Seasonal changes of fatty acids in Nerita textilis on intertidal area of Chabahar Bay (Oman Sea)

The aim of this research was to identify and isolate the fatty acids composition of Nerita textiles in intertidal area of Chabahar Bay, and also to explore the seasonal changes of fatty acid content in Nerita textiles. GC/MS resulted thirteen fatty acids, that saturated fatty acids (SFA) of palmitic acid (16:0) was the most abundant category of fatty acid obtained in total lipids. There were no significant differences in total saturated fatty acids between different seasons. No significant differences were also observed in total unsaturated fatty acids between different seasons. The majority of unsaturated fatty acid reached their maximum levels during winter, while saturated acids reached their maximum levels in summer. Saturated acids were more than unsaturated fatty acids. Statistical analysis showed the positive significant correlation between temperature and saturated fatty acids and a negative significant correlation between temperature and unsaturated fatty acids. Biomarker fatty acids revealed that diet of Nerita textiles probably includes phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus, bacteria, diatoms, red and brown algae. The results showed that meat quality indicated n-6/n-3 ratio in the range of 1.9 to 4.3

Core promoter short tandem repeats as evolutionary switch codes for primate speciation

Alteration in gene expression levels underlies many of the phenotypic differences across species. Because of their highly mutable nature, proximity to the +1 transcription start site (TSS), and the emerging evidence of functional impact on gene expression, core promoter short tandem repeats (STRs) may be considered an ideal source of variation across species. In a genome-scale analysis of the entire Homo sapiens protein-coding genes, we have previously identified core promoters with at least one STR of ≥6-repeats, with possible selective advantage in this species. In the current study, we performed reverse analysis of the entire Homo sapiens orthologous genes in mouse in the Ensembl database, in order to identify conserved STRs that have shrunk as an evolutionary advantage to humans. Two protocols were used to minimize ascertainment bias. Firstly, two species sharing a more recent ancestor with Homo sapiens (i.e. Pan troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla gorilla) were also included in the study. Secondly, four non-primate species encompassing the major orders across Mammals, including Scandentia, Laurasiatheria, Afrotheria, and Xenarthra were analyzed as out-groups. We introduce STR evolutionary events specifically identical in primates (i.e. Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, and Gorilla gorilla gorilla) vs. non-primate out-groups. The average frequency of the identically shared STR motifs across those primates ranged between 0.00005 and 0.06. The identified genes are involved in important evolutionary and developmental processes, such as normal craniofacial development (TFAP2B), regulation of cell shape (PALMD), learning and long-term memory (RGS14), nervous system development (GFRA2), embryonic limb morphogenesis (PBX2), and forebrain development (APAF1). We provide evidence of core promoter STRs as evolutionary switch codes for primate speciation, and the first instance of identity-by-descent for those motifs at the interspecies level. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Integrated production-distribution systems : Trends and perspectives

During the last two decades, integrated production-distribution problems have attracted a great deal of attention in the operations research literature. Within a short period, a large number of papers have been published and the field has expanded dramatically. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature by classifying the existing models into several different categories based on multiple characteristics. The paper also discusses some trends and list promising avenues for future research

The SiC/SiO Nanostructured Core-Shell as Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries: Synthesis and HRTEM Characterization

The SiC/SiO nanocmposite was synthesized by a sol-gel method with a following heat-treatment process. The SiC nanoparticles were coated with SiO, as a result, a core-shell nanostructured was formed. The processed material was characterized using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), fourier-transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR). Data obtained in this research showed that core-shell nanoparticles of SiC/SiO with an average range size of 20- 40 (nm) may be produced through sol-gel processing. The SiC/SiO core-shell nanocomposite can act as regarded candidate for high performance anode materials for lithium ion battery applications. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3525

Development of micellar electro kinetic chromatography for the separation and quantitation of L-valine, L-leucine, L-isoleucin and L-phenylalanine in human plasma and comparison with HPLC

Phenylketonuria (PKU) and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) are two inborn metabolic diseases which are carried by autosomal recessive genes in man. These genetic errors result in accumulation of phenylalanine (in PKU) or valine, leucine and isoluecin (in MSUD). At high concentrations, amongst other problems, these amino acids cause mental retardation. However if detected early after birth, using special diets and other forms of therapy, mental abnormalities can be prevented. As a result in many countries screening of infants for MSUD and PKU, by measuring plasma amino acids has become a routine neonatal test. Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) assays have a number of advantages over the traditional chromatography techniques (such as GC or HPLC). These include low cost, high speed of analysis and high resolution. These characteristics, make CE an ideal method for the screening of inborn errors of metabolism. We developed a CE assay based on pre-column derivatisation of amino acids with phenylisothiocyanate. This conjugate has strong absorbance at 254 nm. CE was carried out using a Spectraphoresis 1000 instrument, fitted with 40 cm of a 25 μm capillary, at 17°C. A running voltage of 18KV was used to separate the amino acid mixture in an electrophoretic buffer containing 45 mM imidazole, 6 mM borate and 208 mM SDS, fixed at pH 9 with 2-N-morpholino ethane sulfonic acid. The assay was calibrated using various concentrations of amino acid standards. LOD, LOQ, recovery, inter-day and intra-day variations of the assay were determined. Also, levels of the 4 amino acids in normal and abnormal plasma were determined and compared with HPLC. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Analysis of and workarounds for element reversal for a finite element-based algorithm for warping triangular and tetrahedral meshes

