Evaluation of antioxidant activation by potential nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)/Keap1 complex inhibitors

Purpose: To investigate the binding affinities of forty-one (41) National Cancer Institute (NCI)-generated compounds, to the Nrf2 ligand, and possible activation of Nrf2 in the MCF-7 cell line.Methods: To investigate the inhibition of the Nrf2/Keap1 complex, the MCF-7 cell line was treated with each of the 41 compounds, at a working concentration of 30 μM. The extent of Nrf2 activation and corresponding Nrf2/Keap1 complex inhibition was evaluated in terms of Nrf2 expression and its antioxidant-associated enzyme gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS), using western blotanalysis.Results: Twenty-nine compounds out of the 41 targeted compounds activated GCS, and some showed comparable or greater activation capacity than the standard Nrf2 activator tBHQ. To confirm that the activation of GCS was mediated via Nrf2 activation, cell lysates were tested for their Nrf2 protein expression, and it was found that Nrf2 was activated by the examined compounds for more than 24 h, indicating that the effect of the chosen compounds were not transient.Conclusion: These results might be useful for identifying better targets for cytoprotection, and for oxidative stress alleviation through Nrf2 pathway activation. Further studies are required on the effects of these targets on the prevention and treatment of various oxidative stress disorders, including cancer

Flash flood susceptibility assessment in Jeddah city (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) using bivariate and multivariate statistical models

The city of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) has experienced two catastrophic flash flood events in 2009 and 2011. These flood events had catastrophic effect on human lives and livelihoods around the wadi Muraikh, wadi Qus, wadi Methweb, and wadi Ghulail in which 113 people were dead and with 10,000 houses and 17,000 vehicles were damaged. Thus, a comprehensive flood management is required. The flood management requires information on different aspects such as the hydrological, geotechnical, environmental, social, and economic aspects of flooding. Flood susceptibility mapping for any area helps the decision makers to understand the flood trends and can aid in appropriate planning and flood prevention. In this study, two models were used for the generation of flood susceptibility maps for the Jeddah region. The first model includes bivariate probability analysis (frequency ratio), and the second model uses the multivariate analysis. For the multivariate model, the acquired weights of the FR model were entered into the logistic regression model to evaluate the correlation between flood occurrence and each related factor. This integration will overcome some of the weakness of the logistic regression, and the performance the LR will be enhanced. A flood inventory map was prepared with a total of 127 flood locations. These flood locations were extracted from different sources including field investigation and high-resolution satellite image (IKONOS 1 m). These flood locations were randomly split into two groups, one dataset representing 70 % was used for training the models, and the remaining 30 % was used for models validation. Various independent flood-related factors such as slope, elevation, curvature, geology, landuse, soil drain, and distance from streams were included. The impact of each independent flood-related factors on flooding was evaluated by analyzing each independent factor with the historical flood inventory data. The training and validation datasets were used to evaluate the flood susceptibility maps using the success and the prediction rate methods. The results of the accuracy assessment showed a success rate of 90.4 and 91.6 % and a prediction rate of 89.6 and 91.3 % for FR and ensemble FR and LR models, respectively. In addition, a comparison has been made between real flood events in 2009 and the resultant susceptibility maps. Hence, it is concluded that the FR and ensemble Fr and LR models can provide an acceptable accuracy in the prediction of flood susceptibility in the Saudi Arabia. Our findings indicated that these flood susceptibility maps can assist planners, decision makers, and other agencies to deal with the flood management and planning in the area

Remote sensing-based studies coupled with field data reveal urgent solutions to avert the risk of flash floods in the Wadi Qus (east of Jeddah) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

