Effects of Two-Way Turbulence Interaction on the Evaporating Fuel Sprays

This article discusses the importance of using different turbulence modulation models in simulation of evaporating sprays. An in-house CFD code has been modified to take into account the effect of considering turbulence modulation by standard or consistent models. These models may predict an augmentation (consistent model) or a reduction (standard model) in the turbulence kinetic energy of continuous phase. Calculations are done in a Eulerian-Lagrangian framework and the effect of injected droplets on turbulent kinetic energy and its rate of dissipation is included in the equations of the continuous phase. Results are shown to be valid by comparing them to Sandia spray A configuration experimental data. Results show that considering the effect of existing droplets in a turbulent combustion chamber can play a major role in having a more accurate CFD simulation. These models can alter the velocity field drastically when droplets are injected into the chamber with a high velocity. As a result, spray characteristics such as evaporation rate is also altered. It can be concluded that modulation models should be used in the simulation of evaporating sprays in order to attain more accurate and realistic results

Characterization Of A Protein-protein Interaction Network Of The Cbl-interacting Protein Kinase 8 From Sugarcane

Plants are sessile organisms and have evolved to tolerate a constantly changing environment. After the onset of different stress conditions, calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins can sense calcium signals and activate CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) proteins, which can phosphorylate downstream proteins to reestablish plant homeostasis. Previous studies in the bioenergy crop sugarcane showed that the ScCIPK8 gene is induced by drought stress and is also related to sucrose content. Here, we have characterized the protein-protein interactions of ScCIPK8 with six CBL proteins (ScCBL1, ScCBL2, ScCBL3, ScCBL6, ScCBL9, and ScCBL10). Yeast two-hybrid assays showed that ScCIPK8 interacts with ScCBL1, ScCBL3, and ScCBL6. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays confirmed in planta the interactions that were observed in yeast cells. These findings give insights on the regulatory networks related to sugar accumulation and drought stress responses in sugarcane.141483491Albrecht, V., Ritz, O., Linder, S., Harter, K., The NAF domain defines a novel protein-protein interaction module conserved in Ca2+-regulated kinases (2001) EMBO J, 20, pp. 1051-1063Batistic, O., Kudla, J., Integration and channeling of calcium signaling through the CBL calcium sensor/CIPK protein kinase network (2004) Planta, 219, pp. 915-924Batistic, O., Sorek, N., Schultke, S., Yalovsky, S., Dual fatty acyl modification determines the localization and plasma membrane targeting of CBL/CIPK Ca2+ signaling complexes in Arabidopsis (2008) Plant Cell, 20, pp. 1346-1362Batistic, O., Waadt, R., Steinhorst, L., Held, K., CBL-mediated targeting of CIPKs facilitates the decoding of calcium signals emanating from distinct cellular stores (2010) Plant J, 61, pp. 211-222Bologna, G., Yvon, C., Duvaud, S., Veuthey, A.L., N-Terminal myristoylation predictions by ensembles of neural networks (2004) Proteomics, 4, pp. 1626-1632Defalco, T.A., Bender, K.W., Snedden, W.A., Breaking the code: Ca2+ sensors in plant signalling (2010) Biochem. 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Inserção do profissional de educação física na Estratégia de Saúde da Família no município de Volta Redonda

Este estudo bibliográfico aborda a temática da inserção do profissional de Educação Física (EF) na Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) no município de Volta Redonda / RJ. O objetivo é desenvolver um protocolo de intervenção do profissional de educação física na ESF propondo uma reflexão desta equipe tendo como foco principal a atuação do professor de educação física neste programa de governo. Mediante os agravos de problemas de saúde que emergem em nossa sociedade, existe a necessidade de estratégias direcionadas à inserção diversos profissionais da área de saúde que possam contribuir para uma melhoria na qualidade de vida do indivíduo, e para isso, faz-se necessária a união multidisciplinar onde fique evidente o respeito e a contribuição de cada área, para a mudança de um quadro preocupante. Portanto acredita-se que a EF possa dar sua contribuição no combate de diversas doenças, cardiopatias, hipertensão arterial, diabetes e outras. Sendo assim, os autores ressaltam que o profissional da área de saúde, dentro do âmbito EF, deve estar apto a desenvolver ações de prevenção, reabilitação, promoção e proteção da saúde, tanto em nível individual quanto coletivo. Este profissional deve assegurar que sua prática na ESF seja realizada de forma segura, integrada e continua com as demais instâncias do sistema de saúde. O profissional de EF deve desenvolver seus serviços dentro dos mais altos padrões de qualidade e dos princípios da ética, tendo em conta que a responsabilidade da atenção à saúde não encerra com o ato técnico, mas sim, com a resolução do problema de saúde, tanto de natureza individual como coletiva

Establishment of a murine model of congenital toxoplasmosis and validation of a qPCR assay to assess the parasite load in maternal and fetal tissues

