The Role of Lipoxygenase and Interleukin-6 on Islet β-cell Oxidative Stress and Dysfunction

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (T1D/T2D) share a common etiology that involves an increase in oxidative stress that leads to dysfunction and subsequent β cell death. Lipoxygenases are enzymes that catalyze the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids to form lipid metabolites involved in a variety of biological functions including cellular oxidative stress response. On the other hand, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) signaling has been demonstrated to be protective in islets. In this study, we explored the effect of lipoxygenase enzymes 12-Lipoxygenase, 12/15 Lipoxygenase and IL-6 on β cell function and survival in mice using both STZ and high-fat diet (HFD) models of diabetes. Alox12-/- mice showed greater impairment in glucose tolerance following STZ and HFD compared to wild-type mice (WT), whereas Alox15-/- were protected against dysglycemia. These findings were accompanied by evidence of islet oxidative stress in Alox12-/- mice and reduced oxidative stress in Alox15-/- mice, consistent with alterations in the expression of antioxidant response enzymes in islets from these mice. Additionally, islets from Alox12-/- mice showed a compensatory increase in Alox15 gene expression and treatment of these mice with the 12/15-lipoxygenase inhibitor ML-351 rescued the dysglycemic phenotype. IL-6 was able to significantly attenuate the generation of reactive oxygen species by proinflammatory cytokines in human pancreatic islets. Furthermore, we find that IL-6 regulates the master antioxidant response protein NRF2. Collectively these results show that loss of Alox12 activates a compensatory increase in Alox15 that sensitizes β cells to oxidative stress and signaling by IL-6 is required for maximal antioxidant response under conditions of increased ROS formation, such as obesity

The Impact of IT on Insurance of the Technological Industry

The insurance industry has undergone significant transformations due to the rapid advancement of information technology (IT); This paper explores the multifaceted impact of IT on the insurance sector, covering various aspects such as customer experience, operational efficiency, risk assessment, and data security. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and industry trends, this paper highlights the ways in which IT has revolutionized insurance processes and business models.” Additionally, this paper delves into the paradigm shift brought about by Insurtech startups, which leverage the convergence of IT and insurance to offer innovative solutions like peer-to-peer insurance and usage-based coverage. These startups are reshaping industry dynamics and compelling traditional insurers to adopt digital innovations to remain competitive. Furthermore, the regulatory landscape and compliance considerations arising from technological disruption are explored. The challenges of navigating data privacy compliance and the collaborative efforts between regulators and industry players in shaping technological policies are discussed. Ethical considerations related to IT-driven insurance are also examined, emphasizing the importance of maintaining transparency, fairness, and accountability in decision-making. Ultimately, this research paper underscores the pivotal role of IT in shaping the insurance industry's future, As technology continues to evolve, insurers that strategically integrate IT tools are better positioned to provide innovative, customer-centric solutions while enhancing operational efficiency, risk assessment accuracy, and data security, By embracing IT-driven transformations, insurers can navigate challenges, tap into opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge in the dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape of the insurance sector

Bio-economic assessment of a purse seining at Orimedu fishing settlement off Lekki, Lagos State

A bio- economic assessment based on the Return On Investment (ROI) of a single purse seiner was done from August 2007 to February 2008 at Orimedu. Catch composition in terms of relative abundance of species and their sizes were also assessed. Total income was derived from the product of average selling price for a basin of fish, average number of fish basins sampled from a purse seiner, number of fishing trips of a purse seiner per month and the total number of months. Total costs were derived from the sum of capital costs, operational costs, depreciation costs, maintenance cost and labor cost which was estimated as 1/3 rd of total income. Fish catch was dominated by mature fish consisting of over 90 % clupeids and measured in heaps of 200 pieces in basins. On the average, there were 17 basins of fish from a purse seiner. Each basin was valued at N8000 and the average number of fishing trips in a month was 9. The calculated ROI was 30.96% indicating that the fishing method was lucrative. The study showed that purse seining is both biologically and economically sustainable with great potentials to alleviate poverty if adopted by the local Nigerian fisherfolks

