Investigation on the Flexural Behaviour of Steel Cold Formed Built up Sections

For the past few decades, substantial progress has been made in material properties and construction methodology, which demands in need of development of stronger and lighter members in structural steel applications. The demands of increase in strength and reduction in weight of sections leads to development of structures which are slender and also stability plays a major role in design. The main goal of this study is to develop and investigate the performance of build-up steel I beam sections with corrugated webs. This study focuses on analysis of flexural behaviour and failure modes of plain web, rectangular, trapezoidal web and triangular web in beams by experimental investigations using three point load test and analytical investigations using ANSYS software. From experimental and analytical analysis, triangular corrugated web beam perform better compared to all section. The experimental results obtained are more similar to analytical results obtained by ANSYS software with only slight deviations. The failure modes in both experimental investigation and analytical analysis are similar

Employee Empowerment

The work done by the human resource in healthcare are the key to bringing about patient healing. As the tasks that each of the different human resource healthcare professionals have to do is quite enormous and varied and differs from patient to patient depending upon their unique needs it is also equally challenging to train the staff. The concept of employee empowerment is therefore extremely critical for staff to do what requires to be done for patients in a timely manner keeping the best interest of the patient in the mind. This article takes a thorough look at this concept as well as how it is measured. Its application is also discussed taking the example of the Aravind Eye Hospital

Analysis of cytology of germ cell tumors with histopathological and serum tumor marker correlation: a tertiary care centre experience

Background: Germ cell tumors are found primarily in children and young adults usually arising from gonads and rarely from extragonadal sites like mediastinum, retroperitoneum, pineal gland and sacrococcygeal region. Involvement of lymphnodes or bodycavities (pleural/peritoneal cavity) is usually associated with metastatic disease.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 96 cases of germ cell tumor for which a primary diagnosis of germ cell tumor was given by cytology from primary and metastatic sites. The study period is from January 1993- December 2013. Pap stained and Romanowsky stained smears and cell block sections (10cases) were studied. Serum tumor markers (LDH, BetaHCG and AFP) were correlated in all cases along with histopathology in available cases.Results: Among 96 cases 34 were diagnosed as seminoma/dysgerminoma,10 as embryonal carcinoma,9 as yolk sac tumor,6 as teratoma and 2 as mixed germ ell tumor. In 25 cases the cytology report was suggestive of germ cell tumor and in 10 cases malignant cells favouring germ cell tumor. Among the 10 cases the serum markers were high in six of the cases and the clinician after discussing with the pathologist treated them as germ cell tumors. 47 cases had histopathology and it correlated with cytology except in 14 cases which showed no residual neoplasm after chemotherapy. 15 cases expired immediately after the diagnosis or during the course of treatment 12cases were lost to follow up. Rest of the cases have completed the treatment. In our study the serum tumor markers showed a sensitivity of 92.75% and positive predictive value was 71.11%.Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of picking up the diagnosis of germ cell tumors by fine needle aspiration cytology so that patient can get an early diagnosis, effective treatment and a multidisciplinary approach is essential in diagnosing a difficult case of germ cell tumor. Previous history, radiology, clinical features and serum tumor markers all aid in the cytological diagnosis of germ cell tumor

Effect of Fe Doping on Photocatalytic Dye-Degradation and Antibacterial Activity of SnO2 Nanoparticles

A simple hydrothermal method is utilized to synthesize iron-doped tin oxide nanoparticles (Fe-SnO2 NPs) at various doping concentrations. The structural characterization using XRD, Raman, and FTIR measurements confirmed the incorporation of Fe ions into the SnO2 lattice without any deviation in the tetragonal crystal system of SnO2 nanoparticles. SEM and HRTEM images show the spherical-shaped nanoparticles with agglomeration. The values of interplanar spacing ( d -value) calculated from the HRTEM lattice are consistent with the XRD results. Further, optical analysis revealed a red shift in the optical absorption band and a decrease in the band gap energy with an increase in Fe-dopant concentration. The decrease of PL emission peak intensity with Fe doping revealed the generation of singly charged oxygen vacancies. The H2O2-assisted photocatalytic degradation efficiency of Fe-SnO2 NPs investigated against crystal violet dye indicated an efficiency of 98% for 0.05 M Fe-SnO2 NPs within 30 minutes under visible light illumination. In addition, the effects of pH, scavengers, and reusability of the catalyst are tested. The antibacterial behavior of Fe-SnO2 NPs against Escherichia coli is examined by using the colony count method, and the inhibition rate was found to be 49, 65, 70, and 78% for pure, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 M Fe-SnO2 NPs, respectively