We consider an algorithm called FEMWARP for warping triangular and tetrahedral finite element meshes that computes the warping using the finite element method itself. The algorithm takes as input a two- or three-dimensional domain defined by a boundary mesh (segments in one dimension or triangles in two dimensions) that has a volume mesh (triangles in two dimensions or tetrahedra in three dimensions) in its interior. It also takes as input a prescribed movement of the boundary mesh. It computes as output updated positions of the vertices of the volume mesh. The first step of the algorithm is to determine from the initial mesh a set of local weights for each interior vertex that describes each interior vertex in terms of the positions of its neighbors. These weights are computed using a finite element stiffness matrix. After a boundary transformation is applied, a linear system of equations based upon the weights is solved to determine the final positions of the interior vertices. The FEMWARP algorithm has been considered in the previous literature (e.g., in a 2001 paper by Baker). FEMWARP has been succesful in computing deformed meshes for certain applications. However, sometimes FEMWARP reverses elements; this is our main concern in this paper. We analyze the causes for this undesirable behavior and propose several techniques to make the method more robust against reversals. The most successful of the proposed methods includes combining FEMWARP with an optimization-based untangler.Comment: Revision of earlier version of paper. Submitted for publication in BIT Numerical Mathematics on 27 April 2010. Accepted for publication on 7 September 2010. Published online on 9 October 2010. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

The role of environment in galaxy evolution in the SERVS survey I: density maps and cluster candidates

We use photometric redshifts derived from new $u$-band through 4.5$\mu$m Spitzer IRAC photometry in the 4.8\,deg$^2$ of the XMM-LSS field to construct surface density maps in the redshift range 0.1-1.5. Our density maps show evidence for large-scale structure in the form of filaments spanning several tens of Mpc. Using these maps, we identify 339 overdensities that our simulated lightcone analysis suggests are likely associated with dark matter haloes with masses, $M_{\rm halo}$, log($M_{\rm halo}/M_{\odot})>$13.7. From this list of overdensities we recover 43 of 70 known X-ray detected and spectroscopically confirmed clusters. The missing X-ray clusters are largely at lower redshifts and lower masses than our target log($M_{\rm halo}/M_{\odot})>$13.7. The bulk of the overdensities are compact, but a quarter show extended morphologies which include likely projection effects, clusters embedded in apparent filaments as well as at least one potential cluster merger (at $z\sim1.28$). The strongest overdensity in our highest redshift slice (at $z\sim1.5$) shows a compact red galaxy core potentially implying a massive evolved cluster

LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE AROUND A z=2.1 CLUSTER

The most prodigious starburst galaxies are absent in massive galaxy clusters today, but their connection with large-scale environments is less clear at $z\gtrsim 2$. We present a search of large-scale structure around a galaxy cluster core at z = 2.095 using a set of spectroscopically confirmed galaxies. We find that both color-selected star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) show significant overdensities around the z = 2.095 cluster. A total of eight DSFGs (including three X-ray luminous active galactic nuclei, AGNs) and 34 SFGs are found within a 10' radius (corresponds to ~15 cMpc at $z\sim 2.1$) from the cluster center and within a redshift range of ${\rm{\Delta }}z=0.02$, which leads to galaxy overdensities of ${\delta }_{{\rm{DSFG}}}\sim 12.3$ and ${\delta }_{{\rm{SFG}}}\sim 2.8$. The cluster core and the extended DSFG- and SFG-rich structures together demonstrate an active cluster formation phase, in which the cluster is accreting a significant amount of material from large-scale structure while the more mature core may begin to virialize. Our finding of this DSFG-rich structure, along with a number of other protoclusters with excess DSFGs and AGNs found to date, suggest that the overdensities of these rare sources indeed trace significant mass overdensities. However, it remains puzzling how these intense star formers are triggered concurrently. Although an increased probability of galaxy interactions and/or enhanced gas supply can trigger the excess of DSFGs, our stacking analysis based on 850 μm images and morphological analysis based on rest-frame optical imaging do not show such enhancements of merger fraction and gas content in this structure

Apigenin as Tumor Suppressor in Cancers: Biotherapeutic Activity, Nanodelivery, and Mechanisms With Emphasis on Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to its propensity for early local and distant spread, affected patients possess extremely poor prognosis. Currently applied treatments are not effective enough to eradicate all cancer cells, and minimize their migration. Besides, these treatments are associated with adverse effects on normal cells and organs. These therapies are not able to increase the overall survival rate of patients; hence, finding novel adjuvants or alternatives is so essential. Up to now, medicinal herbs were utilized for therapeutic goals. Herbal-based medicine, as traditional biotherapeutics, were employed for cancer treatment. Of them, apigenin, as a bioactive flavonoid that possesses numerous biological properties (e.g., anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects), has shown substantial anticancer activity. It seems that apigenin is capable of suppressing the proliferation of cancer cells via the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Besides, apigenin inhibits metastasis via down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases and the Akt signaling pathway. In pancreatic cancer cells, apigenin sensitizes cells in chemotherapy, and affects molecular pathways such as the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1). Herein, the biotherapeutic activity of apigenin and its mechanisms toward cancer cells are presented in the current review to shed some light on anti-tumor activity of apigenin in different cancers, with an emphasis on pancreatic cancer. © Copyright © 2020 Ashrafizadeh, Bakhoda, Bahmanpour, Ilkhani, Zarrabi, Makvandi, Khan, Mazaheri, Darvish and Mirzaei

HELP: star formation as function of galaxy environment with Herschel

The Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project (HELP) brings together a vast range of data from many astronomical observatories. Its main focus is on the Herschel data, which maps dust obscured star formation over 1300 deg2. With this unprecedented combination of data sets, it is possible to investigate how the star formation vs stellar mass relation (main-sequence) of star-forming galaxies depends on environment. In this pilot study we explore this question between 0:1 2. We also estimate the evolution of the star formation rate density in the COSMOS field and our results are consistent with previous measurements at z 2 but we find a 1:4 (superscript) +0:3 (subscript) 0:2 times higher peak value of the star formation rate density at z about 1:9