I1 I2 Research Articles

Influences of acidic solvents on changes in microstructure and adsorptive properties of lean coal

To study changes in the microstructures and adsorptive properties of lean coal due to acidization of different acid solutions, XRD, 13C NMR, XPS, FTIR, and LTGA-N2 were conducted on lean coal samples before and after acidization by HF, HNO3, HCl, and CH3COOH. The changes and influence mechanisms of microstructures and adsorptive properties of the coal were obtained. The results show that:HF and HNO3 increase the C molecular structures by 5.29 % and 3.17 % while HCl and CH3COOH decrease them by 15.92 % and 5.55 %; the four acid solutions reduce the N molecular structures by 53 %, 88 %, 45.9 %, and 46.3 %, respectively. The acidized coal samples have a decreased hydrogen index I1 and oxygen index I2 while showing an increased aromaticity I3;The mass and horizontal diameter La of acidized coal samples show linear negative correlations with the adsorption capacity; the inter-crystal spacing d002 and packing height Lc are linearly positively correlated with the adsorption capacity.After acidization, changes in the CO-C and Si-O contents control the relationship between the content of oxygen-containing functional groups and N2 adsorption capacity. After HF acidization, non-protonized aromatic carbon faN controls the relationship between aromatic structure f'a and adsorption capacity; after HCl, HNO3, and CH3COOH acidization, protonized aromatic carbon faH controls the relationship between aromatic structure f'a and N2 adsorption capacity.

Improving Yield Projections from Early Ages in Eucalypt Plantations with the Clutter Model and Artificial Neural Networks

A common issue in forest management is related to yield projection for stands at young ages. This study aimed to evaluate the Clutter model and artificial neural networks for projecting eucalypt stands production from early ages, using different data arrangements. In order to do this, the changes in the number of measurement intervals used as input in the Clutter model and artificial neural networks (ANNs) are tested. The Clutter model was fitted considering two sets of data: usual, with inventory measurements (I) paired at intervals each year (I1–I2, I2–I3, …, In–In+1); and modified, with measurements paired at all possible age intervals (I1–I2, I1–I3, …, I2–I3, I2–I4, …, In–In+1). The ANN was trained with the modified dataset plus soil type and geographic coordinates as input variables. The yield projections were made up to the final ages of 6 and 7 years from all possible initial ages (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 years). The methods are evaluated using the relative error (RE%), bias, correlation coefficient (ryŷ), and relative root mean square error (RMSE%). The ANN was accurate in all cases, with RMSE% from 8.07 to 14.29%, while the Clutter model with the modified dataset had values from 7.95 to 23.61%. Furthermore, with ANN, the errors were evenly distributed over the initial projection ages. This study found that ANN had the best performance for stand volume projection surpassing the Clutter model regardless of the initial or final age of projection.

Biological characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes derived from trypomastigotes isolated from Brazilian chagasic patients.

Chagas disease (CD), caused byTrypanosoma cruzi, occurs in several countries in Latin America and non-endemic countries. Heterogeneity among T. cruzi population has been the Achilles' heel to find a better treatment for CD. In this study, we characterized the biochemical parameters and mitochondrial bioenergetics of epimastigotes differentiated from eightT. cruzi isolates (I1-I8) obtained from Brazilian CD patients. Molecular analysis of parasites DTUs grouped all of them as TcII. The profile of the growth curves in axenic cultures was distinct among them, except for I1 and I3 and I2 and I4. Doubling times, growth rates, cell body length, and resistance to benznidazole were also significantly different among them. All the isolates were more glucose-dependent than other T. cruzi strains adapted to grow in axenic culture. Mitochondrial bioenergetics analysis showed that each isolate behaved differently regarding oxygen consumption rates in non-permeabilized and in digitonin-permeabilized cells in the presence of a complex II-linked substrate. When complex IV-linked respiratory chain substrate was used to provide electrons to the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC), similarity among the isolates was higher. Our findings show that TcII epimastigotes derived from patients' trypomastigotes displayed their own characteristicsin vitro, highlighting the intra-TcII diversity, especially regarding the functionality of mitochondrial respiratory complexes II and IV. Understanding T. cruzi intraspecific biological features help us to move a step further on our comprehension regarding parasite's survival and adaptability offering clues to improve the development of new therapies for CD.

