A new mathematical modelling using Homotopyperturbation method to solve nonlinear equations in enzymatic glucose fuel cells.

For the first time a mathematical modelling of the enzymatic glucose membraneless fuel cell with direct electron transfer has been reported. The niche of this mathematical modelling is the description of the new Homotopy perturbation method to solve the nonlinear differential equations that describes glucose concentration and hydrogen ions respectively. The analytical results of an enzymatic fuel cell should be used, while developing fuel cell, to estimate its various kinetic parameters to attain the highest power value. Our analytical results are compared with limiting case results and satisfactory agreement is noted. The influence of parameters on the concentrations are discusse

Cord Blood Zinc Level in Term Small for Gestational Age Neonates

INTRODUCTION: Birth weight is the single most important marker of perinatal and neonatal outcome. A new born weighing less than 2500 grams at birth irrespective of the gestational age is termed as a low birth weight neonate. The incidence of low birth weight in India is around 28%, accounting for 6-8 million babies, which is around 40% of the global burden1. Low birth weight babies can be term- small for gestational age or preterm babies. In the western world, the major cause of low birth weight is prematurity. In contrast to the western world, in India the main cause of low birth weight is intrauterine growth restriction and not prematurity. Thus around two third of the low birth weight neonates in India are term-small for gestational age babies and one third are preterm babies. Most of the low birth weight neonates in India weigh between 2000-2499 grams. These babies are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. They are prone to immediate complications like asphyxia, sepsis, metabolic problems, hypothermia and they may also have feeding problems3. They are also prone to long term complications like growth failure, infection, developmental problems and malnutrition. They are also at a high risk of developing diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease and stroke as suggested by the Barker hypothesis. Thus improving the birth weight of the neonate becomes a most important measure to prevent neonatal mortality. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims at finding an association between cord blood zinc level and birth weight in term babies-both small for gestational age and appropriate for gestational age. Several studies have been done on this subject, some of the studies have reported a positive correlation between zinc and birth weight, while some of the studies deny such correlation. After controlling many maternal and fetal factors that lead to low birth weight, the association between zinc level and birth weight is assessed. Thus this may assess the role of zinc as an etiology for low birth weight in term small for gestational age neonates. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to find the effects of zinc supplementation in pregnancy on the maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes. Seventeen randomised control trials were included in the study. Four studies were from United States of America, three from United Kingdom, two each from Indonesia and Peru, one trial each from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Denmark, Chile and South Africa. Zinc supplementation resulted in a small significant reduction in the incidence of preterm births. But there was no significant association between maternal zinc supplementation and low birth weight. DISCUSSION: Infant mortality rate of India is 48 per 1000 live births which is mainly contributed by the high neonatal mortality rate of 32 per 1000 live births1. India contributes around 25% of world’s neonatal deaths8. Thus one fourth of the world’s total neonatal deaths occur in India. In 2008, around 75% of the deaths in children less than 5 years occurred in 18 countries, out of this 40% occurred in three countries- Nigeria, India and Democratic republic of Congo. Around 18 million babies are born as low birth weight in the world. Low birth weight including preterm accounts for around 60-80% of the total neonatal deaths. Fifty percentage of these babies are born in South Asia. Incidence of low birth weight in India is 28% 1. The incidence of low birth weight in sub-Saharan Africa is around 14% which is lower than ours. Thus efforts are on the way to reduce the incidence of low birth weight in India. One of the most important causes of low birth weight in India is maternal malnutrition. While a lot of importance is being given to protein and energy deficits, micronutrients other than iron are often forgotten. Though they are needed only in small quantity, they have several vital functions in our human body. As their requirements are small, their adequacy have to be checked carefully and moreover many of the trace elements have interactions with each other. Thus their needs have to be adequately met with a concern over their interactions and toxicity. Among the several micronutrients, Iron stands first whose importance have been extensively studied and practised. Next lies zinc whose importance is slowly brought in to light by several research trials and studies. CONCLUSION: 1. This study concludes that there is no statistical significance in the cord blood zinc level between the term-appropriate for gestational age babies and the term –small for gestational age babies. 2. Cord blood zinc level has no significance with the birth weight of the baby. 3. Thus we conclude that zinc deficiency alone cannot contribute to low birth weight. 4. Further studies are needed to assess the role of zinc and other trace elements in neonates as zinc may affect the bioavailability of other trace elements

Unprecedented homotopy perturbation method for solving nonlinear equations in the enzymatic reaction of glucose in a spherical matrix.

