Establishing the Malay Landscape Elements through Islamic Garden Perspective

Beliefs and interpretations from the Islamic concept have influenced the emergence and extensions of many landscape designs including the Malay landscape.  This paper reviews the significant relation between the Malay landscape and Islamic garden concept through established references.  The main intention is to identify, analyzing and establishing the landscape elements, design characteristic and their functions as the research attributes.  This paper uses the imagery evidence from the Quran to support the study analyses and discussions.  The conclusions will lead towards all possible dimensions of Islamic Malay landscape in cultural, traditional and sustainability context for future resilient.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Malay; landscape; element; Islamic concep

Forecasting Monthly Precipitation in Sylhet City Using ARIMA Model

In this study a seasonal ARIMA model was built using Box and Jenkins method to forecast long term rainfall in Sylhet. For this purpose rainfall data from 1980 to 2010 of Sylhet station were used to build and check the model. Rainfall data from 1980 to 2006 were used to develop the model while data from 2007 to 2010 were used to verify the prediction precision. Four basic chronological steps namely: identification, estimation, diagnostic checking, and forecasting were fitted out in developing the model.  Validity of the model was tested using standard graphical explanation of residuals given by Box and Jenkins. As a second step of validation, forecasted values of monthly rainfall were checked using actual data series. After completion of necessary checking and forecast observation, the ARIMA(0, 0, 1) (1,1, 1)12 was found to be the most effective to predict future precipitation with a 95% confidence interval. It is expected that this long term prediction will help decision makers in efficient scheduling of flood prediction, urban planning, rainwater harvesting and crop management. Keywords: Nonlinear time series analysis, ARIMA model, rainfall forecasting, Sylhet

Between Survival and Sustenance : Plants for Recycle Edible Garden

Previous studies demonstrate that plants played a significant role in the edible garden plantings.  Therefore, this study aims to analyse and evaluate the practicality and performance of plants selected in composing the recycle edible garden at Masjid As-Siddiq. This paper discusses the issues, challenges and imperatives of how a successful plants selection would lead towards survival and sustenance food for the community. The data derived from qualitative and quantitative method through photo and images recorded throughout the implementation period.  The results will interpret relevant information about the plants potential in surviving and becoming sustenance towards the sustainable community.

Molecular basis of arsenite (As+3)-induced acute cytotoxicity in human cervical epithelial carcinoma cells

Background: Rapid industrialization is discharging toxic heavy metals into the environment, disturbing human health in many ways and causing various neurologic, cardiovascular, and dermatologic abnormalities and certain types of cancer. The presence of arsenic in drinking water from different urban and rural areas of the major cities of Pakistan, for example, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Kasur, was found to be beyond the permissible limit of 10 parts per billion set by the World Health Organization. Therefore the present study was initiated to examine the effects of arsenite (As+3) on DNA biosynthesis and cell death.Methods: After performing cytotoxic assays on a human epithelial carcinoma cell line, expression analysis was done by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and flow cytometry.Results: We show that As+3 ions have a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effect through the activation of the caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway. In contrast to previous research, the present study was designed to explore the early cytotoxic effects produced in human cells during exposure to heavy dosage of As+3 (7.5 μg/ml). Even treatment for 1 h significantly increased the mRNA levels of p21 and p27 and caspases 3, 7, and 9. It was interesting that there was no change in the expression levels of p53, which plays an important role in G2/M phase cell cycle arrest.Conclusion: Our results indicate that sudden exposure of cells to arsenite (As+3) resulted in cytotoxicity and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis resulting from up-regulation of caspases.Keywords: apoptosis; epithelial carcinoma; cytotoxicity; arsenite; caspases; Pakistan Responsible Editor: Amin Bredan, VIB Inflammation Research Center & Ghent University, Belgium

Efferocytes release extracellular vesicles to resolve inflammation and tissue injury via prosaposin-GPR37 signaling.

