Data Clustering Using Wave Atom

Clustering of huge spatial databases is an important issue which tries to track the densely regions in the feature space to be used in data mining, knowledge discovery, or efficient information retrieval. Clustering approach should be efficient and can detect clusters of arbitrary shapes because spatial objects cannot be simply abstracted as isolated points they have different boundary, size, volume, and location. In this paper we use discrete wave atom transformation technique in clustering to achieve more accurate result. By using multi-resolution transformation like wavelet and wave atom we can effectively identify arbitrary shape clusters at different degrees of accuracy. Experimental results on very large data sets show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed wave atom bases clustering approach compared to other recent clustering methods. Experimental result shows that we get more accurate result and denoised output than others

Bacterial technology-enabled cementitious composites: A review

YesCementitious composites are generally brittle and develop considerable tension cracks, resulting in corrosion of steel reinforcement and compromising structural durability. With careful selection and treatment, some kinds of bacteria are able to precipitate calcium carbonate and ‘heal’ cracks in cementitious composites through their metabolism, namely bacterial activity. It is envisioned that the bacterial technology-enabled cementitious composites could have great potential for engineering applications such as surface treatment, crack repair and self-healing construction material. This paper presents the state-of-the-art development of bacterial technology-enabled cementitious composites from the following aspects: mechanisms of bacterial induced calcium carbonate precipitation; methods of applying bacteria into cementitious composites; mechanical properties, durability and their influencing factors; various applications; cost effective analysis and prospect. The paper concludes with an outline of some future opportunities and challenges in the application of bacterial technology-enabled cementitious composites in construction.National Science Foundation of China (51578110) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China (DUT18GJ203)

Combining IWC and PSO to Enhance Data Clustering

In this paper we propose a clustering method based on combination of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and the inverse weighted clustering algorithm IWC, It is shown how PSO can be used to find the centroids of a user specified number of clusters and basically uses PSO to refine the clusters formed by IWC. Since PSO algorithm was showed to successfully converge during the initial stages of a global search, but around global optimum, the search process will become very slow. On the contrary, IWC algorithm can achieve faster convergence to optimum solution, Experimental results show that the proposed technique has much potential to improve the clustering process

EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY OF SIWA OASIS

In discussing the water quality evaluation for use in different purposes, the author will briefly examine some of the major important water quality standards. These standards serve as a basis for appraisal of the results of chemical water analysis in terms of suitability of the water for various intended uses. According to total dissolved salts (TDS),  major  ions as cations ( Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+), anions (CO₃2â», HCO₃â»Â  ,SOâ‚„2â», Clâ»), with some heavy metals such as Al3+, B3+ , Cd2+, Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Mn2+,  Mo2+, Ni2+,  Pb2+, Sr2+, V2+   and Zn2+  The results  indicate  that  the samples of Nubian sandstone aquifer is suitable for drinking of human and livestock , suitable for laundry purposes and for irrigation. While the samples of Fractured dolomite limestone aquifer are unsuitable for drinking and irrigation.Â

GLC-MS profiling of non-polar extracts from Phlomis bucharica and P. salicifolia and their cytotoxicity

Phlomis species (Phlomis bucharica Regel and P. salicifolia Regel) have been traditionally used by Uzbek people as stimulant, tonic, diuretic, and in the treatment of ulcers, hemorrhoids, wounds and gynecological problems. In the present study, we characterized the chemical composition of non-polar extracts from P. bucharica and P. salicifolia by high resolution GLC-MS and evaluated their cytotoxicity. Concentrations of hexadecanoic acid in hexane and chloroform extracts were higher in P. bucharica than in P. salicifolia. 1,8- Cineol, camphor, borneol, α-terpinol, thymol, and isobornyl acetate were detected in P. bucharica but not in P. salicifolia. About 45 components were identified in P. bucharica and 40 in P. salicifolia. The chloroform extract from P. bucharica showed cytotoxicity in HeLa and HL-60 cells, with IC50 values of 26.07 and 29.42 μg/ml, respectively

Meroterpenoids: A Comprehensive Update Insight on Structural Diversity and Biology.

