Experimental Evaluation of the Projection-based Force Reflection Algorithms for Haptic Interaction with Virtual Environment

Haptic interaction with virtual environments is currently a major and growing area of research with a number of emerging applications, particularly in the field of robotics. Digital implementation of the virtual environments, however, introduces errors which may result in instability of the haptic displays. This thesis deals with experimental investigation of the Projection-Based Force Reflection Algorithms (PFRAs) for haptic interaction with virtual environments, focusing on their performance in terms of stability and transparency. Experiments were performed to compare the PFRA in terms of performance for both non-delayed and delayed haptic interactions with more conventional haptic rendering methods, such as the Virtual Coupling (VC) and Wave Variables (WV). The results demonstrated that the PFRA is more stable, guarantees higher levels of transparency, and is less sensitive to decrease in update rates

Comparison of Composition and Degradation Characteristics of Early Bloom Alfalfa with Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) Forages Harvested at Different Stages of Maturity

The objective of this study was to compare the composition and degradation characteristics of early bloom alfalfa and fenugreek harvested after 9, 15 and 17 wk of growth. Crude protein (CP) content of fenugreek cut at 9, 15 and 17 wk was lower (P\u3c0.05) than that of alfalfa. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and lignin content of fenugreek harvested after 15 and 17 wk were higher (P\u3c0.05) than that of alfalfa. Ash content was lower (P\u3c0.05) in fenugreek than for alfalfa. In vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) of fenugreek cut at 15 and 17 wk was similar to that of alfalfa. Total in vitro gas production of fenugreek cut at the three stages of growth was not significantly different from those observed for alfalfa. Results indicate that chemical composition and IVDMD of fenugreek at all stages of maturity were comparable to that of early bloom alfalfa

Conotoxins: structure, therapeutic potential and pharmacological applications.

Cone snails, also known as marine gastropods, from Conus genus produce in their venom a diverse range of small pharmacologically active structured peptides called conotoxins. The cone snail venoms are widely unexplored arsenal of toxins with therapeutic and pharmacological potential, making them a treasure trove of ligands and peptidic drug leads. Conotoxins are small disulfide bonded peptides, which act as remarkable selective inhibitors and modulators of ion channels (calcium, sodium, potassium), nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, noradrenaline transporters, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, and neurotensin receptors. They are highly potent and specific against several neuronal targets making them valuable as research tools, drug leads and even therapeutics. In this review, we discuss their gene superfamily classification, nomenclature, post-translational modification, structural framework, pharmacology and medical applications of the active conopeptides. We aim to give an overview of their structure and therapeutic potential. Understanding these aspects of conopeptides will help in designing more specific peptidic analogues

The Making of Divorce Iranian Style

Divorce Iranian Style is a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini. It is set in a small courtroom in central Tehran, and follows a number of women who come before a non-plussed judge and by turn use whatever they can - reason, argument, charm, outrage, pleas for sympathy, patience, and wit - to get what they each need. There are four main characters: Massy, who wants to divorce her inadequate husband; Ziba, an outspoken 16-year-old who proudly stands up to her 38-year-old husband and his family; Jamileh, who brings her husband to court to teach him a lesson; and Maryam, remarried and desperate to regain custody of her two daughters

Iran's Runaway Girls Challenge the Old Rules

Runaway, a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, was shot in late 2000 in Tehran, and is set in Rayhaneh House, a shelter for runaway girls. Like their earlier Divorce Iranian Style, Runaway shows how Iranian women are learning to challenge the old rules, and how rapidly their country is changing. The film follows the stories of five teenagers, exploring their longing for freedom, their hopes for a brighter future, and their experiences of society's double rules and standards when it comes to gender rights. The shelter is run by the dynamic and charismatic Mrs Shirazi and her team of counsellors, who protect the girls from their families and help to renegotiate their relationships

Debating Gender with Ulema in Qom

Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the reintroduction of sharica law relating to gender and the family, women's rights suffered a major setback. However, as the implementers of the law have faced the social realities of women's lives and aspirations, positive changes have gradually come about. Since the late 1980s there has been a growing debate in Iranian books and journals between proponents of different approaches to gender in Islam. During 1995, a series of discussions were held with clerical contributors to the debate in which clarification was sought for the jurisprudential bases for their approaches to gender issues

Design, Development and Evaluation of Portable Washer for Lotus Rhizomes

629-633The aim of the present study was to design, develop and evaluate a low cost portable washer for Lotus Rhizomes. Different performance parameters and colour values were studied to check the performance of the developed prototype in comparison to the manual washing. The capacity and efficiency of the machine was much higher than the existing manual method of washing. The colour coordinates (L* a* b*) revealed that washing through developed washer makes lotus rhizomes more clean and bright as compared to the  manual washing. Different sanitizers were also tested for shelf life enhancement of lotus rhizomes. Out of all tested sanitizers, the citric acid was found best with regard to shelf life enhancement and cleanliness of lotus rhizomes. The economic analysis reveals that the developed lotus rhizome washer can be beneficial for the people who are directly or indirectly involved in lotus rhizome trade

Evaluation of some potential silkworm Bombyx mori L. genotypes during different seasons under temperate conditions

