Identification of the Inhibition Effects of Some Natural Antiproliferative Agents on CA-I, CA-II, and AChE Activities Isolated from Human Erythrocytes by Kinetic and Molecular Docking Studies

Nowadays the determination of inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (CAs) have become one of the main goals of drug design studies, and inhibitors of CAs have taken their place in clinical applications to be used in the treatment and diagnosis of many diseases from glaucoma to cancer. On the other hand, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are also the main target molecules for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, the unwanted side effects of existing CA and AChE inhibitors necessitate the identification of new and selective inhibitors of these enzymes. In this study, we examined the inhibition effects of some natural antiproliferative agents on CA-I, CA-II, and AChE activities isolated from human erythrocytes. Betulinic acid (I) had the strongest inhibitory effect on esterase activity of hCA-I (IC50 29.16 mu M) and hCA-II (IC50 31.82 mu M). On the other hand, sanguinarine chloride (VI) had the strongest inhibitory effect (IC50: 19.44 mu M) on hAChE activity. Molecular modeling studies were also carried out to elucidate the inhibition mechanism of betulinic acid on hCA-I and hCA-II isoenzymes and sanguinarine chloride on the hAChE enzyme. We believe that the results we obtained in this study will contribute to the design of new and natural CA and AChE inhibitors

Secure Contactless Payment

A contactless payment lets a card holder execute payment without any interaction (e.g., entering PIN or signing) between the terminal and the card holder. Even though the security is the first priority in a payment system, the formal security model of contactless payment does not exist. Therefore, in this paper, we design an adversarial model and define formally the contactless-payment security against malicious cards and malicious terminals including relay attacks. Accordingly, we design a contactless-payment protocol and show its security in our security model. At the end, we analyze EMV-contactless which is a commonly used specification by most of the mobile contactless-payment systems and credit cards in Europe. We find that it is not secure against malicious cards. We also prove its security against malicious terminals in our model. This type of cryptographic proof has not been done before for the EMV specification

Microcantilever based LoC system for coagulation measurements

In this paper, a microcantilever-based system enabling multiple coagulation tests on the same disposable cartridge is demonstrated. The system consists of independent cartridge and reader unit. The actuation of the nickel cantilevers is conducted remotely with an external electro-coil and remote optical read-out is utilized for sensing. Both Prothrombin Time (PT) and activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) tests can be conducted on the same cartridge. The system’s repeatability and accuracy is investigated with standard control plasma samples. The results are concordant with the manufacturer’s datasheet. The architecture of the system and the repeatable results makes the system suitable for Point-of-Care applications.TÜBİTA

Microcantilever based LoC system for coagulation measurements

In this paper, a microcantilever-based system enabling multiple coagulation tests on the same disposable cartridge is demonstrated. The system consists of independent cartridge and reader unit. The actuation of the nickel cantilevers is conducted remotely with an external electro-coil and remote optical read-out is utilized for sensing. Both Prothrombin Time (PT) and activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) tests can be conducted on the same cartridge. The system’s repeatability and accuracy is investigated with standard control plasma samples. The results are concordant with the manufacturer’s datasheet. The architecture of the system and the repeatable results makes the system suitable for Point-of-Care applications.TÜBİTA

Fabrication of vertically aligned Pd nanowire array in AAO template by electrodeposition using neutral electrolyte

A vertically aligned Pd nanowire array was successfully fabricated on an Au/Ti substrate using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by a direct voltage electrodeposition method at room temperature using diluted neutral electrolyte. The fabrication of Pd nanowires was controlled by analyzing the current–time transient during electrodeposition using potentiostat. The AAO template and the Pd nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) methods and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). It was observed that the Pd nanowire array was standing freely on an Au-coated Ti substrate after removing the AAO template in a relatively large area of about 5 cm2, approximately 50 nm in diameter and 2.5 μm in length with a high aspect ratio. The nucleation rate and the number of atoms in the critical nucleus were determined from the analysis of current transients. Pd nuclei density was calculated as 3.55 × 108 cm−2. Usage of diluted neutral electrolyte enables slower growing of Pd nanowires owing to increase in the electrodeposition potential and thus obtained Pd nanowires have higher crystallinity with lower dislocations. In fact, this high crystallinity of Pd nanowires provides them positive effect for sensor performances especially

A genomic snapshot of demographic and cultural dynamism in Upper Mesopotamia during the Neolithic Transition

Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and foodways. We present thirteen ancient genomes (c.8500-7500 calBCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çayönü in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data. Our findings reveal that Çayönü was a genetically diverse population, carrying a mixed ancestry from western and eastern Fertile Crescent, and that the community received immigrants. Our results further suggest that the community was organised along biological family lines. We document bodily interventions such as head-shaping and cauterization among the individuals examined, reflecting Çayönü's cultural ingenuity. Finally, we identify Upper Mesopotamia as the likely source of eastern gene flow into Neolithic Anatolia, in line with material culture evidence. We hypothesise that Upper Mesopotamia's cultural dynamism during the Neolithic Transition was the product not only of its fertile lands but also of its interregional demographic connections

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in human mobility patterns in Holocene Southwest Asia and the East Mediterranean

We present a spatiotemporal picture of human genetic diversity in Anatolia, Iran, Levant, South Caucasus, and the Aegean, a broad region that experienced the earliest Neolithic transition and the emergence of complex hierarchical societies. Combining 35 new ancient shotgun genomes with 382 ancient and 23 present-day published genomes, we found that genetic diversity within each region steadily increased through the Holocene. We further observed that the inferred sources of gene flow shifted in time. In the first half of the Holocene, Southwest Asian and the East Mediterranean populations homogenized among themselves. Starting with the Bronze Age, however, regional populations diverged from each other, most likely driven by gene flow from external sources, which we term “the expanding mobility model.” Interestingly, this increase in inter-regional divergence can be captured by outgroup-f$_3$-based genetic distances, but not by the commonly used F$_{ST}$ statistic, due to the sensitivity of F$_{ST}$, but not outgroup-f$_3$, to within-population diversity. Finally, we report a temporal trend of increasing male bias in admixture events through the Holocene

The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

Archaeogenetic analysis of Neolithic sheep from Anatolia suggests a complex demographic history since domestication

Yurtman, ozer, Yuncu et al. provide an ancient DNA data set to demonstrate the impact of human activity on the demographic history of domestic sheep. The authors demonstrate that there may have been multiple domestication events with notable changes to the gene pool of European and Anatolian sheep since the Neolithic. Sheep were among the first domesticated animals, but their demographic history is little understood. Here we analyzed nuclear polymorphism and mitochondrial data (mtDNA) from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating from Epipaleolithic to late Neolithic, comparatively with modern-day breeds and central Asian Neolithic/Bronze Age sheep (OBI). Analyzing ancient nuclear data, we found that Anatolian Neolithic sheep (ANS) are genetically closest to present-day European breeds relative to Asian breeds, a conclusion supported by mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. In contrast, OBI showed higher genetic affinity to present-day Asian breeds. These results suggest that the east-west genetic structure observed in present-day breeds had already emerged by 6000 BCE, hinting at multiple sheep domestication episodes or early wild introgression in southwest Asia. Furthermore, we found that ANS are genetically distinct from all modern breeds. Our results suggest that European and Anatolian domestic sheep gene pools have been strongly remolded since the Neolithic