Ascorbic Acid Metabolisms: A review

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a water-soluble, hexonic sugar, with a molecular weight of 176. It is known to play vital roles in numerous functions of the body, especially in hydroxylation reactions. Its requirement by animals may be increased when challenged in the form of immune and metabolic stress. The main objective of this brief review is to outline the catabolic and anabolic pathways of ascorbic acid as well as its metabolic functions

Cloud Forensics : Isolating Cloud Instance

Cloud computing has been the trending model for storing, accessing and modifying the data over the Internet in the recent years. Rising use of the cloud has generated a new concept related to the cloud which is cloud forensics. Cloud forensics can be defined as investigating for evidence over the cloud, so it can be viewed as a combination of both cloud computing and digital forensics. Many issues of applying forensics in the cloud have been addressed. Isolating the location of the incident has become an essential part of forensic process. This is done to ensure that evidence will not be modified or changed. Isolating an instant in the cloud computing has become even more challenging, due to the nature of the cloud environment. In the cloud, the same storage or virtual machine have been used by many users. Hence, the evidence is most likely will be overwritten and lost. The proposed solution in this paper is to isolate a cloud instance. This can be achieved by marking the instant that reside in the servers as "Under Investigation". To do so, cloud file system must be studied. One of the well-known file systems used in the cloud is Apache Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Thus, in this paper the methodology used for isolating a cloud instance would be based on the HDFS architecture

The structure and late Quaternary slip rate of the Rafsanjan strike-slip fault, SE Iran

The Rafsanjan right-lateral strike-slip fault in SE Iran has a clear expression in the geomorphology, is sited close to several large population centers, and yet its role in the regional tectonics, its rate of activity, and its potential to generate destructive earthquakes are unknown. We use high- resolution satellite imagery and field investigation to identify the active strands of the fault system and show that the overall north-south rightlateral shearing across the region is spatially separated into almost pure strike slip on the NW-SE-trending Rafsanjan fault and an orthogonal component of shortening on parallel thrust faults in the lowlands. Possible remnants of ruptures, involving right-lateral slip of ~3 m, from an earthquake of ~Mw >7 are identified along the eastern part of the Rafsanjan fault. We speculate that these ruptures result from the destructive 1923 Lalehzar event. An alluvial fan displaced right laterally by 48 ± 4 m and tentatively dated at ~120 ka yields an average slip-rate estimate of ~0.4 mm/yr. Our slip-rate estimate is consistent with known estimates of late Quaternary slip rate on other faults within eastern Iran and with global positioning system (GPS) measurements of present-day deformation in this part of the country. Our results therefore suggest that the slip rates of faults in eastern Iran do not vary substantially through the late Quaternary: a result that is important for the interpretation of geodetic and late Quaternary measurements of slip rate in regions of distributed strikeslip faulting. © 2011 Geological Society of America

Biochemical characterization of Sƒ9 Sp-family-like protein factors reveals interesting features

We earlier documented the involvement of novel Sp-family-like protein factors in transcription from the Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcNPV) polyhedrin (polh) gene promoter [Ramachandran et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276: 23440-23449]. These zinc-dependent Sp-like factors bind to two putative Sp-factor-binding motifs, present within the AcSp sequence upstream of the polh promoter, with very high affinity (Kd = 2.1 × 10-12M). Like other polh-promoter-associated host transcription factors, these Sp-like factors display tolerance to high ion concentrations up to even 3M NaCl. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated a probable cross-talk between the Spodoptera frugiperda (Sƒ9) Sp-family-like proteins and the TFIID complex. In complementary experiments, specific replacements of the Sp-factor-binding motifs with TATA-like elements resulted in expression of a luciferase reporter gene to almost the same level as that obtained with a wild-type native construct. Our results point to the possibility of the involvement of TFIID and Sƒ9 Sp protein interaction in transcription from the baculovirus polyhedrin promoter

Breakfast Eating Habits and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Primary School Children Attending Public Versus Private Schools

We investigated breakfast eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among Saudi school children attending public versus private schools. A random sample of 1149 children (girls: 54.4%) from public and private schools was selected from elementary schools using the multistage stratified cluster method. Measurements included body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and self-reported questionnaires filled by the child’s parents. There was no significant (p = 0.44) difference in the prevalence of breakfast intake between children attending public (20.6%) versus private (19.4%) schools. However, there was a gender by school type interactions in breakfast intake frequency, as boys in private but not in public schools had significantly (p = 0.006) higher (26.3%) daily breakfast intake than girls (13.3%). Over 56% of the children ate and drank from the school canteen, and impacting factors on children’s choices were children’s desire, food taste, and parental influence. More parents of children in private (12.1%) than in public (6.9%) schools were satisfied with the food in the school canteen. Younger age (aOR = 0.889, 95% CI = 0.815–0.970, p = 0.008), higher father education (aOR = 1.380, 95% CI = 1.130–1.686, p = 0.002), family income (aOR = 1.227, 95% CI = 1.005–1.498, p = 0.044), and insufficient sleep duration (aOR = 0.740, 95% CI = 0.553–0.990, p = 0.042) were significantly associated with being in a private school. Furthermore, no significant differences, when adjusted for socio-demographic factors, appeared in breakfast intake or overweight/obesity relative to school type. Interventions to improve daily breakfast consumption and lifestyle behaviors of Saudi children are warranted

