J-Block Triassic Well Performance & Reservoir Heterogeneity

Imperial Users onl

The Triplet Genetic Code had a Doublet Predecessor

Information theoretic analysis of genetic languages indicates that the naturally occurring 20 amino acids and the triplet genetic code arose by duplication of 10 amino acids of class-II and a doublet genetic code having codons NNY and anticodons $\overleftarrow{\rm GNN}$. Evidence for this scenario is presented based on the properties of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, amino acids and nucleotide bases.Comment: 10 pages (v2) Expanded to include additional features, including likely relation to the operational code of the tRNA-acceptor stem. Version to be published in Journal of Theoretical Biolog

Aereo and Internet Television: A Call to Save the Dukes (A La Carte)

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. The most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Copyright Act employed this “duck test” when determining that Aereo, an Internet content-streaming company, violated the Copyright Act by infringing on the copyrights of television broadcast networks. The Supreme Court ruled that Aereo\u27s Internet streaming services resembled cable television transmissions too closely. Therefore, by streaming copyrighted programming to its subscribers without the cable compulsory license, Aereo violated the Transmit Clause of the 1976 Copyright Act. Subsequently, Aereo used this Supreme Court decision to obtain a compulsory license from the Copyright Office but was denied. Forced back into litigation, Aereo filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy This Issue Brief describes Aereo’s technology, the litigation that followed, and the related precedent, and concludes that the district court should have granted Aereo a Section 111 Statutory License in line with the Supreme Court’s “duck test.” It considers the implications of the Court’s preliminary injunction against Aereo’s “a la carte” TV technology, what this means for the future of similar technological innovation, and the effects on consumers and competition

An Investigation of the Efficacy of Curcumin for Treatment of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Curcumin is the primary curcuminoid found in the rhizome of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa), responsible for the spice’s distinctive yellow color. Research conducted within the past two decades suggests that the compound may be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the most prevalent form of dementia affecting nearly 5.2 million Americans. This paper investigates the efficacy of curcumin as treatment for the pathogenesis and symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Research was conducted pertaining to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, the in vitro applications of curcumin, the chemical properties of curcumin, and the in vivo clinical applications of curcumin. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s is defined by the aggregation of amyloid-beta plaques, dissociation of tau protein, propagation of reactive oxygen species, and neuroinflammation. Alzheimer’s is also characterized by symptoms of cognitive decline and memory loss. The physiochemical nature of curcumin enables it to interact with multiple biochemical pathways in the central nervous system (CNS), inhibiting the pathogenesis of the disease. In vitro applications of curcumin show much promise to this end. In vivo studies of curcumin on living subjects provide mixed results for the substance’s efficacy on symptoms and pathogenesis. Furthermore, the complex chemical properties of curcumin make drug development very difficult. Curcumin shows much promise in inhibiting the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, according to in vitro studies. However, the lack of definitive conclusions from in vivo applications and difficulty in overcoming curcumin’s complex chemical properties for drug development show that the substance cannot yet be designated as an effective treatment for the disease

Using Platelet-Rich Plasma to Reverse the Effects of Tendinopathy and Prevent Tendon Re-rupture after Surgery in Athletes: The Search for a Standardized Protocol

30-50% of all lesions amateur and professional sports players will experience during activity are related to the tendon. Moreover, the incidence of tendinopathy, a precursor to tendon rupture, is much higher in both of these groups due to excessive loading of tendons during physical activity, insufficient rest afterwards and certain antibiotic use. The tendon anatomically has both a low blood supply and a low cell turnover rate, which contribute to the relative ease by which an athlete can develop tendinopathy. Chronic tendinopathy has very few high-success treatments but in recent years, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a treatment in which platelets are isolated from the patient’s blood and injected back into the diseased tendon, has seen promising results. Prior research has focused on assessing the viability of PRP as a treatment but failed to come up with a standard and procedure protocol for its administration. In this study, PRP is evaluated in terms of success rate, concentration of cells other than platelets, concentration of growth factors, life of growth factors, and size and cross section of the tendon to develop a formulation standard, injection plan, and procedure protocol for different tendinopathies. Furthermore, a rehabilitation program that takes into account both the treatment and natural healing process of the tendon to shorten the time the athlete spends off the field is outlined

Influenza A nucleoprotein binding sites for antivirals: current research and future potential

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Andreas Kukol and Hershna Patel, ‘Influenza A nucleoprotein binding sites for antivirals: current research and future potential’, Future Biology, Vol 9(7): 625-627, July 2014. The version of record is available online at doi: 10.2217/fvl.14.45Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio