7-[(3,5-Di-tert-butyl-2-hy­droxy­benzyl­idene)amino]-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one

The title compound, C25H29NO3, is a Schiff base derivative of coumarin 120. There are two structurally similar but crystallographically independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. Both mol­ecules exist in E configurations with respect to the C=N double bonds. The dihedral angles between the coumarin and 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hy­droxy­benzyl­idene ring planes are 4.62 (7) and 14.62 (7)° for the two mol­ecules. Intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding involving the O—H groups and the azomethine N atoms generate S(6) rings. In the crystal structure, independent mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯π inter­actions, with groups of four mol­ecules stacked along the c axis

Writing in Dialogue

Panel: Writing in Dialogu

Development of Antioxidant Activity during Milk Fermentation by Wild Isolates of Lactobacillus helveticus

Background and Objective: Oxidative stress, due to free radicals, brings injury to the body by attacking large molecules and cell organs, and is the main reason of many diseases. Fermentation of foods containing large amount of proteins such as milk by special species of lactic acid bacteria is a potential way in enhancement of the antioxidative activity of foods. This study aimed at evaluating non-common starter species isolates of Lactobacillus helveticus for their capability to produce fermented milk enriched in antioxidant peptides.Materials and Methods: Reconstituted skim milk (11%) was inoculated with 7 wild isolates of Lactobacillus helveticus, and after 24 h fermentation at 37ºC, the samples were kept 4ºC and for 14 days. Viable cell number, acidification and proteolysis degree in the milk fermented by each isolate were assessed in 1, 7 and 14 days. Development of antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH and ABTS●+ radial scavenging activities during the storage period.Results and Conclusion: Though some slight strain-dependent differences were observed in growth, acidification and proteolysis, all the samples showed considerably strong antioxidant activity (at least 62.32±3.66% and 57.64±1.42% measured using DPPH and ABTS●+ radicals, respectively) through the whole storage period. In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion indicated that DPPH radical-scavenging activity of the antioxidative peptidic supernatants was not affected significantly by consecutive pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis in most of the samples. These evidences support Lactobacillus helveticus as a promising functional culture able to promote health benefits in dairy-based functional foods.Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest

8-[(1E)-1-(2-Aminophenyl­iminio)eth­yl]-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-olate

The title Schiff base, C17H14N2O3, exists as an NH tautomer with the H atom of the phenol group transferred to the imine N atom. The iminium H atom is involved in a strong intra­molecular N+—H⋯O− hydrogen bond to the phenolate O atom, forming an S(6) motif. In the crystal structure, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form a C(9) chain parallel to [100] and a C(11) chain parallel to [010], while C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form a C(11) chain parallel to [010]. The combination of N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generates R 4 3(30) rings parallel to the ab plan

Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of local authorities in Saudi Arabia : a case study of Jeddah Municipality

The aim of the thesis is to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the major services that are provided by Jeddah Municipality (JM) by using criteria which are derived from the Saudi environment. The Delphi technique was used in the first instance to obtain a consensus of opinion as to the meaning of efficiency and effectiveness among Saudi experts on local administration in Saudi Arabia. It was used, secondly, to develop criteria which then were used to assess the selected services. With the developed consensus in mind, efficiency of the selected services was measured. However, the assessment was limited to only a few services due to insufficient data provided by JM. The results indicate a tendency towards an increase in efficiency of the assessed services. However, since the assessment was limited only to few services from the same department, and was further constrained by limited data, it therefore cannot be considered as a clear-cut measurement of the level of the efficiency of services provided by JM. The second part of the study was based upon questionnaires designed by using the criteria for effectiveness. The questionnaires were sent to the recipients of the service, the Saudi experts on local administration in Jeddah city, and the staff of JM's departments that are responsible for delivering the selected services. The results indicate that according to beneficiaries and experts, the effectiveness of the selected services is low, while according to the staff the effectiveness of the selected services is mid-range. Recommendations were made to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing selected services and on how to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of these services. Furthermore, the study recommends JM's officials and departments to be accountable and transparent. Accountability and transparency are important elements for improvement of municipal services in particular, and the provision of public services in general

A study on relationship between tail risk on earning management in Iranian banking industry

Risk management plays an important role in banking industry and there are literally many investigations to reduce any risk components in this industry. In this paper, we present a study on relationship between tail risk on earning management in Iranian banking industry. In this survey, we use two series of data. The first set is associated with yearly information of 19 different banks over the period 2005-2011 and it contains 114 observations. The second set of data includes weekly historical data of eight banks over the same period 2005-2011. In this survey, there are four objectives to be investigated. The first hypothesis considers the effects of seven independent variables on loan loss allowance as a fraction of total loans. The second model is associated with the effects of two independent variables on realized gains and losses on securities. The third objective is to study the effects of different independent variables with various interruptions on return of banking sectors. Finally, the last model investigates the effects of revenue management on tail risk. The result of this survey indicates that there is no relationship between tail risk and earning management

Network as a Service and its Key Challenges in Cloud Computing

With the passage of time, cloud computing is gaining importance due its usability, flexibility, efficiency, and reachability.  Virtualization is the key component in cloud computing. Through virtualization, not only software and hardware resources are efficiently used, but also a lot of money is saved. Virtual networking is also an emerging utilization, achieved through virtualization of resources. Keeping in view the importance of this area of research, this paper discusses about virtual networking and the key challenges involved in it and in virtual switch

Some lichens from Kashmar, NE Iran

The present paper is based on recent collection of lichens made between 2007-2008 on Kashmar in the central part of the Razavi Khorasan province. A total of 31 taxa of lichens are reported from three localities in the investigated area. Two species are new to Iran, eight species are new to the province