Krill oil extract suppresses cell growth and induces apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. The current available treatments for CRC include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, surgery is only useful when the disease is diagnosed at the earlier stage. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are associated with numerous side effects that decrease the patients' quality of life. Safer, effective alternatives, such as natural compounds, to chemotherapy are desirable. This study assessed the efficacy of free fatty acid (FFA) extract of krill oil on three human CRC cells lines. METHODS: HCT-15, SW-480 and Caco-2 cells were treated with the FFA extracts of krill oil and fish oil for 48 h while treatments with the bioactive omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) of these marine oils, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) in comparison with a n-6 PUFA, arachnoid acid (AA, C20:4n-6) were up to 72 h at the concentrations of 50, 100, 150 and 200 μM. Effects of all the treatments on cell proliferation were assessed using a water-soluble tetrazolium-1 (WST-1) assay kit at 24, 48 and 72 h. Effects of FFA extract of krill oil and EPA on apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential were determined using commercial kits after 48 h of treatment. RESULTS: Krill oil extract inhibited cell proliferation of all three cell lines in the similar manner as fish oil extract. A significant cell apoptosis and increase in mitochondrial membrane potential were observed after the treatment with krill oil extract. EPA at the concentration of 200 μM reduced significantly the proliferation of HCT-15 and SW-480 at 24, 48 and 72 h. In addition, EPA treatment (100 and 200 μM) resulted in significant cell apoptosis in all three cell lines. No significant changes were observed after treatment with DHA and AA. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the FFA extract of krill oil maybe an effective chemotherapeutic agent to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis in CRC cells through its bioactive constitute EPA. Although the exact mechanism of the pro-apoptotic properties of krill oil extract is unclear, mitochondrial pathway seems to be implicated

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Processing of Al-Doped, Ga-Doped, and Al, Ga Codoped ZnO for the Pursuit of Optimal Conductivity for Transparent Conducting Film Fabrication

This work reports the microwave-assisted fabrication of highly conducting Al-doped ZnO (AZO), Ga-doped ZnO (GZO), and Al, Ga codoped ZnO (AGZO) materials as cheaper earth abundant alternatives to indium tin oxide (ITO) for transparent conducting applications. All three doped ZnO powder samples were compressed into pellets, and their electrical properties were evaluated after the postsynthesis heat treatment. The heat treatment was performed by sintering the pellets at 600 °C in a reducing atmosphere using either conventional radiant annealing for 3 h or microwave annealing for 90 s. The Al and Ga dopant levels were systematically varied from 0.5 to 2.5 at. %, and it was found that the lowest resistivity values for the pelleted singly doped ZnO powders exist when the doping level is adjusted to 1.5 at. % for both AZO and GZO, giving resistivity values of 4.4 × 10–3 and 4.3 × 10–3 Ω·cm, respectively. The lowest resistivity of 5.6 × 10–4 Ω·cm was achieved for the pelleted codoped AGZO powder using the optimized Al and Ga dopant levels. Notably, this value is one magnitude lower than the best literature reported value for conventionally synthesized codoped AGZO powder. The resistivity values obtained for the pellets after radiant and microwave postsynthesis heat treatment are comparable, although the microwave heat treatment was performed only for 90 s, compared to 3 h for conventional radiant heat treatment. Hence, significant gains were made in the postannealing step by reducing time, cost, and energy required, benefiting our thrust for finding sustainable routes toward alternative low-cost transparent conducting oxides. As a proof of concept, transparent conducting thin films were fabricated via a simple aerosol-assisted deposition technique using our best conducting AGZO nanoparticles. The films exhibited a visible transmittance as good as 90% and a resistivity of 5.7 × 10–3 Ω·cm, which can compete with the existing high cost ITO films

Molecular epidemiology of Enterobacter cloacae complex isolates with reduced carbapenem susceptibility recovered by blood culture

doctoral thesi

A comparison of Mydata based Health App Adoption among elderly citizens in Nordic countries and UK