In the present study twelve potential bivoltine silkworm Bombyx mori L. genotypes were evaluated for their performance at 25±1 0C temperature and 75±5 % relative humidity for twelve different traits during spring and summer seasons of 2012 and 2013, respectively. The data generated in respect of different traits was pooled separately, analyzed statistically and subjected to multiple trait evaluation indexes. The genotypes were ranked as per the cumulative score and the value of a particular trait in a particular genotype was compared with the ranking. Out of twelve genotypes, six genotypes viz., SKAU-R-1, SKAU-R-6, SKUAST-31, NB4D2, SH6 and SKUAST-28 were shortlisted for spring season and eight genotypes viz., SKAU-R-1, SKAU-R-6, NB4D2, SH6, SKUAST-31, CSR18, DUN6 and DUN22 for summer season. These genotypes scored higher E I values (>50) and were identified as promising genotypes hence recommended for rearing under temperate climatic conditions to push up silk productivity in the valley. Furthermore, the genotypes viz., SKAU-R-1, SKAU-R-6, SKUAST-31, NB4D2, SH6, and DUN6 performed significantly better irrespective of the seasons and scored higher E I. values (>50). Hence, these genotypes can be recommended for both seasons to boost bivoltine silk production in temperate region

miRNA-29a reverses P-glycoprotein-mediated drug resistance and inhibits proliferation via up-regulation of PTEN in colon cancer cells

Colon cancer is a serious malignant type of cancer in the world. Acquisition of multi-drug resistance (MDR) during chemotherapy is still a controversial challenge during cancer treatment. Accordingly, detection of safe and impressive MDR-reversing targets such as microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) can play critical role in cancer treatment. Here, the functional effects of miR-29a in chemo-resistant colon cancer cells is scrutinized. The effect of doxorubicin (DOX) on cell proliferation after miR-29a transfection has been evaluated using MTT assay in HT29 and HT29/DOX cells. Rhodamine123 (Rh123) assay is used to identify the activity of common drug efflux through membrane transporters P-glycoprotein (P-gp). P-gp and PTEN mRNA/protein expression levels were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analyses. Flow cytometry was employed to the investigation of apoptosis. ANOVA followed by Bonferroni's and Sidak's tests were used to compare the data from different groups. Thus, it was shown that miRNA-29a overexpression considerably inhibited the HT29/DOX viability. miR-29a significantly down-regulated P-gp expression and activity in HT29/DOX cells and declined drug resistance through elevation of intracellular DOX. Furthermore, upon miRNA-29a transfection, PTEN expression could be restored in resistant cells. These results have indicated that miR-29a target PTEN ultimately P-gp, which is downstream of PTEN, inhibit drug resistance, proliferation, and apoptosis through PI3K/Akt pathway. As a result, miR-29a overexpression is led to enhance the sensitivity of HT29/DOX cells to DOX-treatment by targeting P-gp. MiR-29a might proffer a novel promising candidate for colon cancer therapeutics during chemotherapy. © 202

Evaluation of Abelmoschus moschatus extracts for antioxidant, free radical scavenging, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities using in vitro assays

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Abelmoschus moschatus </it>Medik. leaves and seeds are considered as valuable traditional medicine. The aromatic seeds of this plant are aphrodisiac, ophthalmic, cardio tonic, antispasmodic and used in the treatment of intestinal complaints and check queasiness. To give a scientific basis for traditional usage of this medicinal plant, the seed and leaf extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant, free radical scavenging, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of <it>A. moschatus </it>extracts were evaluated in a series of <it>in vitro </it>assay involving free radicals, reactive oxygen species and their IC₅₀values were also determined. The antioxidant activities of the seed and leaf extracts of <it>A. moschatus </it>were determined by total antioxidant, DPPH, and ferrous reducing antioxidant property (FRAP) methods. In addition, the antiproliferative activity was also evaluated using colorectal adenocarcinoma and retinoblastoma human cancer cell lines. Moreover, six bacterial reference strains, two gram-positive (<it>Bacillus subtilis </it>and <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it>), four gram-negative (<it>Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris </it>and <it>Salmonella enterica paratyphi</it>) and one fungal strain (<it>Candida albicans</it>) were used to evaluate its antimicrobial activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results from this study showed that the antioxidant activities of <it>A. moschatus </it>as determined by the total phenol, flavonoids, total antioxidant and FRAP methods were higher in leaf than that of the seed extracts. On the other hand, the aqueous overnight seed extract (AMS-I) has shown significant radical scavenging activity as in 1, 1- Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, superoxide and lipid peroxidation as compared to other seed and leaf extracts. The AMS-I and AML-IV have shown activity against six and seven microorganisms respectively. Simulteneously, AMS-IV and AML-IV have demonstrated potential antiproliferative activity against two human cell lines - Colorectal adenocarcinoma (COLO-205) and retinoblastoma (Y79).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The seed and leaf extracts of <it>A. moschatus </it>possess significant antioxidant activity and could serve as free radical inhibitors or scavenger, or substitute, probably as primary antioxidants. The plant possesses moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains used in this study. Hydroalcoholic seed and leaf extracts also exhibited antiproliferative activity against two human cancer cell lines. <it>A. moschatus </it>may therefore, be a good candidate for functional foods as well as pharmaceutics.</p