Swimming using surface acoustic waves

Microactuation of free standing objects in fluids is currently dominated by the rotary propeller, giving rise to a range of potential applications in the military, aeronautic and biomedical fields. Previously, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have been shown to be of increasing interest in the field of microfluidics, where the refraction of a SAW into a drop of fluid creates a convective flow, a phenomenon generally known as SAW streaming. We now show how SAWs, generated at microelectronic devices, can be used as an efficient method of propulsion actuated by localised fluid streaming. The direction of the force arising from such streaming is optimal when the devices are maintained at the Rayleigh angle. The technique provides propulsion without any moving parts, and, due to the inherent design of the SAW transducer, enables simple control of the direction of travel

Wind-induced vibration analysis of the Hong Kong Ting Kau Bridge

Because of their high flexibility and relatively low structural damping, long-span bridges are prone to wind-induced vibration. An efficient wind field simulation technique for wind-induced vibration analysis of long-span bridges is first introduced in this paper. The time-domain expressions for the buffeting and self-excited forces acting on long-span bridges can then be found from the wind velocities. Based on the above theory and the aerodynamic parameters obtained by wind tunnel tests, a study of the wind fluctuations and aerodynamic forces is carried out on the Hong Kong Ting Kau Bridge, which is a cable-stayed bridge comprising two main spans and two side spans. The buffeting response of the bridge is analysed in the time domain by using step-by-step numerical integration techniques. The aerodynamic behaviour of the bridge can therefore be obtained, and the safety performance of the bridge against strong wind can further be evaluated. Numerical results basically agree with the experimental data, indicating that the theory presented in this paper is applicable to engineering practice.published_or_final_versio

IJRTP Volume 10(iv) Table of Contents

Special Issue : Pilgrimage as a Multi-Faceted Diamond, containing papers from Sacred Journeys 9th Global Conference at the University of Primorska’s Department of Tourism, in Portoroz and Piran, Slovenia, from July 6-8, 202

Diversity of Bacteria and Fungi Associated with Freshwater Fishes from Mijawal River, Nasarawa, Nigeria

Understudying the presence of bacteria and fungi population on freshwater fishes, provides the knowledge and understanding of their diversity and potential roles they may play in the health of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The present study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of bacteria and fungi species of identified fish samples from River Mijawal, Nasarawa State. The fishes were sampled from the only landing for three months (October to December, 2019) for this study. During the sampling periods, thirteen (13) different fish species were identified; they were swabbed with sterilized swab stick from the skin surface for bacteria and fungi identification. The Dominant fish species were Tilapia zillii , Labeo senegalensis , Mormyrus rume and Mormyrus tapines. The total number of thirteen (13) bacterial and five (5) fungi species were isolated and identified. Eight (8) of the bacteria isolates, were gram negative bacteria ( Pseudomonas sp, Aeromonas sp, Serratia mercescenes , Proteus sp, Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli , Klebsiella sp, and Enterobacter sp.); whilst the other five (5) were gram positive bacteria ( Bacillus sp, Micrococcus sp, Staphylococcus sp, Enterococcus sp and Listeria monocytogenes ).The five isolated fungi species were Aspergillus niger , Rhizopus sp, Penicillium sp, Trichoderma viridae and Geotrichum candidum . The frequency of occurrence of the isolated bacteria indicated that Staphylococcus sp had the highest frequency of occurrence (16.67%) while Serratia mercescens had the least occurrence (2.78%). The highest number of occurrence of the isolated fungi species was observed in Rhizopus sp while the least was recorded in Geotricum candidum. It was observed that Tilapia zillii and Mormyrus rume had the most frequent bacteria and fungi isolates. It can therefore be deduced from the results that fish samples identified from River Mijawal has high bacteria and fungi diversity that may be pathogenic to man. The occurrence of these microbes may be attributed of human and animal faeces in the Rive

The Effect of a DNA Damaging Agent on Embryonic Cell Cycles of the Cnidarian Hydractinia echinata

The onset of gastrulation at the Mid-Blastula Transition can accompany profound changes in embryonic cell cycles including the introduction of gap phases and the transition from maternal to zygotic control. Studies in Xenopus and Drosophila embryos have also found that cell cycles respond to DNA damage differently before and after MBT (or its equivalent, MZT, in Drosophila). DNA checkpoints are absent in Xenopus cleavage cycles but are acquired during MBT. Drosophila cleavage nuclei enter an abortive mitosis in the presence of DNA damage whereas post-MZT cells delay the entry into mitosis. Despite attributes that render them workhorses of embryonic cell cycle studies, Xenopus and Drosophila are hardly representative of diverse animal forms that exist. To investigate developmental changes in DNA damage responses in a distant phylum, I studied the effect of an alkylating agent, Methyl Methanesulfonate (MMS), on embryos of Hydractinia echinata. Hydractinia embryos are found to differ from Xenopus embryos in the ability to respond to a DNA damaging agent in early cleavage but are similar to Xenopus and Drosophila embryos in acquiring stronger DNA damage responses and greater resistance to killing by MMS after the onset of gastrulation. This represents the first study of DNA damage responses in the phylum Cnidaria

Molecular mechanism underlying differential apoptosis between human melanoma cell lines UACC903 and UACC903(+6) revealed by mitochondria-focused cDNA microarrays

Human malignant melanoma cell line UACC903 is resistant to apoptosis while chromosome 6-mediated suppressed cell line UACC903(+6) is sensitive. Here, we describe identification of differential molecular pathways underlying this difference. Using our recently developed mitochondria-focused cDNA microarrays, we identified 154 differentially expressed genes including proapoptotic (BAK1 [6p21.3], BCAP31, BNIP1, CASP3, CASP6, FAS, FDX1, FDXR, TNFSF10 and VDAC1) and antiapoptotic (BCL2L1, CLN3 and MCL1) genes. Expression of these pro- and anti-apoptotic genes was higher in UACC903(+6) than in UACC903 before UV treatment and was altered after UV treatment. qRT-PCR and Western blots validated microarray results. Our bioinformatic analysis mapped these genes to differential molecular pathways that predict resistance and sensitivity of UACC903 and UACC903(+6) to apoptosis respectively. The pathways were functionally confirmed by the FAS ligand-induced cell death and by siRNA knockdown of BAK1 protein. These results demonstrated the differential molecular pathways underlying survival and apoptosis of UACC903 and UACC903(+6) cell lines

Formyl Peptide Receptor as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Anxiety-Related Disorders

Formyl peptide receptors (FPR) belong to a family of sensors of the immune system that detect microbe-associated molecules and inform various cellular and sensorial mechanisms to the presence of pathogens in the host. Here we demonstrate that Fpr2/3-deficient mice show a distinct profile of behaviour characterised by reduced anxiety in the marble burying and light-dark box paradigms, increased exploratory behaviour in an open-field, together with superior performance on a novel object recognition test. Pharmacological blockade with a formyl peptide receptor antagonist, Boc2, in wild type mice reproduced most of the behavioural changes observed in the Fpr2/3(-/-) mice, including a significant improvement in novel object discrimination and reduced anxiety in a light/dark shuttle test. These effects were associated with reduced FPR signalling in the gut as shown by the significant reduction in the levels of p-p38. Collectively, these findings suggest that homeostatic FPR signalling exerts a modulatory effect on anxiety-like behaviours. These findings thus suggest that therapies targeting FPRs may be a novel approach to ameliorate behavioural abnormalities present in neuropsychiatric disorders at the cognitive-emotional interface