organic matter probably result from oxygen-poor conditions during the Infra-Cambrian; Suggest that dolomitization could be an alternative dolomaitization model. Dolomitization is believed to be related to a shallow setting and brine reflux. The Jabal Sanam dolomites experienced extensive recrystallization and sulfatiza during the emplacement of the salt dome

Plasmonic hybrid terahertz photomixer of graphene nanoantenna and nanowires

Due to their attractive properties, silver nanowires (Ag-NWs) are newly used as nanoelectrodes in continuous wave (CW) THz photomixer. However, since these nanowires have small contact area, the nanowires fill factor in the photomixer active region is low, which leads to reduce the nanowires conductivity. In this work, we proposed to add graphene nanoantenna array as nanoelectrodes to the silver nanowires-based photomixer to improve the conductivity. In addition, the graphene nanoantenna array and the silver nanowires form new hybrid nanoelectrodes for the CW-THz photomixer leading to improve the device conversion efficiency by the plasmonic effect. Two types of graphene nanoantenna array are proposed in two separate photomixer configurations. These are the graphene nanodisk (GND) array and the graphene bow-tie nanoantenna (GNA) array. The photomixer active region is simulated using the computer simulation technology (CST) Studio Suite® for three optical wavelengths: 780 nm, 810 nm, and 850 nm. From the results, we found that the electric field in the active region is enhanced by 4.2 and 4.8 times for the aforementioned configurations, respectively. We also showed that the THz output power can be enhanced by 310 and 530 times, respectively

Mathematical Model of FHXWBranching Type with Hyphal Death

A mathematical description of growth and branching in fungi can be derived in terms of continuous variables such as densities of filaments and tips. The general concept of continuum modeling yields the following equations of fungal growth in which a balance is kept for the accumulation of hyphal filaments and their tips.Hyphae are immobile. They are created only through the motion of tips-essentially the trail left behind tips as they moves. The rate of local length accumulation depends on the number of tips and branches present as well as on their rate of motion

Innovative heat transfer enhancements for thermal energy storage systems based on phase change materials

Rapid economic growth has led to increased use of fossil fuels as an energy source. This has a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists around the world are investigating new, more economic and renewable sources of energy. A complementary approach is to improve existing energy storage systems, which are as important as the development of new energy sources. Thermal energy is widely available in nature as a by-product of numerous energy conversion plants. Thermal energy could be accumulated using latent, sensible and thermo-chemical storage methods. The latent heat thermal energy storage method that utilizes phase change materials (PCMs) is the most promising energy storage technique. The method has a high energy storage density and is characterized by a slight variation in temperature during the process of energy storage. The low thermal conductivity is a major drawback of the PCMs and limits their application as latent heat thermal energy storage materials. That low thermal conductivity of PCMs increases their thermal energy storage and release times. The present study investigates various PCMs-based solutions to enhance the overall storage system thermal performance. The solutions proposed in this thesis comprise an innovative design of metallic fins and the introduction of innovative heat exchanger geometries. Numerical simulations that monitor melting (charging) and solidification (discharging) processes, are conducted to evaluate the proposed solutions. This manuscript is divided into four main parts that report the results of the investigations seeking to improve the latent heat energy storage systems utilising PCMs. In the first part of this study, innovative fin shapes were introduced to enhance the thermal performance of PCM in a triple tube heat exchanger. These fins included: tee fins and plus fins. To evaluate the thermal performance of these fins, a comparison was made with the traditional longitudinal fins. The results showed significant improvement in the PCM thermal performance when using the plus fins shape as compared to the longitudinal fins and tee fins configurations. When utilizing the plus fins, the PCM melting time reduced by 22% and the solidification time decreased by 25% compared with using the longitudinal fins. In the second part of this study, novel fin shapes were introduced to improve the thermal performance of PCM in a shell and tube heat exchanger. These fins included: tee fins, and tree fins. To evaluate the thermal performance of these fins a comparison was made with the traditional longitudinal fins. Similar to the triple tube heat exchanger, the results showed significant enhancement in the PCM thermal performance when utilizing the tee fins as compared to the longitudinal fins. For the tee fins, the PCM melting time reduced by 33% and the solidification time decreased by 33% when compared with using the longitudinal fins. In the third part of this study, an innovative heat exchanger geometry (webbed tube heat exchanger) was introduced to improve the thermal performance of PCM. To demonstrate the value of the webbed tube heat exchanger design, its thermal performance was compared against conventional heat exchangers, which included: triple tube heat exchanger, shell and tube heat exchanger, and multitube heat exchanger. When utilizing the webbed tube heat exchanger, the PCM melting time reduced by 50% and the solidification time decreased by 45% as compared to using the triple tube heat exchanger. Moreover, by utilizing the webbed tube heat exchanger, the PCM melting time reduced by 72% and the solidification time decreased by 66% when compared with using the multitube heat exchanger. Finally, the webbed tube heat exchanger, introduced in the third part of this thesis, was employed instead of the inner and middle tubes of the triple tube heat exchanger to produce the modified webbed tube heat exchanger. The modified webbed tube heat exchanger was proposed as a novel heat exchanger design to improve the thermal performance of the latent heat thermal energy storage systems that are based on PCMs. The study proved that by utilizing the modified webbed tube heat exchanger, the PCM melting time was reduced by 38% and the solidification time was decreased by 41% when compared to using the webbed tube heat exchanger. Comparisons were made with previous related experimental studies. The numerical results showed good agreement with the available experimental results and justify the investigations of cases that have not previously been studied. This systematic approach could constitute guidance for any practitioner looking to improve PCMs-based solutions

