Modeling of Berm Formation and Erosion at the Southern Coast of the Caspian Sea

Cross-shore beach profile data from field measurements performed at six locations on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea are used to investigate bathymetry change due to various wave conditions. Beach profile measurements are analyzed and subsequently compared with the results of a berm formation and erosion model. The model comprises distinct empirical sediment transport equations for predicting the cross-shore sediment transport rate under various wave conditions. To yield a berm formation and erosion model, empirical cross-shore sediment transport equations are combined with the mass conservation equation. Simulations results obtained from the model compared well with the measurements, proving the capability of the model in simulating berm formation and erosion evolution

On the essentiality and primeness of λ-super socle of C(X)

Spaces X for which the annihilator of Sλ(X), the λ-super socle of C(X) (i.e., the set of elements of C(X) that cardinality of their cozerosets are less than λ, where λ is a regular cardinal number such that λ≤|X|) is generated by an idempotent are characterized. This enables us to find a topological property equivalent to essentiality of Sλ(X). It is proved that every prime ideal in C(X) containing Sλ(X) is essential and it is an intersection of free prime ideals. Primeness of Sλ(X) is characterized via a fixed maximal ideal of C(X)

Exchange of mercury between atmosphere and vegetation under contaminated conditions

http://www.elsevier.com/locate/issn/00489697Adsorption and desorption of mercury was studied under laboratory conditions using moss (Sphagnum girgensohnii) and Rye grass (Lolium perenne) at different temperatures.Desorption was also studied in a transplantation experiment. The adsorption was rapid and strong for both plant species at different temperatures (q10 to q60 8C) and exposure times (1 h, 1 month) while the evaporation was negligible.Also the leaching of adsorbed mercury was of minor importance.The results emphasise the importance of vegetation in removal of mercury from the atmosphere. They also confirm the suitability of moss and grass for biomonitoring purposes.The high retention of mercury in moss even at q60 8C indicates the possibility of using higher temperatures in pretreatment of samples for mercury analyses. (c) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Prediction of peak ground acceleration of Iran's tectonic regions using a hybrid soft computing technique

A new model is derived to predict the peak ground acceleration (PGA) utilizing a hybrid method coupling artificial neural network (ANN) and simulated annealing (SA), called SA-ANN. The proposed model relates PGA to earthquake source to site distance, earthquake magnitude, average shear-wave velocity, faulting mechanisms, and focal depth. A database of strong ground-motion recordings of 36 earthquakes, which happened in Iran's tectonic regions, is used to establish the model. For more validity verification, the SA-ANN model is employed to predict the PGA of a part of the database beyond the training data domain. The proposed SA-ANN model is compared with the simple ANN in addition to 10 well-known models proposed in the literature. The proposed model performance is superior to the single ANN and other existing attenuation models. The SA-ANN model is highly correlated to the actual records (R = 0.835 and ρ = 0.0908) and it is subsequently converted into a tractable design equation

Rational design of hypoallergenic vaccines: Blocking ige-binding to polcalcin using allergen-specific igg antibodies

Chenopodium album polcalcin (Che a 3) is characterized as a major cause of cross-reactivity inallergic patients to the Chenopodiaceae family. Therefore, the present study was conducted to develop a hypoallergenic Che a 3 derivatives as the candidate vaccine for type 1 allergy. Four derivatives were generated from Che a 3. The first was a mosaic peptide derivative computationally identified in Che a 3 which was coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The second one was a mutant Che a 3, and the other two derivatives included N-and C-Terminal halves of Che a 3 that both coupled to KLH. The IgE-binding capacity of Che a 3 and its derivatives and also their ability to induce there combinant Che a 3 (rChe a 3)-specific IgG antibody, were determined using the enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, the lymphopro liferative capacity of rChe a 3 or its derivatives and their pro-inflammatory cytokine response interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13 were measured in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Among all derivatives, the N-Terminal half peptide and mosaic peptide exhibited the lowest IgEbinding capacity. In addition, in comparison to other antigens, KLH-coupled mosaic peptide induced the highest level of the recombinant Che a 3 (rChe a 3)-specific IgG antibody and ther Che a 3 specific-blocking IgG antibody in mice. Moreover, the mosaic peptide lacked lymphopro liferative capacity and down-regulated expression of pro-Allergic IL-5 and IL-13 cytokines. Therefore, a peptide-carrier fusion vaccine, composed of the B-cell epitope coupled to the carrier, could be considered as one of the promising hypoallergenic vaccines to treat patients with allergy to low molecular weight allergens such as Che

The association between common C677T mutation in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene and the risk of venous thrombosis in an Iranian population

Background: Venous thrombosis is a multicausal disease involving acquired and genetic factors. The prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotypes and its association with venous thrombosis is not established in the Iranian population. In this study we investigated a possible association between fasting hyperhomocysteinemia and C677T mutation in the MTHFR gene with venous thrombosis. Materials and Methods: We studied 200 venous thrombotic patients and 100 healthy controls, of similar age and sex. Mutation analysis was carried out by PCR-RFLP, and the homocysteine level was measured by EIA. Results: No significant differences in the frequency of C677T genotypes were observed between patients and controls (P=0.2). The frequency of the T allele was 21 and 27.2 in controls and patients, respectively (odds ratio, 1.27; 95 CI, 0.83-1.94, P=0.15). Fasting homocysteine level was significantly higher in patients than controls (P=0.001). Conclusions: We concluded that hyperhomocysteinemia, but not MTHFR C677T mutation, is a significant risk factor for venous thrombosis in the Iranian population, and measuring the level of homocysteine is less expensive and more useful than the genetic test for the MTHFR mutation

Bioinformatic designing for producing vaccine peptide of human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), and evaluation of polyclonal antibodies in mice

Background: It is stated that in the absence of angiogenesis, the tumoral tissue will not grow beyond 2 mm3. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in angiogenesis and blockade of this phenomenon could be applied as a novel strategy for immunotherapy of cancer. Methods: Peptide sequences of VEGF-A isoforms were derived from protein databases and aligned. Immunodominant epitopes were determined and the selected one was rechecked for dissimilarity with other human proteins. The selected conserved peptide sequence was synthesized and conjugated with Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Then, it was applied for immunization of mice. The polyclonal anti-VEGF antibody titer was measured using an indirect peptide-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-conjugated peptide. Findings: According to bioinformatic findings, the selected 41-aminoacid sequence did not show any similarity with other human proteins and revealed enough antigenicity to stimulate anti-tumor specific responses. A substantial increase of specific antibody titer was observed in vaccinated mice. Sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the BSA-conjugated peptide showed efficient coupling of the molecules. Optimization steps in ELISA procedures revealed that coating of microtiter plates with BSA-conjugated antigen provided more reproducible outcome than unconjugated peptide. Conclusion: Our results reinforce the potential of KLH-conjugated peptides for immunization and production of specific polyclonal antibodies against VEGF-A. Production of high-titer antibodies against this autoantigen indicates that the designed peptide-vaccine could be used as a potential immunogen for stimulation of humoral immune system in animal model. © 2016, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Solubility of Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane in Water + 1-Propanol Mixtures at Various Temperatures

Article on the solubility of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane in water + 1-propanol mixtures at various temperatures