Electrochemical detection and discrimination of single copy gene target DNA in non-amplified genomic DNA

A sensitive, fast and inexpensive method for direct electrochemical detection of target DNA sequences in non-amplified genomic DNA samples is described. Hybridization detection relies on the alteration in guanine oxidation signal following hybridization of the probe with complementary genomic DNA. Initially, the method was tested to detect target DNA on low cycle number PCR amplicons. Having obtained promising detection results from only 5 cycles product, the feasibility of target sequence detection in extracted genomic DNA without PCR amplification, but with the vortex mediated fragmentation of the large genomic DNA into small pieces was examined. Experimental variables affecting the efficiency of sensor were investigated. Detection experiments with various non-complementary genomic DNAs as well as a proper probe, non-specific with respect to all genomic samples confirmed the excellent selectivity of the approach. The sensitivity of the method for analyzing the vortex mediated fragmentized genomic DNA samples is estimated to be approximately of 0.58 ng/μl.     

Flood Frequency Analysis of Interconnected Rivers by Copulas

Flood frequency analysis (FFA) considering the confluence of interconnected rivers is important for hydraulic structures (such as dams or diversions) design, but it has received little attention. This study develops a copula-based method for FFA and quantile estimation considering the confluence of two interconnected rivers, along with the uncertainty estimation by a nonparametric bootstrapping algorithm. Flood probability distribution and return periods are estimated for the two rivers by mapping from bivariate to univariate peak flow quantile estimation. The methodology is applied to the case study of Qezel Ozan and Shahrud Rivers which merge to one of the largest reservoir dams in Iran: Sefidrud (Manjil) dam. According to the results from Peak flow records from Gilvan station (GPF) at Qezel Ozan River and from Loshan station (LCF) at Shahrud River, Gaussian copula with Weibull and gamma margins fits best. Also, it shows that some peak flow quantiles with the same magnitudes have a different probability of occurrences at the confluence of the rivers, and the bivariate estimation uncertainty usually plays an important role in FFA. These findings suggest the use of bivariate instead of univariate distributions to the peak flows at the confluence of interconnected rivers, in which the sampling uncertainty should be considered.

     

Some carbonate rock texture effects on mechanical behavior,based on Koohrang tunnel data,Iran

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The objective of the study described in this paper is to use correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis for investigating the...     

Antimicrobial Ionic Liquid-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications

Excessive and unwarranted administration of antibiotics has invigorated the evolution of multidrug-resistant microbes. There is, therefore, an urgent need for advanced active compounds. Ionic liquids with short-lived ion-pair structures are highly tunable and have diverse applications. Apart from their unique physicochemical features, the newly discovered biological activities of ionic liquids have fascinated biochemists, microbiologists, and medical scientists. In particular, their antimicrobial properties have opened new vistas in overcoming the current challenges associated with combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Discussions regarding ionic liquid derivatives in monomeric and polymeric forms with antimicrobial activities are presented here. The antimicrobial mechanism of ionic liquids and parameters that affect their antimicrobial activities, such as chain length, cation/anion type, cation density, and polymerization, are considered. The potential applications of ionic liquids in the biomedical arena, including regenerative medicine, biosensing, and drug/biomolecule delivery, are presented to stimulate the scientific community to further improve the antimicrobial efficacy of ionic liquids.     

A new solution method for stochastic differential equations via collocation approach

The objective of this paper is to propose a novel solution method for Itô stochastic differential equations (SDEs). It is discussed that how the SDEs could numerically be solved as matrix problems. To improve the accuracy of this technique in contrast to the existing solvers, some non-uniform grids of points for discretizations along the time direction are applied. Finally, the high accuracy of approximated solutions in this way are illustrated by several experiments.     