The theory of glucose-responsive composite membranes for the planar diffusion and reaction process is extended to a microsphere membrane. The theoretical model of glucose oxidation and hydrogen peroxide production in the chitosan-aliginate microsphere has been discussed in this manuscript for the first time. We have successfully reported an analytical derived methodology utilizing homotopy perturbation to perform the numerical simulation. The influence and sensitive analysis of various parameters on the concentrations of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide are also discussed. The theoretical results enable to predict and optimize the performance of enzyme kinetics

Adaptive partitioning of real-time tasks on multiple processors

This paper presents a new algorithm for scheduling real-time tasks on multiprocessor/multicore systems. This new algorithm is based on combining EDF scheduling with a migration strategy that moves tasks only when needed. It has been evaluated through an extensive set of simulations that showed good performance when compared with global or partitioned EDF: a worst-case utilisation bound similar to partitioned EDF for hard real-time tasks, and a tardiness bound similar to global EDF for soft real-time tasks. Therefore, the proposed scheduler is effective for dealing with both soft and hard real-time workloads

Mitosis in circulating tumor cells stratifies highly aggressive breast carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients holds promise as a clinically relevant, minimally invasive diagnostic test. However, CTC utility has been limited as a prognostic indicator of survival by the inability to stratify patients beyond general enumeration. In comparison, histological biopsy examinations remain the standard method for confirming malignancy and grading malignant cells, allowing for cancer identification and then assessing patient cohorts for prognostic and predictive value. Typically, CTC identification relies on immunofluorescent staining assessed as absent/present, which is somewhat subjective and limited in its ability to characterize these cells. In contrast, the physical features used in histological cytology comprise the gold standard method used to identify and preliminarily characterize the cancer cells. Here, we superimpose the methods, cytologically subtyping CTCs labeled with immunohistochemical fluorescence stains to improve their prognostic value in relation to survival. METHODS: In this single-blind prospective pilot study, we tracked 36 patients with late-stage breast cancer over 24 months to compare overall survival between simple CTC enumeration and subtyping mitotic CTCs. A power analysis (1-β = 0. 9, α = 0.05) determined that a pilot size of 30 patients was sufficient to stratify this patient cohort; 36 in total were enrolled. RESULTS: Our results confirmed that CTC number is a prognostic indicator of patient survival, with a hazard ratio 5.2, p = 0.005 (95 % CI 1.6-16.5). However, by simply subtyping the same population based on CTCs in cytological mitosis, the hazard ratio increased dramatically to 11.1, p \u3c 0.001 (95 % CI 3.1-39.7). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that (1) mitotic CTCs are relativity common in aggressive late-stage breast cancer, (2) mitotic CTCs may significantly correlate with shortened overall survival, and (3) larger and more defined patient cohort studies are clearly called for based on this initial pilot study

Efficient rejection of organic compounds using functionalized ZSM-5 incorporated PPSU mixed matrix membrane

Zeolite (ZSM-5) and functionalised zeolite blended polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were fabricated for comparing their performance with virgin PPSU. Similar to zeolite-MMMs, functionalised zeolites such as Fe-ZSM-5 (Fe-Z) and Cu-ZSM-5 (Cu-Z) were mixed with PPSU in the presence of N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent. The synthesized zeolite nanoparticles were ultra-sonicated before incorporation to ensure uniform dispersion in PPSU. The PPSU MMMs with incorporated nanomaterials were fabricated as flat sheet modules by means of the phase inversion method. The developed MMMs were examined for homogeneity and characterized for their properties, such as surface hydrophilicity, membrane morphology, thermal stability and surface roughness. An enhanced pure water flux of 62 L m−2 h−1 and a highest lignin retention of 85.2% were observed for a PPSU membrane with 0.5 wt% of zeolite nanomaterials incorporated. The 3D porous structure of the zeolite favoured the enhancement of flux during water and lignin separation. However, the incorporation of functionalised zeolite nanomaterials influenced the increase in maximum lignin rejection to 88.5%. The performance and anti-fouling ability of synthesized MMMs has been evaluated based on the rejection of organic components. Higher preferential permeation with great rejection of lignin were simultaneously observed for zeolite and Cu-zeolite incorporated MMMs

Natural coagulates for wastewater treatment; a review for application and mechanism