The effect of adding an active layer to the structure of a-Si: H solar cells on the efficiency using RF-PECVD

In this study, we report for the first time that the addition of an intrinsic layer to the a-Si: H p–i–n solar cell structure greatly enhances the conversion efficiency. The a-Si: H p–i–n solar cells were grown using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) techniques on the Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) substrate and added an intrinsic layer with the p–i1–i2–n structure to prevent sunlight energy from being absorbed the first intrinsic layer can be absorbed by the second intrinsic layer. The a-Si: H p–i–n and p–i1–i2–n solar cells were characterized, including optical properties, electrical properties, surface morphology, thickness, and band gap using Ellipsometric Spectroscopy (ES). Furthermore, from the optical constant and thin film thickness, the reflectance and transmittance of each sample were obtained. The p–i–n and p–i1–i2–n samples show good transparency in the infrared region, and this transparency decreases in the visible light region and shows an interference pattern with a sharp decrease in the transmission at the absorption edge and the performance of solar cells (curve I–V) measured by the use of sun simulator and sunshine. Our results indicate that there is a very good improvement in the efficiency of solar cells a-Si: H p–i1–i2–n amounting to 8.86% from the original p–i–n structure of 5.61%.

Involvement of agmatine in antidepressant-like effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in mice

3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-co-enzyme–A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are popularly used for the treatment of obesity and hypercholesterolemia with established safety profile. Statins exhibits a wide range of neurobehavioral effects in addition to their peripheral actions, and may be beneficial in treatment of psychiatric conditions. Present study investigated the role of agmatine and imidazoline receptors in antidepressant-like effect of statins in mouse forced swimming test (FST). The antidepressant-like effect of atorvastatin (5 mg/kg, p.o.) and simvastatin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) was potentiated by pretreatment with agmatine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) as well as the drugs known to increase endogenous agmatine levels in brain viz., L-arginine (40 μg/mouse, i.c.v.), an agmatine biosynthetic precursor; arcaine (50 μg/mouse, i.c.v), agmatinase inhibitor; and aminoguanidine (6.5 μg/mouse, i.c.v.), a diamine oxidase inhibitor. Further, both the statins increased agmatine levels within hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Conversely, prior administration of I1 receptor antagonist, efaroxan (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and I2 receptor antagonist, idazoxan (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.) blocked the antidepressant-like effect of statins and their synergistic combination with agmatine. These results demonstrate the involvement of agmatine and imidazoline receptors in antidepressant-like effect of statins and suggest as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of depressive disorders.

Maximal Ideal Graph of Commutative Rings

In this paper, we introduce and study the notion of the maximal ideal graph of a commutative ring with identity. Let R be a commutative ring with identity. The maximal ideal graph of R, denoted by MG(R), is the undirected graph with vertex set, the set of non-trivial ideals of R, where two vertices I1 and I2 are adjacent if I1 I2 and I1+I2 is a maximal ideal of R. We explore some of the properties and characterizations of the graph.

A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of multiple tumor markers using an electrical signal difference strategy

Traditional sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensors can only detect single tumor markers because signal interference occurs when detecting multiple tumor markers. In this work, an electrical signal difference strategy was proposed for the accurate detection of multiple tumor markers. We labeled PdAgCeO2 mesoporous nanospheres with a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) secondary antibody and MnO2 nanosheets labeled with an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) secondary antibody. The two electrical signal tags were mixed and incubated on a prepared immunosensor to catalyze H2O2 and generate an electrical signal I1 (i-t ampere curve). When 2.5 mM ascorbic acid solution (AA) was added to 20 mL of PBS solution at pH = 6.5 for 180 s, an electrical signal I2 was generated. I2 was the current response of the CEA antigen concentration, and the electrical signal difference ΔI = I1–I2 was the current response of the AFP antigen. Thus, the immunosensor accurately detected the AFP and CEA tumor markers. This method was called the electrical signal difference strategy. The proposed single-use immunosensor detected CEA antigens in a range of 0.001 ng/mL-40 ng/mL, and the detection limit was 0.5 pg/mL; the detection range of the AFP antigen was 0.005 ng/mL-100 ng/mL, and the detection limit was 1 pg/mL. Therefore, this study provides new ideas and strategies for accurate clinical detection of multiple tumor markers.