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a disease that affects warm-blooded animals and one third of the human population worldwide. Pregnant women who have never been exposed to the parasite constitute an important risk group, as infection during pregnancy often leads to congenital toxoplasmosis, the most severe form of the disease. Current therapy for toxoplasmosis is the same as it was 50 years ago and has little or no effect when vertical transmission occurs. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new strategies to prevent mother-to-fetus transmission. The implementation of experimental animal models of congenital toxoplasmosis that reproduces the transmission rates and clinical signs in humans opens an avenue of possibilities to interfere in the progression of the disease. In addition, knowing the parasite load in maternal and fetal tissues after infection, which may be related to organ abnormalities and disease outcome, is another important step in designing a promising intervention strategy. Therefore, we implemented here a murine model of congenital toxoplasmosis with outbred Swiss Webster mice infected intravenously with tachyzoites of the ME49 strain of T. gondii that mimics the frequency of transmission of the parasite, as well as important clinical signs of human congenital toxoplasmosis, such as macrocephaly, in addition to providing a highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR assay to assess parasite load in mouse tissues. As the disease is not restricted to humans, also affecting several domestic animals, including companion animals and livestock, they can also benefit from the model presented in this study

Religious Policy of Emperor Shahjahan (1627-1658AD)

This research article explores the features of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's religious policy. With the accession of Shahjahan, the Mughal Empire entered upon a new phase because he was not liberal as his father, Emperor Jahangir and grandfather, Emperor Akbar were but the religious tolerance was still the state policy of the government. The influence of Jesuits declined during his period but a number of European travellers have given a picturesque description of fairs, festivals and ceremonies of Shahjahan's Court. Dara Shikoh's friendly relation with Jesuits and his interests in Christianity has also been discussed in this article

Characterization of a protein-protein interaction network of the CBL-interacting protein kinase 8 from sugarcane

Plants are sessile organisms and have evolved to tolerate a constantly changing environment. After the onset of different stress conditions, calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins can sense calcium signals and activate CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) proteins, which can phosphorylate downstream proteins to reestablish plant homeostasis. Previous studies in the bioenergy crop sugarcane showed that the ScCIPK8 gene is induced by drought stress and is also related to sucrose content. Here, we have characterized the protein-protein interactions of ScCIPK8 with six CBL proteins (ScCBL1, ScCBL2, ScCBL3, ScCBL6, ScCBL9, and ScCBL10). Yeast two-hybrid assays showed that ScCIPK8 interacts with ScCBL1, ScCBL3, and ScCBL6. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays confirmed in planta the interactions that were observed in yeast cells. These findings give insights on the regulatory networks related to sugar accumulation and drought stress responses in sugarcane

Extending the application of a magnetic PEG three-part drug release device on a graphene substrate for the removal of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and cancerous and pathologic cells

M Ramezani Farani,1 P Khadive Parsi,1 Gh Riazi,2 M Shafiee Ardestani,3 H Saligeh Rad4,5 1School of Chemical Engineering, University College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 4563-11155, Iran; 2Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417614411, Iran; 3Department of Radiopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Quantitative Medical Imaging Systems Group, Research Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Objective: In this study, novel graphene oxide (GO)-based nanocomposites are presented. In fact, we have tried to replace the carboxyl groups on the surface of GO with amine groups to allow the biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) bis(carboxymethyl) ether (average Mn 600) polymer to bond through an amide bond. Materials and methods: The synthesis was conducted accurately according to final characterization experiments (Raman, X-ray diffraction [XRD], atomic force microscopy [AFM], X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy [XPS], thermogravimetric analysis [TGA], etc). The antimicrobial property of this nanocomposite was examined in Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) as Gram-negative and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) as Gram-positive bacterial species. Besides, curcumin (CUR) was added to the produced nanocomposite both as a promising anticancer drug and an antioxidant, the toxicity of which was then assessed on cellular-based HepG2 and pC12. Results: An intense increase in toxicity was detected by MTT assay. Conclusion: It can mainly be concluded that the nanocomposite synthesized in this study is capable of delivering drugs with antibacterial properties. Keywords: graphene oxide, magnetic nanocomposite, drug delivery, antimicrobial, curcumi

Involvement of PPARγ in the protective action of tropisetron in an experimental model of ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Tropisetron, a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, is highly used to counteract chemotherapy-induced emesis. Previous studies revealed the anti-inflammatory properties of this drug. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) receptor in the protective effect of tropisetron in an animal model of ulcerative colitis. Experimental colitis was induced by a single intra-colonic instillation of 4% (V/V) acetic acid in male rats. Tropisetron (3 mg/kg) and GW9662 (PPARγ antagonist) (5 mg/kg) were given twice daily for 2 days after colitis induction. Forty-eight hours after induction of colitis, colon was removed and macroscopic and microscopic features were given. Moreover, colonic concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and PPARγ activity were assessed. Both macroscopic and histopathological features of colonic injury were markedly ameliorated by tropisetron. Likewise, levels of NO, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β diminished significantly (p <.05). GW9662 reversed the effect of tropisetron on these markers partially or completely. In addition, tropisetron increased the PPARγ and decreased the MPO activity (p <.05). Tropisetron exerts notable anti-inflammatory effects in acetic acid-induced colitis in rats, which is probably mediated through PPARγ receptors. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group