On November 25, 2009, heavy amount of rainfall precipitated in the city of Jeddah that led to floods causing unexpected loss of life (113 person died), and damaged public and private properties (10,000 cars were damaged/destroyed, and many houses, roads, highways, and industrial properties were also affected). The city of Jeddah is located within an independent mega drainage basin with a surface area of 1,760 km2. This mega basin is divided into three major sub-basins (northern, middle, and southern). Wadi Qus is located in the southern sub-basin with an area of ~63 km2. It passes through many of the neighborhoods such as Al-Harazat, Al-Sawaid, Queza, Al-Mesaid, Al-Haramin Highway, and the King Abdel Aziz University. These areas were severely damaged during the flash flood event in 2009. The current study deals with the determination of the best sites for the construction of flood control dams, followed by a number of detailed studies to ensure that these selected sites are appropriate. Geological, geotechnical, geophysical, and hydrological investigations were conducted to identify the types of rocks, the subsurface conditions, and the geotechnical properties of abutment and subsurface of soil and rock in the dam sites. The study found that there are three locations that can be appropriate for the construction of the flood control dams at Wadi Qus. Hydrological studies indicated that the runoff volumes for sub-basins B1, B2, and B3 are 2,102,709, 1,023,156, and 4,868,304 m3, respectively, for 500-year return period and 2,356,081, 1,149,687, and 5,451,123 m3, respectively, for 1,000-year return period. Comparing these values with the reservoir volumes calculated from the detailed ground survey with different dam’s height, it was found that dam’s heights of 15.5, 11.5, and 13.5 m for dams Q01, Q02, and Q03, respectively, are adequate for different basin volumes for 1,000-year return periods. Finally, the conceptual designs have been prepared and recommended for these dams

Developing a model to predict the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises: the case of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is becoming increasingly important in the economic and social development of nations. In view of the essential nature of SME activity, the overall aim of the present research is to develop a model that is able to predict SME performance in the Saudi context. One of the reasons for embarking upon this study is that the number of SMEs that have ceased to operate in the Saudi context has recently increased, and their contribution to the economy has been reported to be low. Therefore, it is an essential to increase these SMEs’ contributions, thus enabling them to play a more central role in the Saudi Arabian economy. This can be done by identifying the factors most closely associated with their performance in order to increase their probability of success and decrease their failure rate. The research’s aim has been reached through focusing on the various different factors, produced both from inside businesses and in the external environment, which are associated with SMEs’ performance in the Saudi context. Success and failure definitions were then used to measure SMEs’ performance based on their profits. Data were collected using a quantitative method. Questionnaires were distributed to SMEs in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and the responses were analysed. First, a descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the owners/managers and their businesses’ characteristics. Second, an exploratory factor analysis was performed to find relationships in which variables were maximally correlated with one another and minimally correlated with other variables, and the variables were then grouped accordingly. Third, the results of a logit regression analysis were examined in order to predict SMEs’ performance and classify it as successful or not in the Saudi context. The main findings of the present research indicate that the full model containing all the predictors is statistically significant. Looking at the individual factors, it found that five factors add a unique, statistically significant contribution to the model; these are: owner/managers’ experience, planning, intensity of competition, the regulatory environment, and terrorism risk. The present research is among only a few researches focusing on the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that have provided a study relating to SME performance from the perspectives of the owner/managers themselves. The findings of the present research could also be applied in other, similar contexts, such as other Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC)

Genetic trend in selection for litter weight in two maternal lines of rabbits in Egypt

[EN] An analysis was carried out to evaluate the results of the selection program of a new synthetic maternal line of Egyptian APRI rabbits and the Spanish V line. The selection criterion was litter weaning weight in both lines based on Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) estimations under a repeatability animal model. The studied traits were: litter birth weight, litter weaning weight (at 28 d) and pre-weaning litter gain. Heritability estimates were generally low (0.09 to 0.11) and comparable in both lines. Low to moderate estimates of repeatability were observed for all studied traits (0.15 to 0.31). Estimates of genetic correlations were high (0.77 to 0.97), while permanent environmental effects correlations were mostly lower than genetic correlations (0.47 to 0.87). The genetic trends were also estimated using mixed model methodology and were significant and comparable (34.2 and 32.5 g) for the selected trait (litter weaning weight) in APRI and V lines, respectively. Furthermore, correlated genetic trends were significant (P<0.05) for other litter weight traits. These results indicate that the current selection program has been effective in achieving genetic improvement in litter weight traits.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for supporting this work through the project “Sustainable production of rabbit meat: Evaluation and genetic improvement of Spanish-Egyptian rabbit lines”.Abou Khadiga, G.; Youssef, Y.; Saleh, K.; Nofal, R.; Baselga, M. (2010). Genetic trend in selection for litter weight in two maternal lines of rabbits in Egypt. World Rabbit Science. 18(1):27-32. doi:10.4995/wrs.2010.18.04273218

Implementation of Character Education through Children's Language Development in Elementary Schools

Character education implementation through language development is essential in primary education. However, the application of character education in reality has not been optimal. This study aimed to explore the implementation of character education through language development in primary schools. This research used a qualitative approach, and data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The population of this study consisted of 522 students and 16 teachers in 15 classes at Silih Asah II State Elementary School in Cirebon City, Indonesia. The research sample was sampled from class 2A, consisting of 40 students, and 10 students' parents also gave feedback regarding this learning. The teacher sample consisted of 5 male and 5 female teachers, including the principal. The results showed that the implementation of character education through language development can be accomplished by combining language development activities with character learning activities such as storytelling, singing, and group games that involve all students. In addition, the results showed that through language development, children can learn communication and social skills that help them build good character. Therefore, this study concluded that language development can be an effective medium for implementing character education in primary schools.

