Single laser light source multi-channel PSK optical communication

Two light waves which have same wavelength and same plane of polarization can interact with each other and produce interference pattern only if the path difference between two waves is less than coherent length. It also means that if path difference is more than coherent length then waves will not create interference pattern or decoding of signal will not be possible. Using this property, it was demonstrated that more than one channel can be transmitted as long as the difference in their path lengths is more than the coherence length of the light source used. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Informatio

Transient combustion modeling of an oscillating lean premixed methane/air flame

The main objective of the present study is to demonstrate accurate low frequency transient turbulent combustion modeling. For accurate flame dynamics some improvements were made to the standard TFC combustion model for lean premixed combustion. With use of a 1D laminar flamelet code, predictions have been made for the laminar flame speed and the critical strain rate to improve the TFC (Turbulent Flame Speed Closure) combustion model. The computational fluid dynamics program CFX is used to perform transient simulations. These results were compared with experimental data of Weigand et al [1]. Two different\ud turbulence models have been used for predictions of the turbulent flow

A critical review of John Adair’s ‘The Leadership of Muhammad’

‘The Leadership of Muhammad’ is a famous book written by the prominent Management trainer John Adair which documents the leadership qualities and skills of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) elaborately. It is widely accepted and praised by all the scholars – Muslims and Non Muslims – all around the world. This article intends to shed light on the appreciable aspects of the book as well as to criticize the way it was compiled and documented. However it is an academic criticism about the inappropriate data collection and methodology adopted by the author. This paper is divided into three parts: Firstly introduction, then eight topics and finally, conclusion. The main purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the contents of the book critically. In the due course of the review, it also explains the structure of the book, its methodology, background of the author, his expertise, his objective, views and opinions. It also evaluates the historical data mentioned in the book, analyzes the authenticity of the Prophetic traditions quoted by the author and pinpoints some of the factual errors mentioned

Peptide and nucleic acid-directed self-assembly of cationic nanovehicles through giant unilamellar vesicle modification: targetable nanocomplexes for in vivo nucleic acid delivery

One of the greatest challenges for the development of genetic therapies is the efficient targeted delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids. Towards this goal, we have introduced a new engineering initiative in self-assembly of biologically safe and stable nanovesicle complexes (∼90-140 nm) derived from giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) precursors and comprising plasmid DNA or siRNA and targeting peptide ligands. The biological performance of the engineered nanovesicle complexes were studied both in vitro and in vivo and compared with cationic liposome-based lipopolyplexes. Compared with cationic lipopolyplexes, nanovesicle complexes did not show advantages in transfection and cell uptake. However, nanovesicle complexes neither displayed significant cytotoxicity nor activated the complement system, which are advantageous for intravenous injection and tumour therapy. On intravenous administration into a neuroblastoma xenograft mouse model, nanovesicle complexes were found to distribute throughout the tumour interstitium, thus providing an alternative safer approach for future development of tumour-specific therapeutic nucleic acid interventions. On oropharyngeal instillation, nanovesicle complexes displayed better transfection efficiency than cationic lipopolyplexes. The technological advantages of nanovesicle complexes, originating from GUVs, over traditional cationic liposome-based lipopolyplexes are discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The efficient targeted delivery of nucleic acids in vivo provides some of the greatest challenges to the development of genetic therapies. Giant unilamellar lipid vesicles (GUVs) have been used mainly as cell and tissue mimics and are instrumental in studying lipid bilayers and interactions. Here, the GUVs have been modified into smaller nanovesicles. We have then developed novel nanovesicle complexes comprising self-assembling mixtures of the nanovesicles, plasmid DNA or siRNA, and targeting peptide ligands. Their biophysical properties were studied and their transfection efficiency was investigated. They transfected cells efficiently without any associated cytotoxicity and with targeting specificity, and in vivo they resulted in very high and tumour-specific uptake and in addition, efficiently transfected the lung. The peptide-targeted nanovesicle complexes allow for the specific targeted enhancement of nucleic acid delivery with improved biosafety over liposomal formulations and represent a promising tool to improve our arsenal of safe, non-viral vectors to deliver therapeutic cargos in a variety of disorders

Antioxidant effects of some selected flavonoids: a structure-activity relationship based study

Objective: To investigate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of some selected flavonoids with respect to identify key positions responsible for antioxidant effects as well as the effect of derivatisation on the antioxidative effects. Design and method: Antioxidant potential was evaluated using different sets of assays viz., rapid test by dot blot, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ABTS+ radical cation scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant powder (FRAP) and xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) assays. Results: It was determined that the total number and the configuration of hydroxyl group play an important role in regulating bioactivity of flavonoids in scavenging DPPH radical, ABTS+ radical cation and FRAP assays. Presence of catechol and the absence of C-2-C-3 double bond as well as ketonic group at C-4 reduced the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. Methylation and acetylation of hydroxyl groups at particular positions were also found to decrease the in vitro bioactivity of flavonoids. Conclusions: The results of this study will further help to understand the role of flavonoids as natural antioxidants which might facilitate in the development of nutritional products and semi synthetic analogs that retain substantial antioxidant capacity with minimal adverse effects. Keywords: Flavonoids; antioxidant activity; derivatisation, structure activity relationshi

Functional mechanisms underlying pleiotropic risk alleles at the 19p13.1 breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility locus

