"Jnking” atherosclerosis

Abstract.: Numerous studies in animal models established a key role of the C-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) family (JNK1, JNK2 and JNK3) in numerous pathological conditions, including cancer, cardiac hypertrophy and failure, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, arthritis and asthma. A possible function of JNK in atherosclerosis remained uncertain since conclusions have mainly been based on in vitro studies investigating endothelial cell activation, T-effector cell differentiation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, all of which represent crucial cellular processes involved in atherosclerosis. However, recent experiments demonstrated that macrophage-restricted deletion of JNK2 was sufficient to efficiently reduce atherosclerosis in mice. Furthermore, it has been shown that JNK2 specifically promotes scavenger receptor A-mediated foam cell formation, an essential step during early atherogenesis, which occurs when vascular macrophages internalize modified lipoproteins. Thus, specific inhibition of JNK2 activity may emerge as a novel and promising therapeutic approach to attenuate atheroma formation in the future. In this review, we discuss JNK-dependent cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerosi

Synthesis, characterization and prediction of anticancer potentiality of some novel green nanoparticles by molecular docking and ADMET techniques

ABSTRACT. Anticancer potentiality of some newly synthesized Nano-Biginelli compounds with the help of enzyme extracted naturally from plants is reported. The biological synthesis of nanoparticles via nano biotechnology processes have a significant potential to enhance the production without the use of harsh, toxic, and expensive chemicals commonly used in conventional physical and chemical processes. The compounds have been characterized on the basis of UV, FTIR, XRD and SEM studies in order to depict the formation of nanoparticles. Using the combination of docking and ADMET techniques, we have tried to predict the anti-cancer potentiality as well as its area of target, i.e. cancer cell to trigger the anti-cancer reaction. Results indicate that the compound 1 (ethyl-6-methyl-2-oxo-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-5-carboxylate) has possible virtual leads to design novel human Aurora B kinase inhibitor.               KEY WORDS: Nano biotechnology, Green chemistry, Enzymes, Drug research Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2019, 33(3), 493-504.DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v33i3.1

Governance & Corruption – Developments and Issues in Ethiopia

This paper reports the results of a survey of 400 respondents in Ethiopia about factors generating corruption and the potential of e-Governance to mitigate corruption. It is suggested that e-Governance can help not only in weeding out corruption but also in the establishment of sounder government citizen relationships in Ethiopia. While e-Governance cannot cure all the structural factors that breed corruption in the society, strategic implementation of e-Governance can help improve the critical variable in combating corruption—government citizen relationships. It isargued that while e-Governance initiatives can make important contributions to improving public services they can best do so by helping improve overall relationships between governments and citizens

Citizens’ Perceptions of Corruption and E - Governance in Jordan, Ethiopia, and Fiji — the Need for a Marketing Approach

The purpose of this research is to assess citizen’s perceptions of corruption and e-governance in Jordan, Ethiopia, and Fiji. The research is based on surveys using structured questionnaires and focus group interviews. Conclusions are derived from a mix of descriptive and inferential analysis. The survey covers a total of 1212 respondents using stratified sampling. Findings reveal that public sector corruption and demands for bribes are increasing in each country. Only a few people are aware of e-governance and feel that it can help in curbing corruption. The study proposes that in order to mitigate negative forces in the implementation of e-governance such as corruption, digital divide, and urban bias, developing countries need to apply a marketing approach to e-governance services

Understanding the needs of Mena public transport customers: culture of service and gender responsive recommendations

Fast population growth, urban sprawl and the raise in households’ motorization observed in all major cities of the Middle-East and North-Africa (MENA) region, are constantly challenging public transport providers who seek to handle efficiently the continuously rising travel demand. Most of the MENA cities suffer from traffic congestion that not only impacts the quality of life of MENA citizens, but also their access to job opportunities, health services, and social and political participation. Alongside the development of public transport network, it is crucial to encourage urban dwellers to reduce their dependence on personal cars, use public transport, and develop soft mobility skills. Therefore, operators and service providers need to define customer-centric strategy and build a culture of service excellence in line with their customers’expectations. In cooperation with academic partners, the UITP MENA Centre for Transport Excellence launched the User-Oriented Public Transport research project with the aim to understand the perceptions of female and male users and non-users about public transport services in five MENA cities: Algiers, Amman, Beirut, Casablanca and Muscat. The methodological framework was built around the five dimensions of the user’s needs pyramid: safety, security, ease-to-use, comfort and experience. Based on the quantitative analysis of data collected from 984 respondents and the qualitative analysis of 49 women’s testimonies collected during the focus groups, recommendations were made to encourage culture of service and gender mainstreaming in public transport development in the region

