Static and dynamic compressive properties of polypropylene/zinc oxide nanocomposites

The effect of strain rate is widely recognized as an essential factor that influences the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites. Despite its importance, no previous work has been reported on the high‐strain rate behavior of polypropylene/zinc oxide nanocomposites. Based on this, static and dynamic compression properties of polypropylene/zinc oxide nanocomposites, with particle contents of 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight, were successfully studied at different strain rates (i.e., 0.01 s^?1, 0.1 s^?1, 650 s^?1, 900 s^?1, and 1100 s^?1) using a universal testing machine and a split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. For standardization, approximately 24 nm of zinc oxide nanoparticles were embedded into polypropylene matrix for each of the tested polypropylene/zinc oxide nanocomposites. Results show that the yield strength, the ultimate strength, and the stiffness properties, of polypropylene/zinc oxide nanocomposites, were greatly affected by both particle loading and applied strain rate. Furthermore, the rate sensitivity and the absorbed energy of all tested specimens showed a positive increment with increasing strain rate, whereas the thermal activation volume showed a contrary trend. In addition, the fractographic analysis and particle dispersion of all composite specimens were successfully obtained using a field emisission scanning electron microscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:949–960, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A new design of magnetorheological fluid based braking system using genetic algorithm optimization

This paper proposes a new design for an automotive magnetorheological (MR) braking system using multiple rotary disks. We develop an analytical model to calculate the torque and validate our results using finite element analysis considering a non-linear relationship between magnetic field and magnetic flux. Using genetic algorithm, we optimize the system’s dimensions to generate maximum torque. The optimized geometry shows an improvement in output torque compared to existing systems. Moreover, our design directs higher flux onto the MR fluid and subsequently generates greater shear frictions. This design can be used in applications such as rehabilitation devices.     

Effects of rarefaction,viscous dissipation and rotation mode on the first and second law analyses of rarefied gaseous slip flows confined between a rotating shaft and its concentric housing

A parametric analytical study is carried out to scrutinize the mechanism of fluid flow, heat transfer and entropy generation in a low-speed rarefied gaseous flow confined between a shaft and its concentric housing, i.e., the cylindrical Couette flow. In the first law analysis, closed form solutions for the radial temperature profiles are obtained by incorporating the calculated velocity distribution into the energy equation. The derivations for three thermal cases, which are founded on imposing different thermal conditions, namely, the Uniform Heat Flux (UHF) and the Constant Wall Temperature (CWT) boundary conditions, are presented. In the second law analysis, the contributions of thermal diffusion and fluid friction irreversibility to the total entropy generation in the micro domain are illustrated, and the relevant expressions for the Bejan number and the entropy generation number as well as the average entropy generation rate are derived. Finally, the variations of major variables with influential parameters such as the Knudsen number, the Brinkman number and rotation mode are investigated to elucidate the associated effects of rarefaction phenomenon, viscous dissipation and geometric condition on the characteristics of the flow.     

Service delivery through mobile-government (mGov): Driving factors and cultural impacts

The mobile-Government (mGov) service system is conducted through an open network, and it is virtual. This service mode and pattern change inevitably necessitates a behavioral change in citizen attitudes and intentions. Nevertheless, this new pattern of service delivery through mGov has hardly been systematically investigated by any researchers. The objective of this current research is twofold. First, we attempt to reveal the sources of beliefs for developing intention toward the mGov (ITM) system. Then, as the second objective, we investigate cultural influence as the reason for a difference in consumer attitudes and intentions toward mGov. In this regard, the empirical study was conducted in Bangladesh and the USA, which have potential differences in the cultural traits listed by Hofstede. From our statistical analysis, we have identified the sources of beliefs for both Bangladeshi and USA consumers. We observed clear differences in sources of beliefs and their influence on attitudes leading to intention, which demonstrates support for our second objective which was designed to verify the cultural impacts on belief-attitude relations. We understand that these different sources of beliefs influence cognitive, affective, and connative attitudes toward mGov in different ways.     

Caffeic Acid Enhances the Anti-Leukemic Effect of Imatinib on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells and Triggers Apoptosis in Cells Sensitive and Resistant to Imatinib

Among the phenolic acids tested on the K562 cell line, a model of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), caffeic acid (CA) was biologically active on sensitive and imatinib (IM)-resistant cells at micro-molar concentration, either in terms of reduction of cell proliferation or triggering of apoptosis. The CA treatment provoked mitochondrial membrane depolarization, genomic DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine exposure, hallmarks of apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis following the treatment with comparable cytotoxic concentrations of IM or CA showed marked differences in the distribution profiles. The reduction of cell proliferation by CA administration was associated with increased expression of two cell cycle repressor genes, CDKN1A and CHES1, while IM at a cytotoxic concentration increased the CHES1 but not the CDKN1A expression. In addition, CA treatment affected the proliferation and triggered the apoptosis in IM-resistant cells. Taken together, these data suggested that CA induced the anti-proliferative effect and triggered apoptosis of CML cells by a different mechanism than IM. Finally, the combined administration of IM and CA at suboptimal concentrations evidenced a synergy of action in determining the anti-proliferative effect and triggering apoptosis. The ability of CA to potentiate the anti-leukemic effect of IM highlighted the nutraceutical potential of CA in CML.     