Funder: This research was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding ProgramMeroterpenoids are secondary metabolites formed due to mixed biosynthetic pathways which are produced in part from a terpenoid co-substrate. These mixed biosynthetically hybrid compounds are widely produced by bacteria, algae, plants, and animals. Notably amazing chemical diversity is generated among meroterpenoids via a combination of terpenoid scaffolds with polyketides, alkaloids, phenols, and amino acids. This review deals with the isolation, chemical diversity, and biological effects of 452 new meroterpenoids reported from natural sources from January 2016 to December 2020. Most of the meroterpenoids possess antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, enzyme inhibitory, and immunosupressive effects

Inclined reinforcement around web opening in concrete beams

YesTwelve reinforced-concrete continuous deep beams having web openings within interior shear spans were tested to failure. The main variables investigated were the opening size and the amount of inclined reinforcement around openings. An effective inclined reinforcement factor combining the influence of the amount of inclined web reinforcement and opening size is proposed and used to analyse the structural behaviour of continuous deep beams tested. It was observed that the end support reaction, diagonal crack width and load capacity of beams tested were significantly dependent on the proposed effective inclined reinforcement factor. As this factor increased, the end support reaction and increasing rate of diagonal crack width were closer to those of companion solid deep beams. In addition, a higher load capacity was exhibited by beams having an effective inclined reinforcement factor above 0.077 than the companion solid deep beam. A numerical procedure based on the upper-bound analysis of the plasticity theory was proposed to estimate the load capacity of beams tested. Comparisons between the measured and predicted load capacities showed good agreement

Anti-infective and cytotoxic properties of Bupleurum marginatum

Bupleurum marginatum Wall. ex DC (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb widely used in traditional Chinese and Kampo medicine for the treatment of various infectious diseases. The biological activities of B. marginatum have not been fully investigated. This study aims to investigate the antitrypanosomal, antimicrobial and antiviral activities of methanol (ME) and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of B. marginatum aerial parts and the ability of both extracts to inhibit the growth of different cancer cell lines. Methods Phytochemical characterization of the extracts was performed by LC-MS profiling. The antitrypanosomal activity was evaluated using the resazurin method. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using agar diffusion and microdilution methods, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined. The antiviral activity was determined for 6.25, 12.5, and 50 μg/mL doses using a plaque reduction assay. Cytotoxicity was investigated in eight cancer cell lines (Caco-2, CCL-81, CCRF-CEM, COS-7, HL-60, MIA PaCa-2, MCF-7, and PANC-1) using the MTT assay and the caspase 3/7 activity was determined over the range of 62.5–1000 μg/mL. Results Phytochemical analyses resulted in the characterization of 15 components, mainly flavonoids and lignans. The DCM extract showed significant antitrypanosomal activity (IC50: 36.21 μg/mL) and moderate activity against Streptococcus pyogenes (MIC value: 0.25 mg/mL). At a dose of 12.5 μg/mL, the DCM extract inhibited 73.6% of the plaque production by hepatitis A virus. CCRF-CEM cells were the most sensitive to both extracts (IC50: 12.5–22.7 μg/mL). The cytotoxicity was mediated by induction of apoptosis (19-fold increase in the cellular caspase 3/7 level after treatment with the DCM extract at 1 mg/mL). Conclusions ME and DCM extract of B. marginatum showed anti-infective and antiproliferative effects

Application of Plasticity Theory to Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams

yesThis paper reviews the application of the plasticity theory to reinforced concrete deep beams. Both the truss analogy and mechanism approach were employed to predict the capacity of reinforced concrete deep beams. In addition, most current codes of practice, for example Eurocode 1992 and ACI 318-05, recommend the strut-and-tie model for designing reinforced concrete deep beams. Compared with methods based on empirical or semi-empirical equations, the strut-and-tie model and mechanism analyses are more rational, adequately accurate and sufficiently simple for estimating the load capacity of reinforced concrete deep beams. However, there is a problem of selecting the effectiveness factor of concrete as reflected in the wide range of values reported in the literature for deep beams

Thymoquinone suppression of the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth involves inhibition of IL-8 expression, elevated levels of TRAIL receptors, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common solid tumor worldwide. The chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) is overexpressed in HCC and is a potential target for therapy. Although the transcription factor NF-κB regulates IL-8 expression, and while thymoquinone (TQ; the most bioactive constituent of black seed oil) inhibits NF-κB activity, the precise mechanisms by which TQ regulates IL-8 and cancer cell growth remain to be clarified. Here, we report that TQ inhibited growth of HCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, caused G2M cell cycle arrest, and stimulated apoptosis. Apoptosis was substantiated by activation of caspase-3 and -9, as well as cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. TQ treatments inhibited expression of NF-κB and suppressed IL-8 and its receptors. TQ treatments caused increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mRNAs of oxidative stress-related genes, NQO1 and HO-1. Pretreatment of HepG2 cells with N-acetylcysteine, a scavenger of ROS, prevented TQ-induced cell death. TQ treatment stimulated mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic Bcl-xS and TRAIL death receptors, and inhibited expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. TQ enhanced TRAIL-induced death of HepG2 cells, in part by up-regulating TRAIL death receptors, inhibiting NF-κB and IL-8 and stimulating apoptosis. Altogether, these findings provide insights into the pleiotropic molecular mechanisms of TQ-dependent suppression of HCC cell growth and underscore potential of this compound as anti-HCC drug