An entropy-based distance measure for analyzing and detecting metamorphic malware

Metamorphic malware is a kind of malware which evades signature-based anti-viruses by changing its internal structure in each infection. This paper, firstly, introduces a new measure of distance between two computer programs called program dissimilarity measure based on entropy (PDME). Then, it suggests a measure for the degree of metamorphism, based on the suggested distance measure. The distance measure is defined based on the Entropy of the two malware programs. Moreover, the paper shows that the distance measure can be used for classifying metamorphic malware via K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) method. The method is evaluated by four metamorphic malware families. The results demonstrate that the measure can indicate the degree of metamorphism efficiently, and the KNN classification method using PDME can classify the metamorphic malware with a high precision.     

A new analytical study of MHD stagnation-point flow in porous media with heat transfer

The similarity solution for the MHD Hiemenz flow against a flat plate with variable wall temperature in a porous medium gives a system of nonlinear partial differential equations. These equations are solved analytically by using a novel analytical method (DTM-Padé technique which is a combination of the differential transform method and the Padé approximation). This method is applied to give solutions of nonlinear differential equations with boundary conditions at infinity. Graphical results are presented to investigate influence of the Prandtl number, permeability parameter, Hartmann number and suction/blowing parameter on the velocity and temperature profiles.     

Comparison of a low-linolenic and a partially hydrogenated soybean oil using pan-fried hash browns

Hash browns (HB) were fried (Teflon-coated pan, ∼180°C) with low-linolenic acid (LL-SBO) and creamy partially hydrogenated soybean oils (PH-SBO). High-performance size-exclusion chromatography of the oil extracted before heating indicated a relatively low polymer content (LL-SBO, 3.8%; PH-SBO, 1.6%), although the oil remaining in the pan after frying had a much greater polymer content (38.8%, LL-SBO; 17.5%, PH-SBO). The percentage of altered TAG in the LL-SBO sample (extracted from HB) was 34.4% after frying, whereas the PH-SBO had 33.2% altered TAG (as determined by supercritical fluid chromatography). In the LL-SBO pan-fried HB samples (not the extracted oil), 2-pentanone, hexanal, 2-hexenal, trans-2-heptenal, 2-pentylfuran, and trans-2-octenal were found, whereas the major volatile compounds in the HB fried with PH-SBO included hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, and trans-2-heptenal. Hexanal was the most abundant volatile compound in both HB samples (LL-SBO, 2.7 ppm; PH-SBO, 0.3 ppm). There were significant differences in the polymer content, hexanal content, p-anisidine values, and Foodoil sensor readings between LL-SBO and PH-SBO (P<0.05). The PH-SBO sample was more stable than the LL-SBO sample. Moreover, the LL-SBO oil sample in the pan after frying had the greater increase in polymer content.     

Pan-heating of low-linolenic acid and partially hydrogenated soybean oils

Genetically modified low-linolenic acid soybean oil (LL-SBO) was compared to partially hydrogenated soybean oil (PH-SBO). Samples were heated on a Teflon pan at ∼180°C until a selected end point of ≥20% polymer content was reached. High-performance size-exclusion chromatography analysis indicated the PH-SBO contained >20% polymer after 20 min of heating, whereas the LL-SBO sample contained >20% polymer after 10 min. Supercritical fluid chromatography analysis indicated degradation rates of 0.161±0.011 min⁻¹ for LL-SBO and 0.086±0.004 min⁻¹ for PH-SBO. The volatile compounds were identified and quantitated with static head-space-GC-MS. 1-Heptene (239.9 ppm) and hexanal (1486.1 ppm) were present at the greates concentration among the volatile compounds in LL-SBO. The volatile compounds present in the greatest concentrations in heated PH-SBO were hexanal (376.9 ppm) and pentane (82.1 ppm). After 10 min of heating, the LL-SBO oil FFA value (2.66%), p-anisidine value (386.5 abs/g oil), Food Oil Sensor reading (18.75), and color intensity (Y=4.0, R=1.0) were significantly greater than those of PH-SBO after 14 min of heating (4.28%, 298.5 abs/g oil, 16.08, Y=1.0, R=0.1, respectively). There was a significant difference in the degradation rates between LL-SBO and PH-SBO (P<0.05). The PH-SBO was more stable than the LL-SBO.