This research addresses the critical gap in the existing literature concerning the adoption of Mydata-based health apps among citizens aged 50 and above in Nordic countries and the UK. With the increasing relevance of personalized health technologies, understanding the unique factors influencing adoption among elderly populations becomes paramount. This study aligns with the broader scientific background of digital health adoption and aims to contribute nuanced insights specific to the aged demographic. The primary scientific aim of the research is to uncover the conditions influencing elderly (50 and above) citizens' intentions to adopt the MyData based preventive healthcare applications, with a focus on technological and health-related factors. The key areas covered in the study are: Conditions for adoption, Technological factors, Health-related Factors, Willingness to share MyData, Gender impact and Cross-cultural Differences. The research framework is built upon selected constructs of Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and Health Protection Motivation constructs using quantitative approach. In addition, a new construct called sharing personal data has been incorporated into the model. Data was collected from an online survey from Nordic population and UK. 374 responses were collected from Nordic sample and 1165 from UK sample which yielded a dataset of 1016 after cleaning original data. The study identified performance expectancy as a critical technological factor for the Nordic population but not UK, and willingness to share MyData was significant for both UK and Nordics. Regarding health-related factors, self-efficacy emerges as a significant influencer across country segments and gender. The results will not only contribute to academic knowledge but also bear societal impact by informing the design and implementation of digital health solutions for the elderly, promoting improved health outcomes and quality of life

Historicizing Anglophone theater in postcolonial South Africa: Select political and protest plays

This article explores the ways in which Anglophone dramas in postcolonial South Africa became a tool of political and protest theater. It examines the emergence of Anglophone theater, explores its development into political praxis and discusses the performance or non-performance contexts, as well as their specific socio-political milieux, with reference to the select plays from South Africa. These plays are compelling as they characterize specific tensions internal to South Africa, while alluding to colonial legacies and global coercion. Historicization is a crucial phase in this study and the key part of the methodology that establishes their political and aesthetic significance, both at the time of performance and after. The central argument of the article is that Anglophone theater of South Africa is subjected to – and bound by – socio-political and cultural dynamics of the country; the emergence of political and protest theater is often caused by subtle or overt subterfuges of biopolitics exercised internally within this postcolonial territory. KEYWORDS: Postcolonial Drama, Athol Fugard, Sizwe Bansi is Dead, The Island, Mbongeni Ngema, Asinamal

Rebels and Biopolitics: Mahasweta Devi’s Mother of 1084

Biopolitics—the strategies and mechanisms through which human life processes are managed and regulated under regimes of authority—is ordinary currency in society, and ruling political systems exercise surveillance, incarceration and killings to a great extent in this regard. Michel Foucault’s work on the regulation of human beings through the production of power serves as an initial medium of investigation into biopolitics. Yet, Giorgio Agamben probes the covert and overt presence of biopolitical violence in society, particularly through his concepts of state of exception and bare life. The Indian playwright Mahasweta Devi’s Anglophone play-text Mother of 1084 (1973) enables scholars to participate in a critical forum on biopolitical praxis, because of its pervasive and explicit representation of state violence and rebels. Nonetheless, the play-text is often renowned for its reference to feminist ideology and mother-son relationship. Existing scholarship has overlooked the manifestation of torture and dead bodies on-stage represented in it. The play is also on the periphery of the mainstream literary criticism. By engaging with a textual portrayal of the play through Foucauldian and Agambenian critical lenses, this article interrogates the ways in which biopolitics coerces populations within the contemporary socio-political milieu. The analysis implies a potential to understand the biopolitical logic more meaningfully, and to be resistant to its stratagems of coercion. It adds to the existing body of literature on biopolitics by creating a specific account of life-politics as characterised in postcolonial theatre, provides a supplemental standpoint to debates on biopolitical subjugation and specifically contributes to current discussions of the play

Parametrization of Steel Lazy Wave Riser Configuration for Fatigue Considerations at the Touch Down Point

