DNA Photocleavage by 9-Aminomethylanthracene Dyes at pH 7.0: Ionic Strength Effects

DNA photosensitizers are compounds that are capable of binding in to DNA strands through groove binding, intercalation, or electrostatic interactions. Excitation of these agents by light generates reactive oxygen species which causes extensive photo-oxidative damage to genomic DNA. Physiological concentrations of NaCl and KCl are ~ 150 mM and 260 mM within the cell nucleus where DNA is contained. Unfortunately, the ability of most photosensitizers to bind to double-helical DNA is reduced and photocleavage yields are diminished as concentrations of salt increase. The aim of this project is to observe the photocleavage of pUC19 plasmid DNA induced by N1,N1-bis(9-anthrymethyl)triethylenetetraamine tetrahydrochloride (AL-VIII 23) 1 or N,N-dimethyl-N’-(9-methylanthracenyl)ethylenediamine (NMEA) 2 in presence of salt. Spectroscopic titrations and DNA melting assays were used to study binding modes and affinities of both dyes to the helix upon the addition of salt

Adeno-associated virus and lentivirus vectors: a refined toolkit for the central nervous system.

The last two decades have witnessed the increasing instrumentalization of viruses, which have progressively evolved into highly potent gene transfer vehicles for a wide spectrum of applications. In the context of the central nervous system (CNS), their unique gene delivery features and targeting specificities have been exploited not only to improve our understanding of basic neurobiology, but also to investigate diseases or deliver therapeutic candidates. As a result, we have started moving away from the opportunistic use of recombinant vectors that are derived from naturally existing viruses toward the rational engineering of tailored lentivirus (LV) and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for specific use in the CNS

The Impact of Population Growth on Residential Landuse in Calabar, Cross River State

This study examined the impact of population growth on residential landuse in Calabar, Cross River State. The major research problems which elicited interest on this study include the increasing densification of houses in the study area, increase in the cost of a plot of land, astronomical increase in house rents and increase in overcrowding index. The main objectives of the study include to examine the consequences of population growth on urban residential landuse in Calabar, and to examine the rate of increase in the value of land in the study area. One hypothesis, namely, there is no significant relationship between population growth and the cost of urban residential land. Data for the study were collected from the National Population Commission, the Cross River State Ministry of Lands and Housing, and the Town Planning Department. The results confirm a strong correlation between population growth and cost of land at the city centre and at the periphery. Furthermore, the study has shown that between 1999 and 2009, the proportion of land used for residential purposes increased by about 61.3 percent. The work concludes by recommending that Government, through the Town Planning Department, should be meticulous in land allocation, registration of building plans, and be involved in strict supervision when houses are being built. Keywords:Population Growth, Land rent, urban residential landuse, Overcrowdin

Bacteriotherapy for the treatment of intestinal dysbiosis caused by Clostridium difficile infection

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used for more than five decades to treat a variety of intestinal diseases associated with pathological imbalances within the resident microbiota, termed dysbiosis. FMT has been particularly effective for treating patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection who are left with few clinical options other than continued antibiotic therapy. Our increasing knowledge of the structure and function of the human intestinal microbiota and C. difficile pathogenesis has led to the understanding that FMT promotes intestinal ecological restoration and highlights the microbiota as a viable therapeutic target. However, the use of undefined faecal samples creates a barrier for widespread clinical use because of safety and aesthetic issues. An emerging concept of bacteriotherapy, the therapeutic use of a defined mixture of harmless, health-associated bacteria, holds promise for the treatment of patients with severe C. difficile infection, and possibly represents a paradigm shift for the treatment of diseases linked to intestinal dysbiosis

Weighted Birkhoff Averages and the Parameterization Method

This work provides a systematic recipe for computing accurate high order Fourier expansions of quasiperiodic invariant circles in area preserving maps. The recipe requires only a finite data set sampled from the quasiperiodic circle. Our approach, being based on the parameterization method, uses a Newton scheme to iteratively solve a conjugacy equation describing the invariant circle. A critical step in properly formulating the conjugacy equation is to determine the rotation number of the quasiperiodic subsystem. For this we exploit a the weighted Birkhoff averaging method. This approach facilities accurate computation of the rotation number given nothing but the already mentioned orbit data. The weighted Birkhoff averages also facilitate the computation of other integral observables like Fourier coefficients of the parameterization of the invariant circle. Since the parameterization method is based on a Newton scheme, we only need to approximate a small number of Fourier coefficients with low accuracy to find a good enough initial approximation so that Newton converges. Moreover, the Fourier coefficients may be computed independently, so we can sample the higher modes to guess the decay rate of the Fourier coefficients. This allows us to choose, a-priori, an appropriate number of modes in the truncation. We illustrate the utility of the approach for explicit example systems including the area preserving Henon map and the standard map. We present example computations for invariant circles with period as low as 1 and up to more than 100. We also employ a numerical continuation scheme to compute large numbers of quasiperiodic circles in these systems. During the continuation we monitor the Sobolev norm of the Parameterization to automatically detect the breakdown of the family.Comment: 38 pages, 15 figure

