Phytoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of German Chamomile Extract against Dimpylate-Induced Hepato-Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Dimpylate is one of the most organophosphorus widely used insecticides in agriculture. This study aims to investigate the ameliorative effect of German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) on the hepato-nephrotoxicity induced by Dimpylate in male Wistar rats.  Rats  were divided into 4 groups: Control group, received  corn oil alone; Chamomile group, orally given water extract of Chamomile (300 mg/kg b.wt./day for 30 days); Dimpylate group, orally given 15 mg/kg b.wt./day for 30 days of Dimpylate; and Dimpylate and chamomile group,  orally given Dimpylate (15 mg/kg b.wt./day) with Chamomile extract (300 mg/kg b.wt./day) for 30 days. Oxidative stress and antioxidant status were estimated in the liver and kidney of all groups. In the liver and kidney of the Dimpylate-intoxicated rats, there was an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and a significant decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TCA), glutathione-peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GSH-R) and Glutathione–S-transferase (GST). In addition, significant increases in serum liver function marker enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP) were recorded in Dimpylate intoxicated rats as compared to control group. Moreover, significant increase in serum total lipid, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels was observed in Dimpylate group as compared to control group. Serum total protein was decreased significantly in Dimpylate intoxicated rats as compared to the control group. Renal products; urea and creatinine were significantly elevated in in Dimpylate group compared to the control group. Dimpylate treated animals also revealed a significant increase in serum biochemical parameters as well as hepatic and renal lipid peroxidation but caused an inhibition in antioxidant biomarkers. normalized the elevated serum levels of AST, ALT, APL, uric acid, urea and creatinine. Furthermore, it reduced dimpylate-induced lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in a dose dependent manner. Therefore, it could be concluded that Chomomile extract administration able to minimize the toxic effects of dimpylate by its free radical-scavenging and potent antioxidant activity. Co-administration of the Chamomile aqueous extract with Dimpylate could attenuate the all the disrupted measured parameters in liver and kidney tissued. Therefore, it could be concluded that the chamomile aqueous extract has antioxidant and protective property againsit Dimpylate hepato-nephrotoxicity Keywords: Dimpylate, Chamomile, hepato-nephrotoxicity, Antioxidant

Statistical comparison of ensemble implementations of Grover's search algorithm to classical sequential searches

We compare pseudopure state ensemble implementations, quantified by their initial polarization and ensemble size, of Grover's search algorithm to probabilistic classical sequential search algorithms in terms of their success and failure probabilities. We propose a criterion for quantifying the resources used by the ensemble implementation via the aggregate number of oracle invocations across the entire ensemble and use this as a basis for comparison with classical search algorithms. We determine bounds for a critical polarization such that the ensemble algorithm succeeds with a greater probability than the probabilistic classical sequential search. Our results indicate that the critical polarization scales as N^(-1/4) where N is the database size and that for typical room temperature solution state NMR, the polarization is such that the ensemble implementation of Grover's algorithm would be advantageous for N > 10^2

Non-invasive Imaging in Women With Heart Failure — Diagnosis and Insights Into Disease Mechanisms

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarise the role of different imaging techniques for diagnosis and investigation of heart failure in women. RECENT FINDINGS: Although sex differences in heart failure are well recognised, and the scope of imaging techniques is expanding, there are currently no specific guidelines for imaging of heart failure in women. SUMMARY: Diagnosis and stratification of heart failure is generally performed first line using transthoracic echocardiography. Understanding the aetiology of heart failure is central to ongoing management, and with non-ischaemic causes more common in women, a multimodality approach is generally required using advanced imaging techniques including cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging techniques, and cardiac computed tomography. There are specific considerations for imaging in women including radiation risks and challenges during pregnancy, highlighting the clear unmet need for cardiology and imaging societies to provide imaging guidelines specifically for women with heart failure

Is Phaseolus vulgaris Leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) a Useful Marker for Labeling Neural Grafts?

The lectin Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) has come into wide use as an anterograde neuroanatomical tracer. The ability of this lectin to fill entire neurons and remain in place over long periods suggested it might be an ideal marker for donor cells to be grafted into hosts for long survival periods. We have used the lectin PHA-L to mark fetal rat olfactory bulb (OB) cells prior to grafting into host rat OBs. Hosts were sacrificed at various times up to 9 weeks after grafting, and tissue was immunohistochemically processed for PHA reactivity. After 2 and 4 weeks survival, sparse patterns of labeled cells were observed within the host OBs. However, after 9 weeks survival, few if any labeled cells were visible within host tissue. We conclude that PHA-L may be a less than satisfactory marker for fetal rat cells (other than astrocytes) which are to be identified in host tissue after a period of several weeks