IDENTIFICATION OF ANTIULCER ACTIVITY BY INSILICO METHOD IN SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS

Ulcer occurs when stomach acid damages the lining of the digestive tract caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Many pharmacological activities such as antiulcer activity can act against ulcer. Medicinal plants like Mimosa pudica and Vachellia nilotica has the antiulcer activity in a wide range. To study the antiulcer activity in medicinal plants using insilco studies by comparing the phytocompounds of plants with histamine 2 receptor as a binding protein, which is present in the stomach lining of homosapiens. Histamine 2 receptor was modelled using Swiss model and the ligand structures are obtained from PUB-CHEM, viewed easily via PYMOL. All the phytocompounds showed good binding energy with modelled protein on the docking methodology. Specifically ascorbic acid exhibited the lower binding energy of value -3.24 kcal/mol, indole and catechin shows highest binding energy of value -4.99 kcal/mol and -4.98 kacl/mol respectively. The results can be useful for the design and development of phytocompounds having better inhibitory activity against several types of ulcer

TgPRELID, a Mitochondrial Protein Linked to Multidrug Resistance in the Parasite Toxoplasma gondii

New drugs to control infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii are needed as current treatments exert toxic side effects on patients. Approaches to develop novel compounds for drug development include screening of compound libraries and targeted inhibition of essential cellular pathways. We identified two distinct compounds that display inhibitory activity against the parasite's replicative stage: F3215-0002, which we previously identified during a compound library screen, and I-BET151, an inhibitor of bromodomains, the "reader" module of acetylated lysines. In independent studies, we sought to determine the targets of these two compounds using forward genetics, generating resistant mutants and identifying the determinants of resistance with comparative genome sequencing. Despite the dissimilarity of the two compounds, we recovered resistant mutants with nonsynonymous mutations in the same domain of the same gene, TGGT1_254250, which we found encodes a protein that localizes to the parasite mitochondrion (designated TgPRELID after the name of said domain). We found that mutants selected with one compound were cross resistant to the other compound, suggesting a common mechanism of resistance. To further support our hypothesis that TgPRELID mutations facilitate resistance to both I-BET151 and F3215-0002, CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)/CAS9-mediated mutation of TgPRELID directly led to increased F3215-0002 resistance. Finally, all resistance mutations clustered in the same subdomain of TgPRELID. These findings suggest that TgPRELID may encode a multidrug resistance factor or that I-BET151 and F3215-0002 have the same target(s) despite their distinct chemical structures. IMPORTANCE We report the discovery of TgPRELID, a previously uncharacterized mitochondrial protein linked to multidrug resistance in the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Drug resistance remains a major problem in the battle against parasitic infection, and understanding how TgPRELID mutations augment resistance to multiple, distinct compounds will reveal needed insights into the development of new therapies for toxoplasmosis and other related parasitic diseases