Asymmetric Substrate Integrated Waveguide Leaky Wave Antenna with Open Stop Band Suppression and Radiation Efficiency Equalization through Broadside

A planar asymmetric substrate integrated wave¬guide leaky wave antenna is proposed with open stop band suppression and radiation efficiency equalization through broadside for the Ku-band. The stop-band behavior exhib¬ited at broadside in the 1-D periodic structure is signifi¬cantly reduced using reflection cancellation technique by placing the two slots at a quarter distance within the unit cell. Furthermore, asymmetric technique is applied. The asymmetry is introduced with respect to both axial and transversal axis of the structure so as to match the at-broadside Bloch impedance and off-broadside Bloch im¬pedance. This provides total open stop band suppression and radiation efficiency improvement as well as equaliza-tion through broadside. The problem is analyzed with the help of Bloch impedance behavior. For illustration of the above techniques; single slot, double slot and asymmetric designs are developed for the proposed leaky wave an¬tenna. The final asymmetric design after optimization is fabricated. Measured results are almost consistent with the simulation results with complete suppression of open stop band, efficiency improvement and equalization through broadside providing continuous beam scanning from –32° to +27° with constant gain of ~12.5 dBi

Crowdfunding in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

publishedVersio

Effects of Short-Term Continuous Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Supplementation in Participants with Metabolic Syndrome

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02355-5Purpose: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) augments the incidence of cardiovascular disease by two-fold and type II diabetes mellitus by five-fold. Montmorency tart cherries are rich in phytochemicals shown to improve biomarkers related to cardio-metabolic health in humans. This study aimed to examine cardio-metabolic responses after 7-days Montmorency tart cherry juice (MTCJ) supplementation and also acute on short-term supplementation responses to a single bolus, in humans with MetS. Methods: In a randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 12 participants with MetS (50 ± 10 years; 6M/6F), consumed MTCJ or placebo (PLA) for 7 days. Blood-based and functional cardio-metabolic biomarkers were measured pre- and post-supplementation, and acute responses measured pre-bolus and up to 5 h post-bolus on the 7th day. Results: 24-h ambulatory systolic (P = 0.016), diastolic (P = 0.009) blood pressure and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.041) were significantly lower after 7-days MTCJ supplementation compared to PLA. Glucose (P = 0.038), total cholesterol (P = 0.036), LDL (P = 0.023) concentrations, total cholesterol:HDL ratio (P = 0.004) and respiratory exchange ratio values (P = 0.009) were significantly lower after 6-days MTCJ consumption compared to PLA. Conclusions: This study revealed for the first time in humans that MTCJ significantly improved 24-h BP, fasting glucose, total cholesterol and total cholesterol:HDL ratio, and also lowered resting respiratory exchange ratio compared to a control group. Responses demonstrated clinically relevant improvements on aspects of cardio-metabolic function, emphasising the potential efficacy of MTCJ in preventing further cardio-metabolic dysregulation in participants with MetS. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03619941).Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Inclusion, measurement and relevance… and Covid-19

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer in Postdigital Science and Education on 17/08/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00182-9 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This paper addresses the theme of ‘widening student access, participation and lifelong learning’ within the wider issue of ‘measuring excellence’ in the UK higher education and finds them both to be problematic. An earlier paper entitled ‘Inclusion in an age of mobility’ (Traxler 2016) written over 4 years ago made the case that the inclusion agenda of the UK higher education of 1990s was largely a failure in its own terms but had in any case been made irrelevant by the subsequent onset of pervasive and ubiquitous connectivity and mobility, profoundly transforming the production, ownership, distribution and nature of learning and knowing and problematising the role and status of universities and lecturers.Published onlin