On Generalized Φ- Recurrent of Kenmotsu Type Manifolds

البحث الحالي يدرس تعميم متكرر Φ-  لمنطويات من النوع كينموتسو. هذا البحث عمل على تحديد مركبات المشتقة الاتجاهية لتنسر الانحناء الريماني. بالإضافة الى ذلك، استنتجت الشروط التي تجعل المنطويات من نوع كينموتسو متناظرة محلياً او تمتلك تعميم متكرر  البحث ايضاً استنتج بان المنطويات من النوع كينموتسو المتناظرة محلياً تكون تعميم متكرر Φ-  تحت شرط مناسب والعكس بالعكس. أضف الى ذلك، استنتاج الدراسة للعلاقة بين منطويات اينشتاين ومنطويات متناظرة محلياً من نوع كينموتسو.          The present paper studies the generalized Φ-  recurrent of Kenmotsu type manifolds. This is done to determine the components of the covariant derivative of the Riemannian curvature tensor. Moreover, the conditions which make Kenmotsu type manifolds to be locally symmetric or generalized Φ- recurrent have been established. It is also concluded that the locally symmetric of Kenmotsu type manifolds are generalized recurrent under suitable condition and vice versa. Furthermore, the study establishes the relationship between the Einstein manifolds and locally symmetric of Kenmotsu type manifolds

Ethnobotanical study of some medicinal plants from tehsil BudhaL, District Rajouri, (Jammu and Kashmir)

An ethno-botanical survey was carried out in Tehsil Budhal of District Rajouri for documentation and information from local tribal communities (Gujjar and Bakerwals) about the ethno-medicines uses of plants. The indigenous knowledge of local uses of plants by these tribal communities was collected through personal interviews during field of this hilly and far flung Tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the ethno-medicinal knowledge about the local uses of the plants was poorly known by the locals of this hilly area because of the elders of this region died along the traditional knowledge of the plants as they failed to document or communicate the same to their offspring due to lack of education and writing skill. I made extensive survey and trips to reach the head men and oldest persons of these communities in the different villages of this Tehsil for gathering the long-hidden indigenous knowledge. This study is one of its kinds in this hilly and remotest Tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir State. While interviewing the tribal, they got delighted in expressing their indigenous knowledge about the local uses of plants in this area

Influence of Laser Irradiation Times on Properties of Porous Silicon

Porous silicon (P-Si) has been produced in this work by photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching process. The irradiation has been achieved using diode laser of (2 W) power and 810 nm wavelength. The influence of various irradiation times on the properties of P-Si material such as P-Si layer thickness, surface aspect, pore diameter and the thickness of walls between pores as well as porosity and etching rate was investigated by depending on the scanning electron micrograph (SEM) technique and gravimetric measurements

Assessment of the suitability of different cassava varieties for gari and fufu flour production in Liberia

Open Access Article; Published online: 15 Feb 2020Different cassava varieties are available in Liberia, but there is little knowledge of their product suitability. Hence, the need to assess the potentials of these varieties to produce gari and fufu flour. The two products from ten improved and two local cassava varieties were characterized based on their yield and chemical, pasting and functional properties using standard methods. The results showed that TMS 96/0097 (gari 27.54%) and Butter cassava (fufu flour 27.35%) have the highest percentage yields. The starch content was higher in gari produced from TMS98/0505 (92.00%) and lower from TMS95/0289 (82.62%); the fufu flour starch content was higher in TMS98/0505 (90.59%) and lower in Bassa girl (84.75%). Gari and fufu flour produced from TMS96/0097 (507.38 RUV) and TMS00/0357 (506.04 RVU) had the highest final viscosity, and the products from TMS95/0289 (338.46 RVU and 336.80 RVU) had the least. The highest swelling power was found in gari (12.74%) and fufu flour (13.55%) produced from TMS92/0057 and the lowest in TMS91/0416 gari (8.23%) and TMS01/1235 fufu flour (8.31%). All the samples may form a paste below the boiling point of water (100°C) at < 7 min. However, cassava varieties and the interactions between varieties and locations had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the properties of the products: Chemical (except ash content), pasting (except pasting temperature) and functional. Therefore, all the varieties may be suitable for gari and fufu flour production based on the quality preferred by the consumers

Cobalt Effect on the Growth of Cadmium Oxide Nanostructure Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis Technique

