Improvement and induction property of radiation-responsive promoter through DNA shuffling of 5′-flanking regions of the human p21 gene

A promoter that augments gene expression in response to stimulation of ionizing radiation would be a desired tool for radiogenetic therapy, a combination of radiotherapy and gene therapy. Although various promoters occurring naturally or artificially have been used for researches, one showing higher reactivity to ionizing radiation is desirable. In the present study, we attempted to improve a radiation-responsive promoter of the p21 through a technique called DNA shuffling. A library of DNA fragments was constructed by re-ligation of randomly digested promoter fragments and improved promoters were chosen out of the library. We repeated this process twice to obtain a promoter showing 2.6-fold better reactivity to ionizing radiation compared with its parent, p21 promoter after 10 Gy γ-ray irradiation. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed that the obtained promoter was densely packed with some of the cis-acting elements including binding sites for p53, NF-κB, NRF-2, AP-1 and NF-Y more than p21 promoter. In addition, it was shown that its induction by ionizing radiation was dependent upon p53 status of a cell line, suggesting that the promoter retained properties of the p21 promoter. This technique is simple and efficient to improve a promoter responsive to other stimulus of interest besides IR.     

Pressure regulation inside a hypersonic wind tunnel using H-infinity optimization control

Hypersonic wind tunnel is a ground-based facility used to study the aerodynamic properties of space vehicles during re-entry. This paper aims at designing an H-infinity controller with krill herd optimization algorithm to regulate pressure inside the settling chamber of a hypersonic wind tunnel. The krill herd algorithm is a novel stochastic algorithm for improving the performance characteristics by optimizing the H-infinity controller parameters. The proposed algorithm minimizes the H-infinity norms by tuning the controller weighing function parameters. The dynamic characteristics of the settling chamber pressure with H-infinity and H-infinity control based on krill herd algorithm is studied by numerical simulations. The proposed algorithm is highly efficient and robust in controlling the settling chamber pressure in terms of performance parameters.     

Graft copolymerization with a new class of acidic peroxo salts as initiator. V. Grafting of methyl methacrylate onto jute fiber using potassium monopersulfate catalyzed by Fe(II)

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto jute fibers was studied in an aqueous solution using a new class of acidic peroxo salt, potassium monopersulfate, as initiator, under the catalytic influence of Fe(II) under nitrogen atmosphere. The grafting reaction was influenced by the reaction time, temperature, and concentrations of monomer, initiator, and jute fibers. The grafting reactions have also been studied in the presence of various salts and solvents. The maximum grafting percent (385.4%) has been observed at 35°C for the concentration of monomer (1.4082M), initiator (12.9 × 10^?3M), catalyst (2.5 × 10^?4M), and solvent (acetic acid) composition of (40:60) for a reaction time of 6 h. From the experimental results a suitable mechanism for the graft initiation and termination has been put forth. The graft copolymers have been characterized, and their improved properties such as tensil strength tested.     

Condition Assessment of Buried Pipes Using Hierarchical Evidential Reasoning Model

Effective inspection and monitoring practices for the condition assessment of pipes ensure better decision(s) for repair or replacement before they fail. Pipe deterioration is a physical manifestation of the aging process in which many factors can contribute to structural failure. Various technologies/ techniques have been developed during the last few years to inspect/monitor piping systems, but how to intelligently interpret the collected data remains a challenge. In this paper, a new approach based on hierarchical evidential reasoning is proposed. This approach uses Dempster–Shafer (D-S) theory to make inferences for condition assessment of buried pipes. A hierarchical evidential reasoning model can help combine different distress indicators (bodies of evidence) at different hierarchical levels using D-S rule of combination. The proposed hierarchical evidential reasoning method is demonstrated with an example of condition assessment for a large diameter pipe. Information from multiple sources is fused to obtain a more reliable assessment of pipe deterioration.     

Miniature rainbow schlieren deflectometry system for quantitative measurements in microjets and flames

Recent interest in small-scale flow devices has created the need for miniature instruments capable of measuring scalar flow properties with high spatial resolution. We present a miniature rainbow schlieren deflectometry system to nonintrusively obtain quantitative species concentration and temperature data across the whole field. The optical layout of the miniature system is similar to that of a macroscale system, although the field of view is smaller by an order of magnitude. Employing achromatic lenses and a CCD array together with a camera lens and extension tubes, we achieved spatial resolution down to 4 mum. Quantitative measurements required a careful evaluation of the optical components. The capability of the system is demonstrated by obtaining concentration measurements in a helium microjet (diameter, d=650 microm) and temperature and concentration measurements in a hydrogen jet diffusion flame from a microinjector (d=50 microm). Further, the flow field of underexpanded nitrogen jets is visualized to reveal details of the shock structures existing downstream of the jet exit.     

Physicochemical characterization of alloy of polyimide with varying degree of crosslinking through diisocyanates

Polyimide alloys are prepared by blending the crosslinked and uncrosslinked polyamic acid components and followed by thermal imidization. The blend components can be synthesized by the reaction of polyamic acid with the varying concentration of crosslinker [here methylene bis (4-phenyl isocyanate or MDI)] from 1.54 × 10^?2 mol/L (i.e. hypothetically calculated critical crosslinker concentration or CCC) to 1.54 × 10^?6 mol/L. This communication discusses the synthesis and characterization of polyimide (PI) blends and alloys prepared by varying degrees of crosslinking introduced via isocyanate-amic acid reaction. The polyimides were prepared by thermally imidizing the polyamic acid blends at different curing temperatures from 50°C to 350°C. The degree of imidization and residual solvent content for blends having varying mole fractions of crosslinked (or branched) and uncrosslinked components and two extreme conditions and at specified temperature-time profiles have been studied. The resultant PI-MDI blends have exhibited synergism on mechanical properties. The improvement in mechanical properties, however, was significantly higher at the lower imidization temperature (i.e. 50°C to 150°C). The feasibility of preparing polyimide alloys with synergistic combinations of crosslinked and uncrosslinked polyimide components was inferred.     

壳牌公司的天然气、炼厂气和液体的处理技术

一般认为,气体及液体处理技术已经很成熟,但多来源且更复杂组成的进料气体及更严格的环保要求和产品规格又不断推动着技术的进步。本文介绍了壳牌所开发使用的处理技术及近两年内的一些最新发展。含硫化氢气体处理技术包括传统的液相吸收、固定床吸收、气相的催化转换反应以及生物处理技术。壳牌公司可根据进料气体的情况和最终产品的要求,对整个工艺整合,并给出最优化的解决方案,以达到更环保,可靠性更高且更节省投资的目的。     

Propagation of waves in transversely isotropic micropolar generalized thermoelastic half space

The propagation of waves in a transversely isotropic micropolar medium possessing thermoelastic properties based on Lord and Shulaman (L–S), Green and Lindsay (G–L) and Coupled thermoelasticity (C-T) theories are discussed. After developing the solution, the phase velocities and attenuation quality factor have been obtained. The expressions for amplitudes of stresses, displacements, microrotation and temperature distribution have been derived and computed numerically. The numerical results have been plotted graphically.