Macrophages release soluble mediators following efferocytic clearance of apoptotic cells to facilitate intercellular communication and promote the resolution of inflammation. However, whether inflammation resolution is modulated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) and vesicular mediators released by efferocytes is not known. We report that efferocyte-derived EVs express prosaposin, which binds to macrophage GPR37 to increase expression of the efferocytosis receptor Tim4 via an ERK-AP1-dependent signaling axis, leading to increased macrophage efferocytosis efficiency and accelerated resolution of inflammation. Neutralization and knockdown of prosaposin or blocking GRP37 abrogates the pro-resolution effects of efferocyte-derived EVs in vivo. Administration of efferocyte-derived EVs in a murine model of atherosclerosis is associated with an increase in lesional macrophage efferocytosis efficiency and a decrease in plaque necrosis and lesional inflammation. Thus, we establish a critical role for efferocyte-derived vesicular mediators in increasing macrophage efferocytosis efficiency and accelerating the resolution of inflammation and tissue injury

Purification and medium optimization of α-amylase from Bacillus subtilis 168

α-Amylase was first time isolated and purified from Bacillus subtilis 168 (1A1). Purified α-amylase fraction showed a single protein band with a molecular weight of 55 kD. Chemical characterization of the purified α-amylase revealed optimum amylolytic activity at 37°C and pH 7.0 using starch as substrate. It was stable at pH 5.0 to 9.0 and at temperatures 25–70°C. Culture conditions were optimized by using statistics-based experimental designs to enhanced α-amylase (EC.3.2.1.1) production. A two level fractional factorial Plackett-Burman design was used for the preliminary screening significant media components and conditions. Response surface methodology (RSM) involving a 24 full-factorial central composite design (CCD) and a second-order polynomial equation was then employed to identify the relationship between the α-amylase yield and the four significant variables. Optimal levels of the significant variables for the maximum α-amylase yield were starch 2.55 g/l, yeast extract 8.4 g/l, sodium chloride 8.1% and 48 h of incubation. Mean value of α-amylase yield was 639.7 IU/ml, which was in excellent agreement with the predicted value (633.5 IU/ml).Key words: Bacillus, α-amylase, optimization, Plackett-Burman design, response surface methodology

Novel scheelite‐type [Ca0.55(Nd1‐xBix)0.3]MoO4 (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.95) microwave dielectric ceramics with low sintering temperature

Novel scheelite‐type [Ca0.55(Nd1‐xBix)0.3]MoO4 (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.95) ceramics were prepared using the solid‐state reaction method. According to the X‐ray diffraction data, a solid solution was formed in 0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.95 and all the samples belong to pure scheelite phase with the tetragonal structure. As revealed by Raman spectroscopy, the number of vibrational modes decreased with the increase in x value, which further indicated that Bi3+ ions occupied A‐site of scheelite structure. As the x value increased, the sintering temperature decreased from 740°C to 660°C; the permittivity increased from 12.6 to 20.3; the Qf value first decreased slightly and gradually remained stable. Based on the infrared reflectivity spectrum analysis, the calculated permittivity derived from the fitted data shared the same trend with the measured value. The [Ca0.55(Nd0.05Bi0.95)0.3]MoO4 ceramic sintered at 660 °C attained a near‐zero value temperature coefficient ~τf (−7.1 ppm/°C) and showed excellent microwave dielectric properties with a ɛr ~ 20.3 and a Qf ~ 33 860 GHz, making this system a promising candidate in the ultralow temperature cofired ceramic (ULTCC) technology

Cannabinoid receptor 2 deficiency exacerbates inflammation and neutrophil recruitment

Cannabinoid receptor (CB)2 is an immune cell-localized GPCR that has been hypothesized to regulate the magnitude of inflammatory responses. However, there is currently no consensus as to the mechanism by which CB2 mediates its anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. To address this question, we employed a murine dorsal air pouch model with wild-type and CB2-/- 8-12-wk-old female and male C57BL/6 mice and found that acute neutrophil and lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus Chi monocyte recruitment in response to Zymosan was significantly enhanced in CB2-/- mice. Additionally, levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and the chemokines C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)2, CCL4, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 in CB2-/- pouch exudates were elevated at earlier time points. Importantly, using mixed bone marrow chimeras, we revealed that the proinflammatory phenotype in CB2-/- mice is neutrophil-intrinsic rather than stromal cell-dependent. Indeed, neutrophils isolated from CB2-/- mice exhibited an enhanced migration-related transcriptional profile and increased adhesive phenotype, and treatment of human neutrophils with a CB2 agonist blocked their endothelial transmigration. Overall, we have demonstrated that CB2 plays a nonredundant role during acute neutrophil mobilization to sites of inflammation and, as such, it could represent a therapeutic target for the development of novel anti-inflammatory compounds to treat inflammatory human diseases.-Kapellos, T. S., Taylor, L., Feuerborn, A., Valaris, S., Hussain, M. T., Rainger, G. E., Greaves, D. R., Iqbal, A. J. Cannabinoid receptor 2 deficiency exacerbates inflammation and neutrophil recruitment