Agmatine reverses ethanol consumption in rats: Evidences for an interaction with imidazoline receptors

Alcohol is one of the most widely abused recreational drugs, largely linked with serious health and social concerns. However, the treatment options for alcohol-use disorders have limited efficacy and exhibit a range of adverse drug reactions. Large numbers of preclinical studies have projected a biogenic amine, agmatine as a promising potential treatment option for drug addiction, including alcoholism. In the present study, administration of agmatine (20–40 mg/kg, i.p.) resulted in significant inhibition of ethanol self-administration in the right p-VTA in operant conditioning paradigm. Further, acute intracranial administration of agmatine (20 and 40 μg/rat) significantly reduced the ethanol consumption in the two bottle choice paradigm. Agmatine is degraded to putrescine and guanido-butanoic acid by the enzyme agmatinase and diamine oxidase respectively and inhibition of these enzymes results in augmentation of endogenous agmatine. In the present study, diamine oxidase inhibitor, aminoguanidine and agmatinase inhibitor, arcaine were used to block the agmatine metabolic pathways to increase brain agmatine levels. Drugs that augment endogenous agmatine levels like L-arginine (80 μg/rat, i.c.v.) or arcaine (50 μg/rat, i.c.v.) and aminoguanidine (25 μg/rat, i.c.v.) also reduced the ethanol consumption following their central administration. The pharmacological effect of agmatine on ethanol consumption was potentiated by imidazoline receptor agonists, I1 agonist moxonidine (25 μg/rat, i.c.v.), and imidazoline I2 agonist, 2-BFI (10 μg/rat, i.c.v.) and was blocked by imidazoline I1 antagonist, efaroxan (10 μg/rat, i.c.v.), and I2 antagonist, idazoxan (4 μg/rat, i.c.v.) at their ineffective doses per se. Thus, our result suggests the involvement of imidazoline I1 and I2 receptors in agmatine induced inhibition of ethanol consumption in rats.

Contributors

Journal Article Contributors Get access Diplomatic History, Volume 43, Issue 4, September 2019, Pages i1–i2, https://doi.org/10.1093/dh/dhz037 Published: 16 August 2019

Agmatine Inhibits Behavioral Sensitization to Ethanol Through Imidazoline Receptors.

Locomotor sensitization to repeated ethanol (EtOH) administration is proposed to play a role in early and recurring steps of addiction. The present study was designed to examine the effect of agmatine on EtOH-induced locomotor sensitization in mice. Mice received daily single intraperitoneal injection of EtOH (2.5g/kg, 20 v/v) for 7 consecutive days. Following a 3-day EtOH-free phase, the mice were challenged with EtOH on day 11 with a single injection of EtOH. Agmatine (10 to 40μg/mouse), endogenous agmatine enhancers (l-arginine [80μg/mouse], arcaine [50μg/mouse], aminoguanidine [25μg/mouse]), and imidazoline receptor agonist/antagonists were injected (intracerebroventricular [i.c.v.]) either daily before the injection of EtOH during the 7-day development phase or on days 8, 9, and 10 (EtOH-free phase). The horizontal locomotor activity was determined on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11. Agmatine (20 to 40μg/mouse) administration for 7days (development phase) significantly attenuated the locomotor sensitization response of EtOH challenge on day 11. Further, the agmatine administered only during EtOH-free period (days 8, 9, and 10) also inhibited the enhanced locomotor activity on the 11th day to EtOH challenge as compared to control mice indicating blockade of expression of sensitization. Daily treatment (i.c.v.) with endogenous agmatine enhancers like l-arginine (80μg/mouse) or arcaine (50μg/mouse) and aminoguanidine (25μg/mouse) restrained the development as well as expression of sensitization to EtOH. Imidazoline I1 receptor agonist, moxonidine, and I2 agonist, 2-BFI, not only decreased the development and expression of locomotor sensitization but also potentiated the effect of agmatine when employed in combination. Importantly, I1 receptor antagonist, efaroxan, and I2 antagonist, idazoxan, blocked the effect of agmatine, revealing the involvement of imidazoline receptors in agmatine-mediated inhibition of EtOH sensitization. Inhibition of EtOH sensitization by agmatine is mediated through imidazoline receptors and project agmatine and imidazoline agents in the pharmacotherapy of alcohol addiction.

