ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANE FATTY ACIDS IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS AND HOT-NATURE DIETARY INTERVENTION WITH CO-SUPPLEMENTED HEMP-SEED AND EVENING-PRIMROSE OILS

The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with increased dietary intake of saturated fatty acids. For many years it has been suspected that this disease might be associated with an imbalance between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. We determined erythrocyte membrane fatty acids levels in Hot nature dietary intervention with co-supplemented hemp seed and evening primrose oils in multiple sclerosis patients. To determine the erythrocyte membrane fatty acids levels and correlate it with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) at baseline after 6 months intervention in MS patients by gas chromatography, in this double blind, randomized trial, 100 RRMS patients with EDS

Mechanics of Multilamellar Membrane Structures

Multilamellar membrane structures are the common barriers in the cell compartments. One example is the nuclear envelope, which is a unique topological structure formed by lipid membranes in eukaryotic cells. Unlike other membrane structures, the nuclear envelope comprises two concentric membrane shells fused at numerous sites with toroid-shaped pores that impart a geometric genus on the order of thousands. Another example is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is continuous with the nuclear envelope and is extended to the cell periphery. It is the site of molecular mechanisms including protein synthesis and lipid metabolism in the cell. In the vicinity of the nucleus, the stacked sheets of ER are connected through a system of helical pores. The sheets themselves are formed using a double bilayer structure. In addition to these two compartments, the plasma membrane (PM), which is a single bilayer can undergo some shape deformation that brings the apical and basal membranes of the cell together and form another type of multilamellar membarne structure. The two membranes then fuse and form tunnels that are the site of intracellular transport. Although several protein structures are identified to have a role in regulating the geometry of these compartments there is still a lack of consensus on the fundamental forces and physical mechanisms that establish the geometry of multilamellar membrane structures. Here, we use the theory of elasticity and differential geometry to analyze the equilibrium shape and stability of the structure of the nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, and intracellular transport. For the Nuclear envelope, our results show that modest in- and out-of-plane stresses present in the membranes not only can define the pore geometry, but also provide a mechanism for destabilizing membranes beyond a critical size and set the stage for the formation of new pores. Our results suggest a mechanism wherein nanoscale buckling instabilities can define the global topology of a nuclear envelope-like structure. Similarly for the endoplasmic reticulum, we recruit the equilibrium equation to show that membrane in-plane stress can regulate the key geometric features of this structure including the thickness of the sheets, inter-sheet distance, and diameter of the connecting pores. For the intracellular transport and tunnel opening, our study reveals that hole radius is determined by plasma membrane tension via a commonly used critical length-scale defined by the square root of the ratio of flexural stiffness to in-plane tension. This relationship suggests that the hole diameter increases with a reduction in membrane tension, a finding aligned with the experimental observations but in contrast with the main current model in the literature.Mechanical Engineering, Department o

Toxicological Effects of a Post Emergent Herbicide on Spirodela polyrhiza as a Model Macrophyte: A Comparison of the Effects of Pure and Nano-capsulated Form of the Herbicide

Background: One of the main reasons of environmental contaminations is the broad application of herbicides. Controlled release technologies such as encapsulation of herbicides are as an effective tool to reduce environmental contaminations. The aim of the present study was successful nanocapsulation of Gallant Super (GS), its characterization and compare the physiological responses of Spirodela polyrhiza L. upon exposure to GS and its encapsulated form. Methods: Nanocapsulation of GS in the poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was performed in the Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Sciences and biological effects of the contaminants on S. polyrhiza was investigated in Biotechnology Research Center, both in Urmia University, Urmia, Iran in 2016. The surface morphology of PMMA/GS nanocapsules was studied by SEM and TEM and their chemical characterization was determined by FT-IR spectroscopy. For assessment of the effects of the encapsulated Gallant Super (ECGS) and GS on S. polyrhiza, some plant physiological parameters were investigated. Results: Direct treatment of GS had more and notable negative effects on the plant growth when compared with ECGS treatments. Moreover, different examined concentrations of the two contaminant groups led to the remarkable induction of the activities of the antioxidant enzymes such as SOD. Even though the enhancement of the antioxidant enzymes activities when the plant was treated with GS was notably more than the effects of ECGS. Conclusion: ECGS caused to the fewer changes in the plant physiological parameters and negative effects of the treatment of ECGs were less than when the plant had direct contact with GS