تم استخدام تقنية الرش الكيميائي الحراري (SPT) للحصول على تركيب نانوي من اغشية اوكسيد الكادميوم المشوبة بالكوبالت بنسبة 3% و5%. تم ترسيب الأفلام على قواعد من الزجاج بدرجة حرارة 350 درجة مئوية وبسمك 150 نانومتر. أظهرت نتائج حيود الاشعة السينية (XRD) بنية بلورية متعددة التبلور ذات تركيب مكعبي بأفضلية إنماء بلوري باتجاه المستوي (111). اشتملت فحوصات الاشعة السينية أيضا دراسة المسافة البينية بين المستويات البلورية والحجم البلوري وثوابت الشبيكة وكثافة الانخلاعات البلورية. سطوح متجانسة وتوزيع منتظم للذرات اظهرتها صور مجهر القوى الذرية (AFM) بمعدل خشونة للسطح بمقدار 1.3 نانومتر ومتوسط جذر تربيعي للخشونة بمقدار 1.22 نانومتر. كشفت دراسة الخواص البصرية ان الأفلام المحضرة تمتلك نفاذية بصرية أكبر من 85% في مدى الطيف المرئي وتقل قيمتها مع زيادة نسب التشويب بالكوبالت. تناقص في قيم معامل الامتصاص مع زيادة الطول الموجي وان الاغشية المحضرة تمتلك قيم معامل امتصاص أكبر من 410 سم-1. تراوحت قيم فجوة الطاقة البصرية للانتقال المباشر المسموح من 2.78 إلى 2.63 الكترون فولت مع زيادة تركيز الكوبالت، في حين تراوحت قيم فجوة الطاقة للانتقال غير المباشر المسموح من 1.85 إلى 1.6 الكترون فولت.Spray pyrolysis technique (SPT) is employed to synthesize cadmium oxide nanostructure with 3% and 5% Cobalt concentrations. Films are deposited on a glass substrate at 350 ᵒC with 150 nm thickness. The XRD analysis revealed a polycrystalline nature with cubic structure and (111) preferred orientation. Structural parameters represent lattice spacing, crystallite size, lattice parameter and dislocation density. Homogeneous surfaces and regular distribution of atoms were showed by atomic force microscope (AFM) with 1.03 nm average roughness and 1.22 nm root mean square roughness. Optical properties illustrated a high transmittance more than 85% in the range of visible spectrum and decreased with Co concentration increasing. The absorption coefficient values decreased with increasing wavelength and the prepared films had absorption coefficient values greater than 104 cm-1. The optical energy gap values for allowing direct transition (ADT) varied from 2.78 to 2.63 eV with increasing   Co concentration, while the energy gap for allowing indirect transition (AIDT) varied from 1.85 to 1.6 eV with Co concentration

Urban sprawl and land use/land-cover transition probabilities in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana

This paper examines Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) transition probabilities and its implications for Kumasi Metropolis using remote sensing image analysis technique. Methods used for the study include sub-setting of satellite images for the metropolis using the metropolitan shapefile boundary and classification of the images using maximum likelihood image classification algorithm. A Markov Model was applied to predict probabilities of LULC changes in 15 years (2016 - 2031). Study results show the probability of urban lands changing to agricultural land as low and so is the probability of farmland transitioning to urban land use. Vegetation however shows a high probability of change to built-up area while the likelihood of change from water to other land cover types is not a possibility. The study recommends enforcement of relevant land use policies backed by vigorous public education to make sustainable urban land use in the Metropolis a reality. Also, vertical rather than horizontal construction of buildings could stem the sprawling city

TRIMETHOPRIM DETERMINATION WITH DRUG-SELECTIVE ELECTRODES

Developed ion-selective electrode has been industrialized for the determination of trimethoprim (TMP) in pure form and pharmaceutical preparations. The selective electrode was made from TMP with pairing agent methyl orange presence of o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE) and dibutyl phthalate as the plasticizing solvent mediator. Electrode 1 showed a Nernstian reply with a mean calibration graphs slope of 57.31 mv.decade−1, over the linear concentration range of 6.0×10−6–1.0×10−2 M of the drug, with detection limits 3.0×10−6 M. The electrode was effective at pH range between 2.0 and 5.5 for concentration of 10−2 M, 1.5–4.5 for concentration of 10−2 M, and 3.0–4.5 for concentration of 10−4 M of TMP solutions. The electrode 2 gave a non- Nernstian slope equal to 41.20 mv.decade−1. The influence of interfering species such as inorganic cations was studied. Electrode 1 showed an effective response for a period of 27 days, without important variation in parameters of electrode. The suggested electrode was intended for the determination of TMP in pharmaceutical design and pure formula