Hidden diversity in Antarctica: Molecular and morphological evidence of two different species within one of the most conspicuous ascidian species

The Southern Ocean is one of the most isolated marine ecosystems, characterized by high levels of endemism, diversity, and biomass. Ascidians are among the dominant groups in Antarctic benthic assemblages; thus, recording the evolutionary patterns of this group is crucial to improve our current understanding of the assembly of this polar ocean. We studied the genetic variation within Cnemidocarpa verrucosa sensu lato, one of the most widely distributed abundant and studied ascidian species in Antarctica. Using a mitochondrial and a nuclear gene (COI and 18S), the phylogeography of fifteen populations distributed along the West Antarctic Peninsula and Burdwood Bank/MPA Namuncurá (South American shelf) was characterized, where the distribution of the genetic distance suggested the existence of, at least, two species within nominal C. verrucosa. When reevaluating morphological traits to distinguish between genetically defined species, the presence of a basal disk in one of the genotypes could be a diagnostic morphological trait to differentiate the species. These results are surprising due to the large research that has been carried out with the conspicuous C. verrucosa with no differentiation between species. Furthermore, it provides important tools to distinguish species in the field and laboratory. But also, these results give new insights into patterns of differentiation between closely related species that are distributed in sympatry, where the permeability of species boundaries still needs to be well understood.Fil: Ruiz, Micaela Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica; ArgentinaFil: Taverna, Anabela Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica; ArgentinaFil: Servetto, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica; ArgentinaFil: Sahade, Ricardo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica; ArgentinaFil: Held, Christoph. Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; Alemani

Visual Analytics for Network Security and Critical Infrastructures

A comprehensive analysis of cyber attacks is important for better understanding of their nature and their origin. Providing a sufficient insight into such a vast amount of diverse (and sometimes seemingly unrelated) data is a task that is suitable neither for humans nor for fully automated algorithms alone. Not only a combination of the two approaches but also a continuous reasoning process that is capable of generating a sufficient knowledge base is indispensable for a better understanding of the events. Our research is focused on designing new exploratory methods and interactive visualizations in the context of network security. The knowledge generation loop is important for its ability to help analysts to refine the nature of the processes that continuously occur and to offer them a better insight into the network security related events. In this paper, we formulate the research questions that relate to the proposed solution

Fundamental Concepts of Cyber Resilience: Introduction and Overview

Given the rapid evolution of threats to cyber systems, new management approaches are needed that address risk across all interdependent domains (i.e., physical, information, cognitive, and social) of cyber systems. Further, the traditional approach of hardening of cyber systems against identified threats has proven to be impossible. Therefore, in the same way that biological systems develop immunity as a way to respond to infections and other attacks, so too must cyber systems adapt to ever-changing threats that continue to attack vital system functions, and to bounce back from the effects of the attacks. Here, we explain the basic concepts of resilience in the context of systems, discuss related properties, and make business case of cyber resilience. We also offer a brief summary of ways to assess cyber resilience of a system, and approaches to improving cyber resilience.Comment: This is a preprint version of a chapter that appears in the book "Cyber Resilience of Systems and Networks," Springer 201

Network Defence Using Attacker-Defender Interaction Modelling

Network security is still lacking an efficient system which selects a response action based on observed security events and which is capable of running autonomously. The main reason for this is the lack of an effective defence strategy. In this Ph.D., we endeavour to create such a defence strategy. We propose to model the interaction between an attacker and a defender to comprehend how the attacker’s goals affect his actions and use the model as a basis for a more refined network defence strategy. We formulate the research questions that need to be answered and we discuss, how the answers to these questions relate to the proposed solution. This research is at the initial phase and will contribute to a Ph.D. thesis in four years

The opposite of Dante's hell? The transfer of ideas for social housing at international congresses in the 1850s–1860s

With the advent of industrialization, the question of developing adequate housing for the emergent working classes became more pressing than before. Moreover, the problem of unhygienic houses in industrial cities did not stop at the borders of a particular nation-state; sometimes literally as pandemic diseases spread out 'transnationally'. It is not a coincidence that in the nineteenth century the number of international congresses on hygiene and social topics expanded substantially. However, the historiography about social policy in general and social housing in particular, has often focused on individual cases because of the different pace of industrial and urban development and is thus dominated by national perspectives. In this paper, I elaborate on transnational exchange processes and local adaptations and transformations. I focus on the transfer of the housing model of SOMCO in Mulhouse, (a French house building association) during social international congresses. I examine whether cross-national networking enabled and facilitated the implementation of ideas on the local scale. I will elaborate on the transmission and the local adaptation of the Mulhouse-model in Belgium. Convergences, divergences, and different factors that influenced the local transformations (personal choice, political situation, socioeconomic circumstances) will be taken into accoun