With the advancement of technologies, deepwater oil and gas exploration has shown promising results worldwide. Production risers are integral in offshore hydrocarbon exploration because they transfer oil and gas from the subsea wells to the topsides. Steel Catenary Riser (SCR) is a favourable riser solution for deepwater developments due to its low cost and less complexity in implementation. With the increasing water depths and large floater motions, SCR has raised major concerns about fatigue performance at the touch down zone (TDZ). This can be solved by introducing buoyancy modules to the SCR, forming the Steel Lazy Wave Riser (SLWR) configuration. SLWR has shown better fatigue performance near the TDZ due to their ability to decouple vessel motion from TDZ. The initial phase of the thesis presents static, dynamic and fatigue analysis and design of an SLWR connected to a Floating Production and Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel in 2000m water depth in Santos basin in Offshore Brazil. The riser has an internal diameter of 254mm and a wall thickness of 25mm and is made of API 5L X65 Carbon steel with a coating thickness of 70mm. Analyses are performed using OrcaFlex software, and the design is based on Load Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) guidelines as per DNV-OS-F201: Dynamic Risers. The latter part of the thesis presents the parametric study on fatigue life near the Touch Down Point (TDP) for different SLWR configurations. Four different water depths (1500m, 2000m, 2500m, 3000m) and two different coating thicknesses (70mm: production riser, 3mm: injection riser) are considered, creating eight different scenarios. Each scenario considers 25 different SLWR configurations by changing the riser’s wave height (DB: distance between sag bend and hog bend) and distance from sag bend to the seabed (DS). In total, 200 different SLWR configurations are analysed during the research. Results show that fatigue life always increases with the increase of DB value irrespective of the DS value, water depth and coating thickness. In contrast, increasing the DS value does not always yield high fatigue life, and the rate of fatigue life change is marginal. Keywords: Santos Basin, Offshore Brazil, Deepwater, FPSO, Steel Lazy Wave Riser (SLWR), Parametric Study, Fatigue Analysis, Fatigue Life, Touch Down Point (TDP

Human trafficking and surveillance: a close examination of Manjula Padmanabhan’s Drama Harvest

Human trafficking –  defined as organ and sex trafficking, and slavery materialized through numerous stratagems – is a growing problem worldwide. There has been a rising interest in the topic of human trafficking, and its mounting complexity and challenge. However, research has scarcely included literary representations of human trafficking achieved via e-surveillance processes: in this respect, Asian plays have received no sufficient critical attention. This article aims to redress this dearth by investigating the processes of human trafficking as depicted in the Indian playwright Manjula Padmanabhan’s Harvest, which premiered in 1999 in Greece. The play, a literary testimony to the complexity and subtlety of human trafficking processes, features storylines about human trafficking exercised through the forms of coercion, abduction, sexual seduction, fraud, deception, and abuse of power. Therefore, Harvest is closely read through Fanon’s, Foucault’s, and Bauman and Lyon’s perspectives of surveillance in this article. Reading the play provides a point of discussion of the third world’s vulnerability and its resistance to the first world’s human trafficking. It sheds much light on diverse human harvesting means such as organ harvesting and repopulation, and miscegenation, utilized through e-surveillance. The article offers complex insights into human trafficking victims of surveillance – both their vulnerability and the attempts of their agency.   KEYWORDS: E-surveillance, Panopticon, Postcolonial drama, Third/First World, Indian  playwrigh

Aerosol-assisted fabrication of tin-doped indium oxide ceramic thin films from nanoparticle suspensions

Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) thin films were fabricated on float glass substrates from a nanoparticle suspension using a new and inexpensive aerosol-assisted chemical transport (AACT) process. The influence of the solvent type, loading level and film deposition time on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the deposited thin films was investigated. In addition, the effect of the post-deposition heat-treatment of ITO films on the film resistivity and transparency was investigated using microwave radiation and compared with more conventional radiant heat-treated films. The SEM images of the films prepared using a 30 min deposition time with 0.20% (wt/vol%) methanolic ITO suspension provided better surface coverage compared to the other deposition times investigated. The optimised ITO films were heat-treated after deposition by either conventional radiant or microwave assisted heating methods in order to improve the inter-particle connections and film adherence. The films heat-treated after deposition by microwave annealing exhibited an average transmittance of >85% in the visible region with a resistivity of 12 Ω cm and a carrier concentration of −3.7 × 1016 cm3, which were superior to films that were heat-treated using more conventional thermal processing (despite the shorter processing time for the microwave process). The resistivity of ITO films was further decreased to 6.0 × 10−2 Ω cm with an increased carrier concentration of −8.0 × 1018 cm3 when ethyl cellulose was added to the ITO suspension prior to the AACT deposition. The enhanced conductivity of this film is due to the improved particle–particle and particle–substrate connections as observed by SEM imaging