Crystallography, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity of heavy fermion LiV2_2O4_4 single crystals grown using a self-flux technique

Magnetically pure spinel compound ${\rm LiV_2O_4}$ is a rare $d$-electron heavy fermion. Measurements on single crystals are needed to clarify the mechanism for the heavy fermion behavior in the pure material. In addition, it is known that small concentrations ($< 1$ mol%) of magnetic defects in the structure strongly affect the properties, and measurements on single crystals containing magnetic defects would help to understand the latter behaviors. Herein, we report flux growth of ${\rm LiV_2O_4}$ and preliminary measurements to help resolve these questions. The magnetic susceptibility of some as-grown crystals show a Curie-like upturn at low temperatures, showing the presence of magnetic defects within the spinel structure. The magnetic defects could be removed in some of the crystals by annealing them at 700 $^\circ$C\@. A very high specific heat coefficient $\gamma$ = 450 mJ/(mol K${^2}$\@) was obtained at a temperature of 1.8 K for a crystal containing a magnetic defect concentration $n$${\rm_{defect}}$ = 0.5 mol%. A crystal with $n$${\rm _{defect}}$ = 0.01 mol% showed a residual resistivity ratio of 50.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, Title modifie

-THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTANTS IN STRENGTHENING INTERNAL CONTROL OF BUISNESS ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA (A STUDY OF SELECTED BUISNESS ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA)

The research work examined the effectiveness of forensic accountants in strengthening internal control of business organizations in Nigeria. Companies were chosen due to the important role they play in increasing the level of economic activity. The study aimed at investigating how fraud can be managed and handled in business organizations. The research work is a survey research and the sampling technique employed was the purposive sampling with a sample of jive companies that was selected. A total of 100 copies of questionnaire were distributed to the staff of the selected business organizations. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). All the hypotheses were tested using Regression Analysis. The results of the empirical findings showed that internal control and its components play a significant role in controlling fraud in business organizations. it is recommended that internal control should be undertaken with effective continuous monitoring of the controls and companies should be stricter with compliance to control procedures

(Biphenyl-2-yl)bromidobis(2-methyl­tetra­hydro­furan-κO)magnesium(II)

In the title Grignard reagent, [MgBr(C12H9)(C5H10O)2], the Mg centre adopts a distorted tetra­hedral MgCO2Br arrangement. The dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings of the biphenyl residue is 44.00 (14)°. Each mol­ecule incorporates one R- and one S-configured 2-methyl­tetra­hydro­furan mol­ecule

Physicochemical parameters, levels of Cu and Pb in water and water lily plant from the Bank of River Benue

In this study three (3) water samples were collected from the River Benue Basin, within the catchment of the Benue State Works. The water samples were collected at different points within this region alongside water Lilly plants at the same points in the study area. This research was aimed at assessing the physicochemical properties and heavy metals (Cu and Pb) content in water and water lily plant around Benue Water Works in Makurdi. The physicochemical parameters of the water samples as well as determination of Cu and Pb in the water samples, and water lily plant was done using standard methods. Results were compared to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines to assess suitability. The results of the physicochemical parameters were either below or within the accepted limit except for colour (179 - 220 mg/units) and electrical conductivity (919 – 1760 μS/cm) which were above the WHO recommended limits of 15 TCU and 1000 μS/cm respectively. Trace metal contamination was exceedingly above WHO recommended level of 0.01 mg/L for Pb in water. Similarly, Pb concentration (48.5 – 53.6 mg/kg) in the plant samples was above the WHO/FAO recommended value of 5 mg/kg indicating pollution. It was concluded that the water is not completely safe for drinking and with the high level of Pb both in the water and plant samples, the water poses environmental health risk to inhabitants and the society in general.Keywords: Heavy metals, Physicochemical parameters, Water quality, WHO/FAO guideline

Spatial Resolution with Time-and-Polarization-Resolved Acoustic Microscopy

Spatial resolution is an important factor in ultrasonic materials characterization. Scanning acoustic microscopy [1–2] has proved to be a useful tool for materials evaluation with micrometer-scale spatial resolution. Point-focus-beam (PFB) acoustic microscopy has high spatial resolution and is often used to produce images as well as to probe material inhomogeneity. However, a disadvantage of the PFB technique lies in its insensitivity to material anisotropy. In contrast, line-focus-beam (LFB) acoustic microscopy can provide a directional ultrasonic velocity measurement and is employed for characterization of anisotropic materials [3–5]. But the LFB technique, with its unidirectional spatial resolution, is generally incapable of producing images, and is therefore disadvantageous for probing inhomogeneous materials. In response to this need, a variety of lens designs [6–9] in acoustic microscopy have been proposed for measuring materials, which are both inhomogeneous and anisotropic