The increase of water demand and wastewater generation is among the global concerns in the world. The less effective management of water sources leads to serious consequences, the direct disposal of untreated wastewater is associated with the environmental pollution, elimination of aquatic life and the spread of deadly epidemics. The flocculation process is one of the most important stages in water and wastewater treatment plants, wherein this phase the plankton, colloidal particles, and pollutants are precipitated and removed. Two major types of coagulants are used in the flocculation process included the chemical and natural coagulants. Many studies have been performed to optimize the flocculation process while most of these studies have confirmed the hazardous effects of chemical coagulants utilization on the ecosystem. This chapter reviews a summary of the coagulation/flocculation processes using natural coagulants as well as reviews one of the most effective natural methods of water and wastewater treatment

Inhibition of the lymphocyte metabolic switch by the oxidative burst of human neutrophils

Abstract Activation of the phagocytic NADPH oxidase-2 (NOX-2) in neutrophils is a critical process in the innate immune system and is associated with elevated local concentrations of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and hypochlorous acid. Under pathological conditions, NOX-2 activity has been implicated in the development of autoimmunity, indicating a role in modulating lymphocyte effector function. Notably, T-cell clonal expansion and subsequent cytokine production requires a metabolic switch from mitochondrial respiration to aerobic glycolysis. Previous studies demonstrate that H 2 O 2 generated from activated neutrophils suppresses lymphocyte activation but the mechanism is unknown. We hypothesized that activated neutrophils would prevent the metabolic switch and suppress the effector functions of T-cells through a H 2 O 2 -dependent mechanism. To test this, we developed a model co-culture system using freshly isolated neutrophils and lymphocytes from healthy human donors. Extracellular flux analysis was used to assess mitochondrial and glycolytic activity and FACS analysis to assess immune function. The neutrophil oxidative burst significantly inhibited the induction of lymphocyte aerobic glycolysis, caused inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation and suppressed lymphocyte activation through a H 2 O 2 -dependent mechanism. Hydrogen peroxide and a redox cycling agent, DMNQ, were used to confirm the impact of H 2 O 2 on lymphocyte bioenergetics. In summary, we have shown that the lymphocyte metabolic switch from mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis is prevented by the oxidative burst of neutrophils. This direct inhibition of the metabolic switch is then a likely mechanism underlying the neutrophil-dependent suppression of T-cell effector function

Radiotherapy exposure directly damages the uterus and causes pregnancy loss

Female cancer survivors are significantly more likely to experience infertility than the general population. It is well established that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage the ovary and compromise fertility, yet the ability of cancer treatments to induce uterine damage, and the underlying mechanisms, have been understudied. Here, we show that in mice total-body γ-irradiation (TBI) induced extensive DNA damage and apoptosis in uterine cells. We then transferred healthy donor embryos into ovariectomized adolescent female mice that were previously exposed to TBI to study the impacts of radiotherapy on the uterus independent from effects to ovarian endocrine function. Following TBI, embryo attachment and implantation were unaffected, but fetal resorption was evident at midgestation in 100% of dams, suggesting failed placental development. Consistent with this hypothesis, TBI impaired the decidual response in mice and primary human endometrial stromal cells. TBI also caused uterine artery endothelial dysfunction, likely preventing adequate blood vessel remodeling in early pregnancy. Notably, when pro-apoptotic protein Puma-deficient (Puma-/-) mice were exposed to TBI, apoptosis within the uterus was prevented, and decidualization, vascular function, and pregnancy were restored, identifying PUMA-mediated apoptosis as a key mechanism. Collectively, these data show that TBI damages the uterus and compromises pregnancy success, suggesting that optimal fertility preservation during radiotherapy may require protection of both the ovaries and uterus. In this regard, inhibition of PUMA may represent a potential fertility preservation strategy.</p

Original Contribution 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Young Adults: Findings From the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Higher vitamin D status, lower adiposity, and longer telomere length are each reportedly associated with lower risk of several chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. However, direct relationships between vitamin D status (measured by circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration), adiposity, and telomere length are not well established. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of associations of 25(OH)D and body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m) 2 ) with mean relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) using data gathered on 5,096 participants from Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 at age 31 years (1997). 25(OH)D was not associated with LTL in either basic or confounder/mediator-adjusted models. BMI was inversely associated with LTL after adjustment for potential confounding by age, sex, socioeconomic position, physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol intake, and use of oral contraceptives ( per 1-unit increase in BMI, mean difference in LTL = −0.4%, 95% confidence interval: −0.6, −0.2). The BMI-LTL association was also independent of 25(OH)D and was attenuated slightly, but remained, after adjustment for C-reactive protein, a marker of low-grade inflammation (mean difference in LTL = −0.3%, 95% confidence interval −0.6, −0.1). These findings suggest that vitamin D status is unlikely to be an important determinant of LTL, at least by young adulthood. Inflammation may partly mediate associations of adiposity with LTL