The IEC 61850 sampled measured values protocol: Analysis, threat identification, and feasibility of using NN forecasters to detect spoofed packets \u3csup\u3e†\u3c/sup\u3e

The operation of the smart grid is anticipated to rely profoundly on distributed microprocessor-based control. Therefore, interoperability standards are needed to address the heterogeneous nature of the smart grid data. Since the IEC 61850 emerged as a wide-spread interoperability standard widely accepted by the industry, the Sampled Measured Values method has been used to communicate digitized voltage and current measurements. Realizing that current and voltage measurements (i.e., feedback measurements) are necessary for reliable and secure noperation of the power grid, firstly, this manuscript provides a detailed analysis of the Sampled Measured Values protocol emphasizing its advantages, then, it identifies vulnerabilities in this protocol and explains the cyber threats associated to these vulnerabilities. Secondly, current efforts to mitigate these vulnerabilities are outlined and the feasibility of using neural network forecasters to detect spoofed sampled values is investigated. It was shown that although such forecasters have high spoofed data detection accuracy, they are prone to the accumulation of forecasting error. Accordingly, this paper also proposes an algorithm to detect the accumulation of the forecasting error based on lightweight statistical indicators. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is experimentally verified in a laboratory-scale smart grid testbed

A framework for analyzing and testing cyber-physical interactions for smart grid applications

The reliable performance of the smart grid is a function of the configuration and cyber- physical nature of its constituting sub-systems. Therefore, the ability to capture the interactions between its cyber and physical domains is necessary to understand the effect that each one has on the other. As such, the work in this paper presents a co-simulation platform that formalizes the understanding of cyber information flow and the dynamic behavior of physical systems, and captures the interactions between them in smart grid applications. Power system simulation software packages, embedded microcontrollers, and a real communication infrastructure are combined together to provide a cohesive smart grid cyber-physical platform. A data-centric communication scheme, with automatic network discovery, was selected to provide an interoperability layer between multi-vendor devices and software packages, and to bridge different protocols. The effectiveness of the proposed framework was verified in three case studies: (1) hierarchical control of electric vehicles charging in microgrids, (2) International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) 61850 protocol emulation for protection of active distribution networks, and (3) resiliency enhancement against fake data injection attacks. The results showed that the cosimulation platform provided a high-fidelity design, analysis, and testing environment for cyber information flow and their effect on the physical operation of the smart grid, as they were experimentally verified, down to the packet, over a real communication network

Evaluation of the efficacy of oral ivermectin in comparison with ivermectin–metronidazole combined therapy in the treatment of ocular and skin lesions of Demodex folliculorum

SummaryObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin and combined ivermectin–metronidazole therapy in the treatment of ocular and skin lesions of Demodex folliculorum.MethodsOne hundred twenty patients with skin lesions and anterior blepharitis, whose infestation was treatment-resistant and who had a Demodex count >5 mites/cm2 for skin lesions or ≥3 mites at the root of each eyelash, were recruited. The treatment regimens were ivermectin and ivermectin–metronidazole combined therapy. We enrolled 15 patients from each of four groups for each treatment regimen. Demodex was detected by standardized skin surface biopsy for skin lesions. Three eyelashes from each affected lower eyelid were epilated and examined. The study subjects were followed-up once a week for four visits.ResultsThere was a difference in the mite count between the subgroups taking ivermectin and combined therapy during all follow-up visits. At the last visit, in the combined therapy subgroup, 1.7% of patients showed no clinical improvement, 26.7% showed a marked clinical improvement, and 71.6% showed complete remission. In those on the ivermectin regimen, 27 patients had a mite count >5 mites/cm2, 21.7% showed no clinical improvement, 33.3% showed a marked improvement, and 45% showed complete remission.ConclusionsCombined therapy was superior in decreasing the D. folliculorum count in all groups and in reducing the mite count to the normal level in rosacea and in anterior blepharitis. On the other hand, the two regimens were comparable in reducing the mite count to the normal level in acne and peri-oral dermatitis lesions