A 3-SNP gene risk score and a metabolic risk score both predict hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular disease risk.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the causal link between plasma triglyceride (TG) levels and risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has recently emerged. Individuals with the metabolic syndrome have an increased risk for acquiring elevated TG levels later in life. Moreover, common DNA sequence variations in genes affecting TG levels identify individuals at risk for elevated plasma TG levels. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether a 3-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) TG gene risk score (GRS) and a metabolic risk score (MetRS) both improved CVD risk prediction. METHODS: A 3-SNP GRS and MetRS were generated in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort (n = 20,074) based on 3 SNPs in LPL and APOA5 or the number of Metabolic Syndrome criteria present (maximum 5), respectively. The associations between the 3-SNP GRS, MetRS, TG levels, and CVD risk were evaluated. RESULTS: The 3-SNP GRS and MetRS were both linearly associated with plasma TG levels, that is, +0.25 mmol/L [95% CI 0.22-0.27] per allele change (P < .001) and +0.72 mmol/L [95% CI 0.70-0.73] per increase of number of metabolic syndrome risk score points (P < .001), respectively. We observed a positive association between the 3-SNP GRS and the risk of CVD with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.35 [95% CI 1.04-1.74] for the highest versus the lowest GRS, which was independent of the MetRS. For the MetRS, the adjusted HR was 2.03 [95% CI 1.73-2.40] for the highest versus the lowest MetRS. CONCLUSION: Both the 3-SNP GRS and the MetRS are associated with increased plasma TG levels and increased risk for CVD

Evaluation of Biologically Active Compounds from Calendula officinalis Flowers using Spectrophotometry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to quantify the active biological compounds in <it>C. officinalis </it>flowers. Based on the active principles and biological properties of marigolds flowers reported in the literature, we sought to obtain and characterize the molecular composition of extracts prepared using different solvents. The antioxidant capacities of extracts were assessed by using spectrophotometry to measure both absorbance of the colorimetric free radical scavenger 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as well as the total antioxidant potential, using the ferric reducing power (FRAP) assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Spectrophotometric assays in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) region enabled identification and characterization of the full range of phenolic and flavonoids acids, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify phenolic compounds (depending on the method of extraction). Methanol ensured more efficient extraction of flavonoids than the other solvents tested.</p> <p>Antioxidant activity in methanolic extracts was correlated with the polyphenol content.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The UV-VIS spectra of assimilator pigments (e.g. chlorophylls), polyphenols and flavonoids extracted from the <it>C. officinalis </it>flowers consisted in quantitative evaluation of compounds which absorb to wavelengths broader than 360 nm.</p

Nanosize Titanium Dioxide Stimulates Reactive Oxygen Species in Brain Microglia and Damages Neurons in Vitro

BackgroundTitanium dioxide is a widely used nanomaterial whose photo-reactivity suggests that it could damage biological targets (e.g., brain) through oxidative stress (OS).ObjectivesBrain cultures of immortalized mouse microglia (BV2), rat dopaminergic (DA) neurons (N27), and primary cultures of embryonic rat striatum, were exposed to Degussa P25, a commercially available TiO2 nanomaterial. Physical properties of P25 were measured under conditions that paralleled biological measures.FindingsP25 rapidly aggregated in physiological buffer (800–1,900 nm; 25°C) and exposure media (~ 330 nm; 37°C), and maintained a negative zeta potential in both buffer (–12.2 ± 1.6 mV) and media (–9.1 ± 1.2 mV). BV2 microglia exposed to P25 (2.5–120 ppm) responded with an immediate and prolonged release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hoechst nuclear stain was reduced after 24-hr (≥100 ppm) and 48-hr (≥2.5 ppm) exposure. Microarray analysis on P25-exposed BV2 microglia indicated up-regulation of inflammatory, apoptotic, and cell cycling pathways and down-regulation of energy metabolism. P25 (2.5–120 ppm) stimulated increases of intracellular ATP and caspase 3/7 activity in isolated N27 neurons (24–48 hr) but did not produce cytotoxicity after 72-hr exposure. Primary cultures of rat striatum exposed to P25 (5 ppm) showed a reduction of immunohistochemically stained neurons and microscopic evidence of neuronal apoptosis after 6-hr exposure. These findings indicate that P25 stimulates ROS in BV2 microglia and is nontoxic to isolated N27 neurons. However, P25 rapidly damages neurons at low concentrations in complex brain cultures, plausibly though microglial generated ROS

Neural processing of criticism and positive comments from relatives in individuals with schizotypal personality traits

Objectives. High negative expressed emotion by family members towards schizophrenia patients increases the risk of subsequent relapse. The study aimed to determine whether individuals with high schizotypy (HS) and low schizotypy (LS) would differ in activation of brain areas involved in cognitive control when listening to relative criticism