Parallel Implementation of Systolic Array Design for Developing Medical Image Rotation

Many image-processing algorithms are particularly suited to parallel computing, as they process images that are difficult and time consuming to analyse. In particular, medical images of tissues tend to be very complex with great irregularity and variability in shapes. Furthermore, existing algorithms contain explicit parallelism, which can be efficiently exploited by processing arrays. A good example of an image processing operation is the geometric rotation of a rectangular bitmap. This paper presents a set of systolic array designs for implementing the geometric rotation algorithms of images on VLSI processing arrays. The examined algorithm performs a trigonometric transformation on each pixel in an image.  The design is implemented as a distributed computing system of networked computers using Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) model. Each node (computer) in the network takes part in the task in hand – such as image processing – using message passing. Comments and conclusions about the implementation of the design as a distributed computing system are discussed. Keywords: parallel computing, distributed computing. PVM, image rotation, systolic array

The Novelty in Terms of Jurisdiction and Procedural System for the Enforcement of Foreign Arbitration Awards In the United Arab Emirates

The voluntary and forced execution embodies the purpose of the request for arbitration for anyone who obtains an award that achieves the purpose of the arbitration proceeding. In the context of foreign arbitration awards, permitting without national conditions or restrictions for the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards prejudices the sovereignty of the State over its territory, so the order of enforcement has become the judicial regulatory instrument imposed by the national legislator on the will of the parties, which is subsequent control over the issuance of the arbitration judgement - national, international or foreign - when it is to be enforced. In view of the different international and national legislation in the terms and conditions of the enforcement of foreign arbitration judgments, the problem of the study is to know which provisions are applicable to assess the availability of jurisdiction and procedures for obtaining order to enforce such awards. All this by pursuing an analytical approach and a plan based on two topics: the jurisdiction to request an enforcement order (first), and its procedural system (second)

Image Content Analysis Using Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms

The analysis of digital images for content discovery is a process of identifying and classifying patterns and sub-images that can lead to recognizing contents of the processed image. The image content analysis system presented in this paper aims to provide the machine with the capability to simulate in some sense, a similar capability in human beings. The developed system consists of three levels. In the low level, image clustering is performed to extract features of the input data and to reduce dimensionality of the feature space. Classification of the scene images are carried out using a single layer neural network, trained through Kohonen's self-organizing algorithm, with conscience function, to produce a set of equi-probable weights vector. The intermediate level consists of two parts. In the first part an image is partitioned into homogeneous regions with respect to the connectivity property between pixels, which is an important concept used in establishing boundaries of objects and component regions in an image. For each component, connected components can be determined by a process of component labeling. In the second part, feature extraction process is performed to capture significant properties of objects present in the image. In the high level; extracted features and relations of each region in the image are matched against the stored object models using the genetic algorithm approach. The implemented system is used in the analysis and recognition of colored images that represent natural scenes. Keywords: genetic algorithms, neural networks, image segmentation, clustering, image content analysis