Permanent tooth emergence patterns in Dakshina Kannada region, India: an analysis of polymorphisms

BackgroundThe emergence of permanent teeth in humans starts with the eruption of the permanent mandibular first molar at approximately 6 years of age with the rest of the dentition following a fairly predictable sequence of eruption. The estimation of the age of a child between the ages of 5 and 14 years has so far been facilitated by the adoption of published data/databases that have not always relied on the variations in the sequence of eruption between various populations and ethnicities. The review of literature showed that there are 9 different types of polymorphisms relating to the eruption of teeth.Aim and objectivesThe aim of the present study was to estimate the sequence of tooth eruption in children of the Dakshina Kannada region of Southern India and establish/determine the polymorphism in the eruption sequence.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 2536 school children of the ages 4–16 years were examined for the presence of the permanent teeth. This data was tabulated with their corresponding age and gender. The sequence of eruption was then derived using Probit regression model.ResultsThe eruption sequence derived for the maxilla was M1 I1 I2 P1 C P2 M2 and M1 I1 I2 C P1 P2 M2 for the mandible. The maxillary dentition was acquired faster in the females. The mandible showed more number of polymorphisms with I1 M1 type being the most common type of polymorphism. In maxilla P2 C, eruption sequence was interchanged in majority of the studies.ConclusionThe sequence of emergence of teeth is a population-based variable that shows polymorphism and can be used as an indicator of attainment of a certain age.

Separation of two microbial transglutaminase isomers from Streptomyces mobaraensis using pH-mediated cation exchange chromatography and their characterization

Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) derived from Streptomyces mobaraensis has been widely used in the food, biotechnology and medicine fields. The lot-to-lot consistency and product stability of MTGase must be ensured. The structure and charge variants of MTGase can influence its bioactivity. In this study, MTGase isomers (MTG I1 and MTG I2) were found during the separation of MTGase by pH-mediated cation-exchange chromatography. MTG I1 and MTG I2 had the same molecular weight and N-terminal amino acid sequences, but they showed charge heterogeneity. The affinity of MTG I2 for substrates was higher than that of MTG I1, and the thermal stability and the acid-base tolerance of MTG I1 were significantly higher than that of MTG I2. Therefore, the ratio of MTG I1/MTG I2 was positively correlated with the stability of MTGase. The buffer pH and the ionic strength of the eluent had significant effects on the separation of MTG I1 and MTG I2, and the elution gradient steepness and column load showed little effect on the separation of the MTG I1 and MTG I2 peaks. We built a stable and repeatable separation method for MTG I1 and MTG I2. MTG I1 could transform into MTG I2, but MTG I2 was unable to transform into MTG I1, making the transformation of MTG I1 to MTG I2 was irreversible. When MTG I2 was removed from the MTGase, a portion of the MTG I1 could transform into MTG I2. Therefore, one way to increase the stability of MTGase was to reduce the transformation of MTG I1 to MTG I2.

Depletion-driven four-phase coexistences in discotic systems

ABSTRACTFree volume theory (FVT) is a versatile and tractable framework to predict the phase behaviour of mixtures of platelets and non-adsorbing polymer chains in a common solvent. Within FVT, three principal reference phases for the hard platelets are considered: isotropic (I), nematic (N) and columnar (C). We derive analytical expressions that enable us to systematically trace the different types of phase coexistences revealed upon adding depletants and confirm the predictive power of FVT by testing the calculated diagrams against phase stability scenarios from computer simulation. A wide range of multi-phase equilibria is revealed, involving two-phase isostructural transitions of all phase symmetries (INC) considered as well as the possible three-phase coexistences. Moreover, we identify the system parameters, relative disk shapes and colloid–polymer size ratios, at which four-phase equilibria are expected. These involve a remarkable coexistence of all three-phase states commonly encountered in discotics including isostructural coexistences I1–I2–N–C, I–N1–N2–C and I–N–C1–C2.