A locus at 19p13 is associated with breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Here we analyse 438 SNPs in this region in 46,451 BC and 15,438 OC cases, 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 73,444 controls and identify 13 candidate causal SNPs associated with serous OC (P=9.2 × 10-20), ER-negative BC (P=1.1 × 10-13), BRCA1-associated BC (P=7.7 × 10-16) and triple negative BC (P-diff=2 × 10-5). Genotype-gene expression associations are identified for candidate target genes ANKLE1 (P=2 × 10-3) and ABHD8 (P<2 × 10-3). Chromosome conformation capture identifies interactions between four candidate SNPs and ABHD8, and luciferase assays indicate six risk alleles increased transactivation of the ADHD8 promoter. Targeted deletion of a region containing risk SNP rs56069439 in a putative enhancer induces ANKLE1 downregulation; and mRNA stability assays indicate functional effects for an ANKLE1 3′-UTR SNP. Altogether, these data suggest that multiple SNPs at 19p13 regulate ABHD8 and perhaps ANKLE1 expression, and indicate common mechanisms underlying breast and ovarian cancer risk

Enzymatic hydrolysis for the removal of 3- monochloropropanediol esters in edible oils using Candida rugosa lipase in the presence of deep eutectic solvents and nanocellulose

3-monochloropropanediol ester (3-MCPDE) is identified as a food-borne contaminant in edible oils and are classified as a possible carcinogen. This study reports an efficient enzymatic technique for the removal of 3-MCPDE from extra virgin olive oil (EVO) using Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) as the biocatalyst in the presence of choline chloride and fructose-based natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) and nanocellulose (NC) extracted from almond shells. The validity of the method was confirmed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showing adequate precision with relative standard deviation values ≤ 2.37%. The quantification and detection limit are within the permissible levels of 3-MCPD in edible oils. Under optimized conditions of 30 min at 90 °C with 60 µL of phenylboronic acid (PBA), the enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the removal of 79.8% of spiked 3-MCPD in EVO. No adverse effects of the EVO were detected from this technique with respect to the oil quality testing. The application of DESs and NCs as the support material for the CRL biocatalyst for the removal of 3-MCPDE has yet to be explored. This could have a significant impact on the edible oil industry for producing oils of higher quality free from 3-MCPDE

Patient Satisfaction in Chamber Setting in Bangladesh measured by Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9 Bangla)

Background: Assessment of patient satisfaction is crucial but there is significant lagging in this sector. Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of health care quality as well as a predictor of treatment adherence. The Good patient-doctor relationship is considered as an integral part of the patient satisfaction. In Bangladesh, this domain is yet to be explored in a large scale. Aim: It was aimed to look into the patient satisfaction level in chamber setting in Bangladesh measured using the patient-doctor relationship questionnaire (PDRQ-9 Bangla). Methods: PDRQ-9 is a short yet excellent tool for assessing the patient-doctor relationship. The data collection was done in private chamber setting by the PDRQ-9 and analyzed. Results: Though the result was not completely in line with the existing literature, the PDRQ-9 was found to be a useful and brief measurement tool in the context of the patient-doctor relationship. Conclusion: Large-scale research in this particular aspect of patient satisfaction in future may provide a more succinct resul

Hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation and multi-angle light scattering investigation of the size, shape and metal-release of silver nanoparticles in aqueous medium for nano-risk assessment

open11siAvailable online 22 November 2014 The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) through the project SANOWORK under Grant Agreement no. 280716. The HRTEM has been made available under the INSPIRE programme, funded by Irish Government's Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions, Cycle 4, National Development Plan 2007–2013, which is supported by European Union Structural Fund. Drs. Abbasi Gandhi and Vishnu Mogili of the University of Limerick are acknowledged for generating HRTEM data.Due to the increased use of silver nanoparticles in industrial scale manufacturing, consumer products and nanomedicine reliable measurements of properties such as the size, shape and distribution of these nano particles in aqueous medium is critical. These properties indeed affect both functional properties and biological impacts especially in quantifying associated risks and identifying suitable risk-mediation strategies. The feasibility of on-line coupling of a fractionation technique such as hollow-fiber flow field flow fractionation (HF5) with a light scattering technique such as MALS (multi-angle light scattering) is investigated here for this purpose. Data obtained from such a fractionation technique and its combination thereof with MALS have been compared with those from more conventional but often complementary techniques e.g. transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence. The combination of fractionation and multi angle light scattering techniques have been found to offer an ideal, hyphenated methodology for a simultaneous size-separation and characterization of silver nanoparticles. The hydrodynamic radii determined by fractionation techniques can be conveniently correlated to the mean average diameters determined by multi angle light scattering and reliable information on particle morphology in aqueous dispersion has been obtained. The ability to separate silver (Ag+) ions from silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via membrane filtration during size analysis is an added advantage in obtaining quantitative insights to its risk potential. Most importantly, the methodology developed in this article can potentially be extended to similar characterization of metal-based nanoparticles when studying their functional effectiveness and hazard potential.partially_openembargoed_20151122Marassi, Valentina; Casolari, Sonia; Roda, Barbara; Zattoni, Andrea; Reschiglian, Pierluigi; Panzavolta, Silvia; Tofail, Syed A.M.; Ortelli, Simona; Delpivo, Camilla; Blosi, Magda; Costa, Anna LuisaMarassi, Valentina; Casolari, Sonia; Roda, Barbara; Zattoni, Andrea; Reschiglian, Pierluigi; Panzavolta, Silvia; Tofail, Syed A.M.; Ortelli, Simona; Delpivo, Camilla; Blosi, Magda; Costa, Anna Luis