Tetrahydroquinoline/4,5-Dihydroisoxazole Molecular Hybrids as Inhibitors of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/ABCG2)

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the major factors in the failure of many chemotherapy approaches. In cancer cells, MDR is mainly associated with the expression of ABC transporters such as P-glycoprotein, MRP1 and ABCG2. Despite major efforts to develop new selective and potent inhibitors of ABC drug transporters, no ABCG2-specific inhibitors for clinical use are yet available. Here, we report the evaluation of sixteen tetrahydroquinoline/4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives as a new class of ABCG2 inhibitors. The affinity of the five best inhibitors was further investigated by the vanadate-sensitive ATPase assay. Molecular modelling data, proposing a potential binding mode, suggest that they can inhibit the ABCG2 activity by binding on site S1, previously reported as inhibitors binding region, as well targeting site S2, a selective region for substrates, and by specifically interacting with residues Asn436, Gln398, and Leu555. Altogether, this study provided new insights into THQ/4,5-dihydroisoxazole molecular hybrids, generating great potential for the development of novel most potent ABCG2 inhibitors.     

Influence of van der waals heterostructures of 2D materials on catalytic performance of ZnO and its applications in energy: A review

Recently, photocatalysis has received huge attention in order to overcome energy crisis worldwide. Many semiconductors, potential schemes and hierarchies have come to light during past few decades to fabricate efficient catalysts however, among all these methods heterostructures have taken the world by surprise. With the advancement in post-graphene 2D materials, van der Waals heterostructures have come to light exploring enhancement in photocatalysis. During a very short period a number of ZnO-based van der Waal heterostructures have taken the limelight in the field of photocatalysis. First principles calculations and DFT approach towards the heterostructures of GeC, GaN, WSe₂, WS₂ and other layered 2D materials unleased a series of properties and facts for the provision of enhanced catalysis. Reduction in bandgap of ZnO has also been observed which widens the pathways towards visible light irradiation. However, energy applications of zinc oxide are also fascinating feature as it can serve as a photoanode to replace TiO₂. Whereas the famous hydrogen production, batteries and solar cells have also been fabricated by the use of this semiconductor.     

A systematic literature review on the detection of smells and their evolution in object-oriented and service-oriented systems

This systematic literature review paper investigates the key techniques employed to identify smells in different paradigms of software engineering from object-oriented (OO) to service-oriented (SO). In this review, we want to identify commonalities and differences in the identification of smells in OO and SO systems. Our research method relies on an automatic search from the relevant digital libraries to find the studies published since January 2000 on smells until December 2017. We have conducted a pilot and author-based search that allows us to select the 78 most relevant studies after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. We evaluated the studies based on the smell detection techniques and the evolution of different methodologies in OO and SO. Among the 78 relevant studies selected, we have identified six different studies in which linguistic source code analysis received less attention from the researchers as compared to the static source code analysis. Smells like the yo-yo problem, unnamed coupling, intensive coupling, and interface bloat received considerably less attention in the literature. We also identified a catalog of 30 smells infrequently reported for SO systems and that require further attention. Moreover, a suite of 20 smells reported for SO systems can also be detected using static source code metrics in OO. Finally, our review highlighted three major research trends that are further subdivided into 20 research patterns initiating the detection of smells toward their correction.     

Effect of the spray drying conditions on the physicochemical and structural characteristics and the stability of chia oil microparticles

Chia oil has a high content of linolenic and linoleic acids, which are essential for the human body. However, their high degree of unsaturation (double bonds) makes the oil very susceptible to oxidation. In this context, the use of spray drying can be useful strategy to minimize the oxidation of this oil. Thus, the aim was to assess the effects of inlet temperature and feed rate conditions involved in the spray drying process on the physicochemical and morphological characteristics, and stability of the chia oil microparticles with maltodextrin and GA. The microparticles were obtained with a yield of 50%, encapsulation efficiency greater than 87%, low-moisture content, and mean particle sizes ranging from 3.01 to 4.11 μm. The thermal evaluation and storage evidenced an increase in stability. The ¹H HR-MAS NMR technique showed that the microparticles maintained the characteristic fatty acid profile of chia oil and seeds. Results indicate that the microencapsulation methodology was suitable for preparing microparticles containing chia oil.     