Adaptive inertia tuning of an energy harvester for increasing its operational bandwidth

A rotational energy harvesting system comprises a sprung mass coupled to an electrical generator through a motion transmission system such as a ball screw. In this paper, the operational bandwidth of a rotational energy harvester is expanded by varying its moment of inertia and load resistance of the generator. It is shown that the resulting tuneable device produces significantly higher amounts of harvested power. In addition to mass and stiffness, the natural frequency of a rotational device is defined by its moment of inertia, an additional design parameter that enables implementing the approach presented here. This parameter also determines the apparent mass (inertance) of the device, an important factor that allows a small additional mass to increase the apparent mass hugely and hence increase the overall power density of the harvester.It is shown that the system with variable load resistance shows a good performance at frequencies around the natural frequency of the device whereas away from resonance frequencies the system with variable moment of inertia produces more power. The approach described in this paper is a first step in the direction of having an autonomous energy harvester with a wide operational bandwidth. One of the advantages of the presented method is that, unlike some other methods, changing the adjustable parameters (i.e., moment of inertia and load resistance) can be conducted intermittently. In other words, this approach only consumes power during the tuning operations and does not use energy once the harvester is tuned at its optimum conditions.These tuneable rotational systems should be used where the excitation frequency varies slowly (e.g., in marine environment) as any sudden changes in frequency would result in an instantaneous change in the apparent mass and the device may even stall. To implement the device effectively, some kind of predictive control may need to be used that can detect frequency variations fast enough for the inertia to change in a timely manner. This aspect that is outside the scope of this paper is currently under investigation.<br/

Inflatable soft jumper inspired by shell snapping

Fluidic soft actuators are enlarging the robotics toolbox by providing flexible elements that can display highly complex deformations. Although these actuators are adaptable and inherently safe, their actuation speed is typically slow because the influx of fluid is limited by viscous forces. To overcome this limitation and realize soft actuators capable of rapid movements, we focused on spherical caps that exhibit isochoric snapping when pressurized under volume-controlled conditions. First, we noted that this snap-through instability leads to both a sudden release of energy and a fast cap displacement. Inspired by these findings, we investigated the response of actuators that comprise such spherical caps as building blocks and observed the same isochoric snapping mechanism upon inflation. Last, we demonstrated that this instability can be exploited to make these actuators jump even when inflated at a slow rate. Our study provides the foundation for the design of an emerging class of fluidic soft devices that can convert a slow input signal into a fast output deformation.status: publishe

Low cost rotary to linear magnetic gear

-A rotary-to-linear PM (permanent magnet) gear is introduced. The topology is initially derived based on the operating principle of a transverse flux machine. It is shown that when the number of poles on all three members, rotor, translator and stationary ferromagnetic pieces are the same, it essentially behaves like that of a magnetic screw gear with helical magnets with the added advantages of ease of manufacture and low cost. Using different number of poles and iron pieces enables the adjustment of the gear ratio, which provides another design variable. The paper describes the design and construction of a demonstrator gear and presents performance results obtained from finite element analysis and experiments

Rotary-to-linear magnetic gear

The paper introduces a permanent magnet rotary-to-linear magnetic gear whose topology is derived based on the operating principle of a transverse flux VRPM machine. It is shown that when the number of poles per unit length on all three members, rotor, translator and stationary flux modulating ferromagnetic pieces, are the same, the proposed gear is essentially similar to a magnetic screw gear with discretised helical magnets. Using different number of poles and iron pieces per unit length provides alternative means for adjusting the gear ratio. The paper describes the design and construction of a demonstrator gear whose dimensions were optimised using finite element analysis. Performance results obtained from finite element analysis and experiment are presented and discussed