Amyloid Beta and MicroRNAs in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive mental illness characterized by memory loss and multiple cognitive impairments. In the last several decades, significant progress has been made in understanding basic biology, molecular mechanisms, and development of biomarkers and therapeutic drugs. Multiple cellular changes are implicated in the disease process including amyloid beta and phosphorylation of tau synaptic damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in AD. Among these, amyloid beta is considered a major player in the disease process. Recent advancements in molecular biology revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered potential biomarkers in AD with a focus on amyloid beta. In this article we discussed several aspects of AD including its prevalence, classifications, risk factors, and amyloid species and their accumulation in subcellular compartments. This article also discusses the discovery and biogenesis of miRNAs and their relevance to AD. Today’s research continues to add to the wealth of miRNA data that has been accumulated, however, there still lacks clear-cut understanding of the physiological relevance of miRNAs to AD. MiRNAs appear to regulate translation of gene products in AD and other human diseases. However, the mechanism of how many of these miRNAs regulate both the 5′ and 3′UTR of amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing is still being extrapolated. Hence, we still need more research on miRNAs and APP/amyloid beta formation in the progression and pathogenesis of AD

Mitochondrial Oxidative Damage in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: Implications for Mitochondrially Targeted Antioxidant Therapeutics

The overall aim of this article is to review current therapeutic strategies for treating AD, with a focus on mitochondrially targeted antioxidant treatments. Recent advances in molecular, cellular, and animal model studies of AD have revealed that amyloid precursor protein derivatives, including amyloid beta (Aβ) monomers and oligomers, are likely key factors in tau hyperphosphorylation, mitochondrial oxidative damage, inflammatory changes, and synaptic failure in the brain tissue of AD patients. Several therapeutic strategies have been developed to treat AD, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiamyloid approaches. Among these, mitochondrial antioxidant therapy has been found to be the most efficacious in reducing pathological changes and in not producing adverse effects; thus, mitochondrial antioxidant therapy is promising as a treatment for AD patients. However, a major limitation in applying mitochondrial antioxidants to AD treatment has been the inability of researchers to enhance antioxidant levels in mitochondria. Recently, however, there has been a breakthrough. Researchers have recently been able to promote the entry of certain antioxidants—including MitoQ, MitoVitE, MitoPBN, MitoPeroxidase, and amino acid and peptide-based SS tetrapeptides—into mitochondria, several hundred-fold more than do natural antioxidants. Once in the mitochondria, they rapidly neutralize free radicals and decrease mitochondrial toxicity. Thus, mitochondrially targeted antioxidants are promising candidates for treating AD patients

DUAL TRIDENT UWB PLANAR ANTENNA WITH BAND NOTCH FOR WLAN

In this paper, a compact microstrip fed ultra-wideband antenna with a band notch characteristic is presented. The proposed antenna consists of two tridents and two uneven split ring resonators. The overall size of the antenna is 26 mm × 24 mm × 1.53 mm. By adding the uneven split ring resonators to the dual trident ultra-wideband antenna, a band notch of 5.05 GHz to 5.9 GHz is achieved. The band notch is adjusted by the size and the split locations of the resonators. CST microwave studios software was used to simulate the design. The measured |S11| (dB) pass band and notch band agree with the simulation within the frequency band from 3.65 GHz to 12.85 GHz

Comparative Evaluation on Properties of Hybrid Glass Fiber- Sisal/Jute Reinforced Epoxy Composites

AbstractThe incorporation of natural fibres such as sisal/jute with glass fiber composites has gained increasing applications both in many areas of Engineering and Technology. The aim of this study is to evaluate mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural properties of hybrid glass fiber-sisal/jute reinforced epoxy composites. Microscopic examinations are carried out to analyze the interfacial characteristics of materials, internal structure of the fractured surfaces and material failure morphology by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the incorporation of sisal fiber with GFRP exhibited superior properties than the jute fiber reinforced GFRP composites in tensile properties and jute fiber reinforced GFRP composites performed better in flexural properties

Thermal energy storage system using phase change materials: Constant heat source

The usage of phase change materials (PCM) to store the heat in the form of latent heat is increased, because large quantity of thermal energy is stored in smaller volumes. In the present experimental investigation paraffin and stearic acid are employed as PCMs in thermal energy storage (TES) system to store the heat as sensible and latent heat also. A constant heat source is used to supply heat transfer fluid (HTF) at constant temperature to the TES system. In the TES system PCMs are stored in the form of spherical capsules of 38 mm diameter made of high density poly ethylene (HDPE). The results of the investigation are related to the charging time and recovery of stored energy from the TES system

Very Compact Open-Slot Antenna for Wireless Communication Systems

A new very compact open slot antenna for wireless communication systems application has been designed and fabricated. With antenna overall dimension of 9.2 × 9.8 mm2, the proposed design can be used in many modern communication devices with size constraints. Experimental measurements have also been performed to validate the performance of the proposed antenna. The measured results show that the antenna provides a wide bandwidth of 48% (5–8.17 GHz) with an average size reduction of about 88% with respect to a conventional microstrip patch antenna

COVARIANCE MATRIX ADAPTATION EVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY OPTIMIZATION OF PATCH ANTENNA FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

Covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy algorithm is applied to optimize a dielectric loaded microstrip patch antenna. The optimization process performance is enhanced by not considering the symmetrical factor of the antenna structure. The antenna is optimized to work for IEEE 802.11a WLAN 5-6 GHz band. Experimental measurements have also been performed to validate the performance of the proposed antenna

A Design of Experiments Approach Towards Desired Flow Distribution Through Manifolds in Electronics Cooling

For rack-mounted electronics, flow distribution is desired as per the heat load characteristics. In the literature, attainment of flow uniformity through manifolds is highlighted and widely discussed as it has more applications. To attain desired flow distribution, the complexity of the problem increases. In the present paper, the Design of Experiments (DOE) along with response surface optimization is used to arrive at desired flow, which includes uniform flow also. A three-dimension, 10-channel Z-type manifold is considered for the study. This model is taken from experimentally verified and published data for which desired flow patterns are achieved. Flow requirement through each channel is set as a parameter for optimization and by the defined sample set under DOE, uniform flow and pattern flow are achieved by introducing suitable orifices. Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) is used for obtaining orifice diameters. A good agreement is observed between the attained flow patterns and desired patterns. This approach is simple and can be implemented for industrial applications

Performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a semi-adiabatic diesel engine using cotton seed and neem kernel oil methyl esters

AbstractThe performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a diesel engine are investigated using two methyl esters: One obtained from cotton seed oil and other from neem kernel oil. These two oils are transesterified using methanol and alkaline catalyst to produce the cotton seed oil methyl ester (CSOME) and neem kernel oil methyl ester (NKOME) respectively. These biodiesels are used as alternative fuels in low heat rejection engine (LHR), in which the combustion chamber temperature is increased by thermal barrier coating on piston face. Experimental investigations are conducted with CSOME and NKOME in a single cylinder, four stroke, direct injection LHR engine. It is found that, at peak load the brake thermal efficiency is lower by 5.91% and 7.07% and BSFC is higher by 28.57% and 10.71% for CSOME and NKOME in LHR engine, respectively when compared with conventional diesel fuel used in normal engine. It is also seen that there is an increase in NOx emission in LHR engine along with slight increase in CO, smoke and HC emissions. From the combustion characteristics, it is found that the values of cylinder pressure for CSOME and NKOME in LHR engine are near to the diesel fuel in normal engine