Effect of peeling and unpeeling on yield,chemical structure,morphology and pasting properties of starch extracted from three diverse potato cultivars of Pakistan

The current study investigates the comparison and quality characteristics of starches isolated from potatoes using different processing methods from three commercial varieties: Lady Rosetta, Asterix and Challenger, for the first time in Pakistan. The analysis of variance revealed that starch yield significantly (P < 0.05) depended on total solids, peeling (12.7%, 12.0% and 12.0%) and unpeeling (15.0%, 14.0% and 14.0%) of potatoes compared to potato varieties for Lady Rosetta, Challenger and Asterix, respectively. Moreover, pasting properties, protein content, redness and yellowness were increased in those starches isolated without peeling while carbohydrates and lightness were increased in peeled potato starches. Furthermore, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that protein (1200–1400 cm⁻¹) was present in starch extracted without peeling. Besides, scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed oval-shaped starch granules with no impurities in peeled potato starch. The findings suggest the suitability of peeling process for obtaining a high-quality pure starch.     

Novel Approach for Management of Automated IPv6 Network Simulation

Wireless Personal Communications - The complexity of network technologies and the variety of their equipment and settings make them difficult to evaluate, to simulate, and to deploy. IPv4 to IPv6...     

Prediction of industrial debutanizer column compositions using data-driven ANFIS- and ANN-based approaches

Neural Computing and Applications - The work in this paper is based on an industrial debutanizer column in a petroleum refinery located in Malaysia, which produces LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as...     

A contribution to improvement of the nuclear data concerning alpha decay of U

Compared to other alpha-particle emitting nuclides, for those with long half-lives (T_1/2>10⁶ years), there is generally some inconsistency and inaccuracy in the associated nuclear data. However, these radionuclides play a major role in modern society and, for a number of reasons, are the subject of widespread interest. The study of their alpha decay, which is more difficult than in the case of the other nuclides, enables knowledge of their nuclear data to be increased. In the present paper, we accordingly consider one of the most well known ones: ²³⁵U. Using a quasi mono-isotopic deposit of ²³⁵U obtained by electromagnetic separation, we have studied the alpha-particle decay of ²³⁵U using a high-energy resolution spectrometer developed in our laboratory. The stability of the spectrometer made it possible to perform long measurements which is crucial in the case of ²³⁵U. The Colégram program, with a new fit criterion to better take into account peaks of low statistical significance, was used to extract the data (alpha-particle emission probabilities and energies). Monte-Carlo simulations carried out in the context of this work were also used to corroborate the data obtained. Finally, thirteen alpha-particle emissions from ²³⁵U were measured, from which only ten were previously observed and measured. This work has substantially reduced the uncertainty concerning alpha-particle emission probability and energy values and has resolved some of the ambiguities concerning the ²³⁵U disintegration scheme to ²³¹Th.     

The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in affluent and poor urban communities of Pakistan

Using previously applied methods a survey of joint symptoms was undertaken among 4232 adults, evenly distributed between affluent and poor areas of Karachi, Pakistan. Only six cases of definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (1958 ARA criteria) were identified in the 245 persons who complained of joint problems of at least 4 weeks duration. The prevalence was 0.9 [confidence interval (CI) 0.21-3.61] and 1.98 (CI 0.55-5.1) per thousand in the poor and affluent districts, respectively. These were substantially less than prevalence rates reported in the West but were similar to figures derived from other developing countries. There was no obvious impact of current living standards on the findings. The relative paucity of older female subjects in both the affluent and poor communities may account at least in part for the low rates observed. The infrequency of rheumatoid nodules in Southern Asians with RA illustrates the difficulty of applying existing diagnostic criteria to this community.