Hit to Leads with Cytotoxic Effect in Leukemic Cells: Total Synthesis Intermediates as a Molecule Treasure Chest

A previously designed and developed 12-step total synthesis that includes [1,1′-biphenyl]-2-amine and carbazole intermediates and that ultimately produces the carbazole alkaloid carbazomycin G was exploited as a screening compound library with the goal of identifying potential lead compound(s) with cytotoxic effect. These compounds were investigated by using in-vitro tests involving the two human cell lines HL-60 and MOLM-13, which both model acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The in-vitro biological test results were used together with the molecular structures of the various intermediates in a concise SAR analysis. Several of the intermediates revealed cytotoxicity (IC₅₀<10⁻⁴ M), although the final natural product carbazomycin G did not reveal cytotoxicity versus the two said human cell lines.     

A parallel elliptic curve crypto-processor architecture with reduced clock cycle for FPGA platforms

The Journal of Supercomputing - The Elliptic curve cryptosystem is a public-key cryptosystem that receives more focus in recent years due to its higher security with smaller key size when compared...     

Effective solution for unhandled exception in decision tree induction algorithms

This paper deals with some improvements to rule induction algorithms in order to resolve the tie that appear in special cases during the rule generation procedure for specific training data sets. These improvements are demonstrated by experimental results on various data sets. The tie occurs in decision tree induction algorithm when the class prediction at a leaf node cannot be determined by majority voting. When there is a conflict in the leaf node, we need to find the source and the solution to the problem. In this paper, we propose to calculate the Influence factor for each attribute and an update procedure to the decision tree has been suggested to deal with the problem and provide subsequent rectification steps.     

Preparation,Characterization, and Dielectric Properties of PP/CaTiO3 Composites for Microwave Substrate Applications

Calcium titanate (CaTiO₃) filled polypropylene (PP) composites have been fabricated through compression molding method. The phase purity of the PP/CaTiO₃ composites was studied using X‐ray diffraction studies. Scanning electron microscopy technique has been employed to study the dispersion of the particulate filler in the PP matrix. The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the composites were measured at X‐band frequency region using waveguide cavity perturbation technique. PP/CaTiO₃ composite has an effective dielectric constant of 11.74 and loss tangent 0.007 at optimum filler loading. The experimental dielectric constant of filled composites was compared with theoretically predicted dielectric constant values obtained using different modeling approaches. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion of PP/CaTiO₃ composites was studied using thermomechanical analyzer.     

Human activity recognition using multidimensional indexing

In this paper, we develop a novel method for view-based recognition of human action/activity from videos. By observing just a few frames, we can identify the activity that takes place in a video sequence. The basic idea of our method is that activities can be positively identified from a sparsely sampled sequence of a few body poses acquired from videos. In our approach, an activity is represented by a set of pose and velocity vectors for the major body parts (hands, legs, and torso) and stored in a set of multidimensional hash tables. We develop a theoretical foundation that shows that robust recognition of a sequence of body pose vectors can be achieved by a method of indexing and sequencing and it requires only a few pose vectors (i.e., sampled body poses in video frames). We find that the probability of false alarm drops exponentially with the increased number of sampled body poses. So, matching only a few body poses guarantees high probability for correct recognition. Our approach is parallel, i.e., all possible model activities are examined at one indexing operation. In addition, our method is robust to partial occlusion since each body part is indexed separately. We use a sequence-based voting approach to recognize the activity invariant to the activity speed.     

Temperature-dependent optical constants of water ice in the near infrared: new results and critical review of the available measurements

The optical constants of water ice have been determined in the near infrared from 4000 to 7000 cm(-1). Polycrystalline ice films with thickness as great as ~1164 mum were formed by condensation of water vapor on a cold silicon substrate at temperatures of 166, 176, 186, and 196 K. The transmission of light through the ice films was measured during their growth from 0 to 1164 mum over the frequency range of approximately 500-7000 cm(-1). The optical constants were extracted by means of simultaneously fitting the calculated transmission spectra of films of varying thickness to their respective measured transmission spectra with an iterative Kramers-Kronig technique. Equations are presented to account for reflection losses at the interfaces when the sample is held in a cell. These equations are used to reanalyze the transmission spectrum of water ice (358-mum sample at 247 K) recorded by Ockman in 1957 [Philos. Mag. Suppl. 7, 199 (1958)]. Our imaginary indices for water ice are compared with those of Gosse et al. [Appl. Opt. 34, 6582 (1995)], Kou et al. [Appl. Opt. 32, 3531 (1993)], Grundy and Schmitt [J. Geophys. Res. 103, 25809 (1998)], and Warren [Appl. Opt. 23, 1206 (1984)], and with the new indices from Ockman's spectrum. The temperature dependence in the imaginary index of refraction observed by us between 166 and 196 K and that between our data at 196 K and the data of Gosse et al. at 250 K are compared with that predicted by the model of Grundy and Schmitt. On the basis of this comparison a linear interpolation of the imaginary indices of refraction between 196 and 250 K is proposed. We believe that the accuracy of this interpolation is better than 20%.     