The structure and late Quaternary slip rate of the Rafsanjan strike-slip fault, SE Iran

The Rafsanjan right-lateral strike-slip fault in SE Iran has a clear expression in the geomorphology, is sited close to several large population centers, and yet its role in the regional tectonics, its rate of activity, and its potential to generate destructive earthquakes are unknown. We use high- resolution satellite imagery and field investigation to identify the active strands of the fault system and show that the overall north-south rightlateral shearing across the region is spatially separated into almost pure strike slip on the NW-SE-trending Rafsanjan fault and an orthogonal component of shortening on parallel thrust faults in the lowlands. Possible remnants of ruptures, involving right-lateral slip of ~3 m, from an earthquake of ~Mw >7 are identified along the eastern part of the Rafsanjan fault. We speculate that these ruptures result from the destructive 1923 Lalehzar event. An alluvial fan displaced right laterally by 48 ± 4 m and tentatively dated at ~120 ka yields an average slip-rate estimate of ~0.4 mm/yr. Our slip-rate estimate is consistent with known estimates of late Quaternary slip rate on other faults within eastern Iran and with global positioning system (GPS) measurements of present-day deformation in this part of the country. Our results therefore suggest that the slip rates of faults in eastern Iran do not vary substantially through the late Quaternary: a result that is important for the interpretation of geodetic and late Quaternary measurements of slip rate in regions of distributed strikeslip faulting. © 2011 Geological Society of America

Anthropometric, Familial- and Lifestyle-Related Characteristics of School Children Skipping Breakfast in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Breakfast is a vital meal that provides children with important nutrients and energy. This study examined the anthropometric, familial- and lifestyle-related characteristics of school children skipping breakfast. A total of 1149 children (boys: 45.5%), 6 to 12 years old (mean and SD: 9.3 ± 1.7 years), were randomly selected from elementary schools in Jeddah. Weight and height were measured. Breakfast eating frequency, socio-demographics, and lifestyle behaviors were assessed using a specifically designed self-report questionnaire reported by the parents. Nearly 80% of the children skipped daily breakfast at home with no significant age or gender differences. The most common reasons for skipping breakfast at home included not feeling hungry and waking up late for school. Fried egg sandwiches and breakfast cereals were most frequently consumed for breakfast. Strong parental support for breakfast as the main daily meal was significantly associated with daily breakfast intake. Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, gender, and socio-demographics, revealed that paternal education (aOR = 1.212, 95% CI = 1.020–1.440, p = 0.029), maternal education (aOR = 1.212, 95% CI = 1.003–1.464, p=0.046), insufficient sleep (aOR = 0.735, 95% CI = 0.567–0.951, p = 0.019), and BMI <25 kg/m2 (aOR = 1.333, 95% CI = 1.015–1.752, p = 0.039) were significantly associated with breakfast intake. The findings have implications for children’s health and school performance. Concerted effort is required to promote breakfast consumption among Saudi children

Active faulting, earthquakes, and restraining bend development near Kerman city in southeastern Iran

We provide descriptions of strike-slip and reverse faulting, active within the late Quaternary, in the vicinity of Kerman city in southeastern Iran. The faults accommodate north-south, right-lateral, shear between central Iran and the Dasht-e-Lut depression. The regions that we describe have been subject to numerous earthquakes in the historical and instrumental periods, and many of the faults that are documented in this paper constitute hazards for local populations, including the city of Kerman itself (population ~200,000). Faults to the north and east of Kerman are associated with the transfer of slip from the Gowk to the Kuh Banan right-lateral faults across a 40 km-wide restraining bend. Faults south and west of the city are associated with oblique slip on the Mahan and Jorjafk systems. The patterns of faulting observed along the Mahan-Jorjafk system, the Gowk-Kuh Banan system, and also the Rafsanjan-Rayen system further to the south, appear to preserve different stages in the development of these oblique-slip fault systems. We suggest that the faulting evolves through time. Topography is initially generated on oblique slip faults (as is seen on the Jorjafk fault). The shortening component then migrates to reverse faults situated away from the high topography whereas strike-slip continues to be accommodated in the high, mountainous, regions (as is seen, for example, on the Rafsanjan fault). The reverse faults may then link together and eventually evolve into new, through-going, strike-slip faults in a process that appears to be occurring, at present, in the bend between the Gowk and Kuh Banan faults. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd