A cost-reduction of self-compacting concrete incorporating raw rice husk ash

The higher material cost of self-compacting concrete (SCC) as compared to normal vibrated concrete is mainly due to its higher cement content. In order to produce economical SCC, a significant amount of cement should be replaced with cheaper material options, which are commonly found in byproduct materials such as limestone powder (LP), fly ash (FA) and raw rice husk ash (RRHA). However, the use of these byproduct materials to replace the high volumes of cement in an SCC mixture will produce deleterious effects such as strength reduction. Thus, the objective of this paper is to investigate the optimum SCC mixture proportioning capable of minimizing SCC’s material cost. A total of fifteen mixes were prepared. This study showed that raw rice husk ash exhibited positive correlations with fly ash and fine limestone powder and were able to produce high compressive and comparable to normal concrete. The SCC-mix made with quaternary cement-blend comprising OPC/LP/FA/RRHA at 55/15/15/15 weight percentage ratio is found to be capable of maximizing SCC’s material-cost reduction to almost 19% as compared with the control mi

Closure of oroantral fistula.

Oroantral fistula is an uncommon complication in oral surgery. Although smaller fistulas of less than 5 mm in diameter may close spontaneously, larger fistulas always require surgical closures. The literature review revealed various procedures for the closure of oroantral fistulas. These procedures may be subdivided into local flap, distant flap and grafting. Procedures involving local flaps are usually adequate to close minor to moderate size defects. Those procedures utilizing the buccal mucoperiosteal flap as the tissue closure include straight-advancement, rotated, sliding and transversal flap procedures; while those involving the palatal mucoperiosteum are straight advancement, rotational-advancement, hinged and island flap procedures. The combinations of various local flaps to strengthen the tissue closure are also being advocated. The advantages and the limitations of these procedures are discussed. Distant flaps and bone grafts are usually indicated in the closure of larger defects in view of their greater tissue bulks. Tongue flaps have superseded extra-oral flaps from extremities and forehead for aesthetic reasons and also in view of their similar tissue replacement. Various tongue flap procedures are described. At present, various alloplastic materials such as gold, tantalum and polymethylmethacrylate are infrequently reported in the closure of oroantral fistulas. However, in the light of successful reports over the use of biological materials, collagen and fibrin, in the closure of oroantral fistulas, there seems to be another simple alternative technique for treating oroantral fistulas

Unicystic ameloblastoma: a late recurrence with pseudo-glandular features. A case report.

A case of unicystic ameloblastoma which recurred after 15 years showing unusual histological features is reported. The prominent pseudo-glandular features present are described. This case highlights the importance of extensive histological examination for more characteristic features of ameloblastoma to reach a correct diagnosis

1 ' S-1 '-acetoxyeugenol acetate: a novel phenylpropanoid from Alpinia conchigera enhances the apoptotic effects of paclitaxel in MCF-7 cells through NF-kappa B inactivation

In this study, the apoptotic mechanism and combinatorial chemotherapeutic effects of the cytotoxic phenylpropanoid compound 1'S-1'-acetoxyeugenol acetate (AEA), extracted from rhizomes of the Malaysian ethnomedicinal plant Alpinia conchigera Griff. (Zingiberaceae), on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were investigated for the first time. Data from cytotoxic and apoptotic assays such as live and dead and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage assays indicated that AEA was able to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, but not in normal human mammary epithelial cells. A microarray global gene expression analysis of MCF-7 cells, treated with AEA, suggested that the induction of tumor cell death through apoptosis was modulated through dysregulation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappa B) pathway, as shown by the reduced expression of various kappa B-regulated gene targets. Consequent to this, western blot analysis of proteins corresponding to the NF-kappa B pathway indicated that AEA inhibited phosphorylation levels of the inhibitor of kappa B-kinase complex, resulting in the elimination of apoptotic resistance originating from NF-kappa B activation. This AEA-based apoptotic modulation was elucidated for the first time in this study, and gave rise to the proposal of an NF-kappa B model termed the 'Switching/Alternating Model.' In addition to this, AEA was also found to synergistically enhance the proapoptotic effects of paclitaxel, when used in combination with MCF-7 cells, presumably by a chemosensitizing role. Therefore, it was concluded that AEA isolated from the Malaysian tropical ginger (A. conchigera) served as a very promising candidate for further in-vivo development in animal models and in subsequent clinical trials involving patients with breast-related malignancies. Anti-Cancer Drugs 22:424-434 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Cloud computing applications and platforms: a survey

The implementation of cloud computing application takes the higher necessity, especially after suffering from modern problems, such as providing proper funds for social service and purchasing programs. For that, the cloud computing applications propose a promising solution to solve such issues. In this paper, we will discuss the implemention of cloud computing over Smart Grid system; a reliable, cost effective guaranteed and efficient system, it is expected to be Long Term Evolution (LTE): which allows larger pieces of spectrum, or bands to be used furthermore with more coverage and less latency and the third technology is Vehicular network: which is an important research area because of unique features and applications that offers. In this survey, we will present an overview of the smart grid, LTE and the vehicular network when they get integrated with cloud computing, in addition we will highlight the open issues and research direction which faces these technologies with cloud computing implementing in terms of Energy management, Information management for smart grid. In terms of applying cloud computing platforms for 4G Networks to achieve specific criteria and finally in terms of Architectural formation and Privacy and security for Vehicular cloud computing