Contributors

Journal Article Contributors Get access Diplomatic History, Volume 42, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages i1–i2, https://doi.org/10.1093/dh/dhx102 Published: 07 February 2018

How We Speak When We Say Things about Ourselves in Social Media: A Semiotic Analysis of Content Curation

How We Speak When We Say Things about Ourselves in Social Media: A Semiotic Analysis of Content Curation

Journal of Islamic Studies Volume 26 Number 2 May 2015

Journal Article Journal of Islamic Studies Volume 26 Number 2 May 2015 Get access Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 26, Issue 2, May 2015, Pages i1–i2, https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etu098 Published: 13 May 2015

Design and Construction of Optimized Electrochemical Cell and Data Analysis System for Etching of Ion Tracks and Electro Deposition of Nano and Micro Wires in Porous Ion Tracks Foils

In this work, an optimized computer controlled electrochemical cell were designed and constructed. This Electrolytic cell was used for etching latent ion tracks and electrochemical deposition of wires in pores of etched-ion tracks foils. The applied voltage and current through the electrochemical cell during the etching and electrodeposition were measured and monitored in real time by a Data Analysis system. Monitoring the current time curve during the filling of pores and growth of micro and nano wires allows one to stop the deposition process after a given time to obtain nano- and micro wire of a predefined length. In this work, Design and manufacture of a sealed electrochemical cell was done in a manner that one can change distance between electrodes and geometry of cathodes. Data analysis system was used to measuring and monitoring of applied voltage and current through the cell consists of three parts: Amplifier, Data acquisition (DAQ) system and Software. A current amplifier that used in data analysis system is a log ratio amplifier. A log ratio amplifier provides an output voltage proportional to the log base 10 of the ratio input current I1 (current during the electrodeposition of wire in cell) and Input current I2(flexible current of precision current source). A DAQ reading output voltage of amplifier and send to Computer. With lab view software analyzed the voltage and converted to the current corresponding to the electrodeposition of wires. Current amplifier designed and built in this work is a noise suppression that can measure small current through the cell with high accuracy. Advantage of proposed log ratio amplifier is one can used this amplifier for measuring and monitoring of current during the filling of pores and growth of wires in the etched ion track foils with various track density.

Journal of Islamic Studies Volume 26 Number 1 January 2015

Journal Article Journal of Islamic Studies Volume 26 Number 1 January 2015 Get access Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages i1–i2, https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etu076 Published: 03 December 2014

Effect of irrigation and mulching on growth and yield attributes of potato

The present field experiment was conducted on sandy loam soils during Nov, 2008 to March, 2009 to find the effect of six levels of irrigation I1 (20mm cpe) I2 (25mm cpe), I3 (30mm cpe), I4 (35mm cpe), I5 (40mm cpe), I6 (Critical stages i.e. stolon formation, tuber initiation and tuber development) under mulch and non mulch condition. The results indicated that irrigation applied at critical stages significantly recorded highest tuber yield (18.03t/ha). However irrigation applied at 25 mm CPE recorded significantly the highest yield of both B grade (25-50g) and C grade (50-75g) tubers. Both B and C grades has higher market price and mostly preferred by people than A grade and D grade size tubers. Likewise, application of mulch significantly 24.04% higher yield over non mulch condition. Besides this, mulching also significantly increased the yield of B grade and C grade tubers along with tuber numbers as compared to non mulch condition. But there was no significant increase in yield in both A grade and D grade tubers was observed due to application of irrigation and mulch.

Botulinum neurotoxin: unique folding of enzyme domain of the most-poisonous poison

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the most toxic substance known to mankind, is the first example of the fully active molten globule state. To understand its folding mechanism, we performed urea denaturation experiments and theoretical modeling using BoNT serotype A (BoNT/A). We found that the extent of BoNT/A denaturation from the native state (N) shows a nonmonotonic dependence on urea concentration indicating a unique multistep denaturation process, N → I1 I2 U, with two intermediate states I1 and I2. BoNT/A loses almost all its secondary structure in 3.75 M urea (I1), yet it displays a native-like secondary structure in 5 M urea (I2). This agrees with the results of theoretical modeling, which helped to determine the molecular basis of unique behavior of BoNT/A in solution. Except for I2, all the states revert back to full enzymatic activity for SNAP-25 including the unfolded state U stable in 7 M urea. Our results stress the importance of structural flexibility in the toxin’s mechanism of survival and action, an unmatched evolutionary trait from billion-year-old bacteria, which also correlates with the long-lasting enzymatic activity of BoNT inside neuronal cells. BoNT/A provides a rich model to explore protein folding in relation to functional activity.