Antiaflatoxigenic and antioxidant activity of an essential oil from Ageratum conyzoides L.

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxin contamination of various commodities can occur as a result of infection, mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Every year, almost 25% of the world's food supply is contaminated by mycotoxins. Aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂, which occur naturally, are significant contaminants of a wide variety of commodities. A number of biological activities have been associated with Ageratum conyzoides. We have therefore investigated the antiaflatoxigenic, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of A. conyzoides. This could help to turn A. conyzoides, a nuisance weed, into a resource. RESULTS: The essential oil of Ageratum conyzoides L. shows the presence of 12 compounds when analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The growth and aflatoxin production of the toxigenic strain Aspergillus parasiticus was completely inhibited by essential oil. All the studied concentrations of the oil demonstrate a reduction in mycelia growth and decreased production of different aflatoxins in fungi, as revealed by liquid chomatographic–tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Volatiles from macerated green leaf tissue of A. conyzoides were also effective against A. parasiticus. The strongest antibacterial activity was observed against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis in a disk diffusion bioassay. Essential oil and methanol extract of A. conyzoides L. were assayed for their antioxidant activity. Methanol extract showed the highest antioxidant activity in FRAP and DPPH assay, whereas essential oil showed greater lipid peroxidation inhibition than methanol extract. CONCLUSION: The plant's ethno‐medicinal importance, antioxidant potential, inhibitory activity against the Aspergillus group of fungi and production of aflatoxins may add a new dimension to its usefulness in the protection of stored product. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Collaborative remembering in older adults: Age-invariant outcomes in the context of episodic recall deficits.

Rapidly growing research reveals complex yet systematic consequences of collaboration on memory in young adults, but much less is known about this phenomenon in older adults. Young and older adults studied a list of categorized words and took three successive recall tests. Test 1 and 3 were always taken individually, and Test 2 was done either in triads or alone. Despite older adults recalling less overall than young adults, both age groups exhibited similar costs and benefits of collaboration: Collaboration reduced both correct and false recall during collaborative remembering, was associated with more positive beliefs about its value, and produced reminiscence, collective memory, and some forgetting in its cascading effects on postcollaborative recall. We examine the role of retrieval organization in these effects. As environmental support may play a substantial role in healthy aging, the relatively preserved effects of collaboration on memory in older adults hold promise for testing judicious uses of group remembering in aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decreasing the Linoleic Acid to α-Linolenic Acid Diet Ratio Increases Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Erythrocytes in Adults

The n-6/n-3 fatty acid (FA) ratio has increased in the Western-style diet to ~10–15:1 during the last century, which may have contributed to the rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Prior studies have evaluated the effects on CVD risk factors of manipulating the levels of n-6 and n-3 FA using food and supplements or investigated the metabolic fate of linoleic acid (LNA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) by varying the n-6/n-3 ratios. However, no previous studies have investigated the potential interaction between diet ratios and supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). We used a factorial design approach with adults (n = 24) in a controlled feeding trial to compare the accretion of EPA and DHA into red blood cell membranes (RBC) by adding a direct source (algal oil supplement) of EPA and DHA in a diet with a 10:1 versus 2:1 ratio of n-6/n-3 FA. Subjects were randomized into 8-week crossover diet sequences and each subject consumed three of four diets [10:1, 10:1 plus supplement (10:1 + S), 2:1 and 2:1 + S]. LNA and ALA intakes were 9.4 and 7.7%, and 1.0 and 3.0% during the low and high ALA diets, respectively. Compared to the Western-style 10:1 diet, the 2:1 diet increased EPA by 60% (P < 0.0001) in RBC membranes without the direct EPA source and a 34% increase (P = 0.027) was observed with the 10:1 + S diet; however, DHA levels increased in both diet ratios only with a direct DHA source. Shifting towards a 2:1 diet is a valid alternative to taking EPA-containing supplements.     

Study of the feasibility of involving male student volunteers in case holding in an urban tuberculosis programme

AIMS: To investigate the effect of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, benazepril, on pulmonary function. METHODS: We investigated the influence of benazepril, on lung function and the interaction with inhaled salbutamol (0.1 to 6.6 mg) and histamine (0.03 to 30.69 g l-1) in normal subjects. Benazepril 20 mg, salbutamol 8 mg, propranolol 160 mg, and placebo were given orally once daily over 10 days. RESULTS: On day 8, there was no difference in the area under the salbutamol dose-response curves between benazepril, placebo and oral salbutamol (P > 0.05), propranolol shifted the curves to the right (P < 0.05). On day 10, histamine challenge resulted in following PD35sGaw values (geometric mean and 95% CI): with placebo 1.02 (0.95-1.09) g l-1, benazepril 1.04 (0.99-1.08), salbutamol 1.19 (1.13-1.25), propranolol 0.57 (0.50-0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Benazepril had no influence on baseline lung function, caused no interaction with inhaled salbutamol and the bronchial response to histamine was similar to placebo. However, our findings in normal subjects cannot be extrapolated automatically to asthmatics.