Anti-proliferative, apoptotic induction, and anti-migration effects of hemi-synthetic 1&prime;<em>S</em>-1&prime;-acetoxychavicol acetate analogs on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

Nine analogs of 1′S-1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) were hemi-synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activities against seven human cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and anti-migration effects of these compounds and to explore the plausible underlying mechanisms of action. We found that ACA and all nine analogs were non toxic to human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) used as normal control cells, and only ACA, 1′-acetoxyeugenol acetate (AEA), and 1′-acetoxy-3,5-dimethoxychavicol acetate (AMCA) inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of <30.0 µM based on 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay results, and were selected for further investigation. DNA fragmentation assays showed that these three compounds markedly induced apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. Western blot analysis revealed increased expression levels of cleaved PARP, p53, and Bax, while decreased expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were seen after treatment, indicating that apoptosis was induced via the mitochondrial pathway. Moreover, ACA, AEA, and AMCA effectively inhibited the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. They also downregulated the expression levels of pFAK/FAK and pAkt/Akt via the integrin β1-mediated signaling pathway. Collectively, ACA and its hemi-synthetic analogs, AEA and AMCA are seen as potential anticancer agents following their abilities to suppress growth, induce apoptosis, and inhibit migration of breast cancer cells

Alterations of MicroRNA expression patterns in human cervical carcinoma cells (Ca Ski) toward 1â'S-1â'-acetoxychavicol acetate and cisplatin

The aims of this study were to investigate the combined effects of a natural compound 1²S-1²-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) with cisplatin (CDDP) on HPV-positive human cervical carcinoma cell lines (Ca Ski - low cisplatin sensitivity and HeLa - high cisplatin sensitivity), and to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) modulated in response toward ACA and/or CDDP. It was revealed that both ACA and CDDP induced dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity when used as a stand-alone agent, while synergistic effects were observed when used in combination with a combination index (CI) value of 0.74 ± 0.01 and 0.85 ± 0.01 in Ca Ski and HeLa cells, respectively. A total of 25 miRNAs were found to be significantly differentially expressed in response to ACA and/or CDDP. These include hsa-miR-138, hsa-miR-210, and hsa-miR-744 with predicted gene targets involved in signaling pathways regulating apoptosis and cell cycle progression. In conclusion, ACA acts as a chemosensitizer which synergistically potentiates the cytotoxic effect of CDDP in cervical cancer cells. The altered miRNA expression upon administration of ACA and/or CDDP suggests that miRNAs play an important role in anticancer drug responses, which can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes. © The Author(s) 2012

The apoptotic effect of 1’S-1’-Acetoxychavicol Acetate (ACA) enhanced by inhibition of non-canonical autophagy in human non-small cell lung cancer cells

Autophagy plays a role in deciding the fate of cells by inducing either survival or death. 1’S-1-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) is a phenylpropanoid isolated from rhizomes of Alpinia conchigera and has been reported previously on its apoptotic effects on various cancers. However, the effect of ACA on autophagy remains ambiguous. The aims of this study were to investigate the autophagy-inducing ability of ACA in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to determine its role as pro-survival or pro-death mechanism. Cell viability assay was conducted using MTT. The effect of autophagy was assessed by acridine orange staining, GFP-LC3 punctate formation assay, and protein level were analysed using western blot. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining was performed to detect percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis by using flow cytometry. ACA inhibits the cell viability and induced formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles in NSCLC cells. Acidic vesicular organelles and GFP-LC3 punctate formation were increased in response to ACA exposure in A549 and SK-LU-1 cell lines; implying occurrence of autophagy. In western blot, accumulation of LC3-II accompanied by degradation of p62 was observed, which further confirmed the full flux of autophagy induction by ACA. The reduction of Beclin-1 upon ACA treatment indicated the Beclin-1-independent autophagy pathway. An early autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyaldenine (3-MA), failed to suppress the autophagy triggered by ACA; validating the existence of Beclin-1-independent autophagy. Silencing of LC3-II using short interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished the autophagy effects, enhancing the cytotoxicity of ACA through apoptosis. This proposed ACA triggered a pro-survival autophagy in NSCLC cells. Consistently, co-treatment with lysosomal inhibitor, chloroquine (CQ), exerted a synergistic effect resulting in apoptosis. Our findings suggested ACA induced pro-survival autophagy through Beclin-1-independent pathway in NSCLC. Hence, targeting autophagy pathway using autophagy inhibitor such as CQ represented a novel promising approach to potentiate the cytotoxicity of ACA through apoptosis in NSCLC