Interrogating the Tailoring Steps of Pactamycin Biosynthesis and Accessing New Pactamycin Analogues

Pactamycin is a bacteria‐derived aminocyclitol antibiotic with a wide‐range of biological activity. Its chemical structure and potent biological activities have made it an interesting lead compound for drug discovery and development. Despite its unusual chemical structure, many aspects of its formation in nature remain elusive. Using a combination of genetic inactivation and metabolic analysis, we investigated the tailoring processes of pactamycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces pactum. The results provide insights into the sequence of events during the tailoring steps of pactamycin biosynthesis and explain the unusual production of various pactamycin analogues by S. pactum mutants. We also identified two new pactamycin analogues that have better selectivity indexes than pactamycin against malarial parasites.     

A Review on the Role of miR-149-5p in the Carcinogenesis

miR-149 is an miRNA with essential roles in carcinogenesis. This miRNA is encoded by the MIR149 gene on 2q37.3. The miR-149 hairpin produces miR-149-5p and miR-149-3p, which are the “guide” and the sister “passenger” strands, respectively. Deep sequencing experiments have shown higher prevalence of miR-149-5p compared with miR-149-3p. Notably, both oncogenic and tumor suppressive roles have been reported for miR-149-5p. In this review, we summarize the impact of miR-149-5p in the tumorigenesis and elaborate mechanisms of its involvement in this process in a variety of neoplastic conditions based on three lines of evidence, i.e., in vitro, in vivo and clinical settings.     

The Emerging Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Regulation of Virus Replication and Resultant Cellular Pathologies

Non-coding RNAs, particularly lncRNAs and miRNAs, have recently been shown to regulate different steps in viral infections and induction of immune responses against viruses. Expressions of several host and viral lncRNAs have been found to be altered during viral infection. These lncRNAs can exert antiviral function via inhibition of viral infection or stimulation of antiviral immune response. Some other lncRNAs can promote viral replication or suppress antiviral responses. The current review summarizes the interaction between ncRNAs and herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein–Barr infections. The data presented in this review helps identify viral-related regulators and proposes novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of viral infection.     

Biosynthesis of reusable and recyclable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs and its antioxidant and antibacterial activities: a highly stable magnetically nanocatalyst for excellent reduction of organic dyes and adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

For the first time, through a fast, eco‐friendly and economic method, the aqueous extract of the leaf of Euphorbia corollate was used to the green synthesis of the highly stable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone nanocomposites (NCs) as a potent antioxidant and antibacterial agent against Pseudomonas aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenic bacteria. The biosynthesised NCs were identified using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy and UV–vis analytical techniques. Also, the radical scavenging activity using (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) method was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the NCs. The stability of nanocatalyst was monitored using the XRD and SEM analyses after 30 days from its synthesis. Furthermore, its excellent catalytic activity, recycling stability, and high substrate applicability were demonstrated to the adsorption of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of the light crude oil from Shiwashok oil fields and destruction of methylene blue and methyl orange as harmful organic dyes at ambient temperature using UV–vis spectroscopy. Moreover, the green CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs were recovered and reused several times without considerable loss of its catalytic activity.Inspec keywords: nanobiotechnology, X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectra, catalysis, crude oil, Fourier transform spectra, ultraviolet spectra, scanning electron microscopy, dyes, catalysts, photochemistry, iron compounds, X‐ray chemical analysis, antibacterial activity, adsorption, visible spectra, microorganisms, organic compounds, reduction (chemical), nanomedicine, toxicology, recycling, chemical industryOther keywords: antioxidant activity, XRD, SEM analyses, recycling stability, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, harmful organic dyes, UV–vis spectroscopy, green CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs, reusable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs, recyclable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs, antioxidant activities, antibacterial activities, highly stable magnetically nanocatalyst, eco‐friendly method, economic method, euphorbia corollate, green synthesis, CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone nanocomposites, antibacterial agent, pseudomonas aureus, staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenic bacteria, biosynthesised NCs, X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, radical scavenging activity, antioxidant agent, 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl, catalytic activity, organic dye reduction, light crude oil, CuO     

Biosynthetic Gene Cluster of Cetoniacytone A,an Unusual Aminocyclitol from the Endosymbiotic Bacterium Actinomyces sp. Lu 9419

A gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of the antitumor agent cetoniacytone A was identified in Actinomyces sp. strain Lu 9419, an endosymbiotic bacterium isolated from the intestines of the rose chafer beetle (Cetonia aurata). The nucleotide sequence analysis of the 46 kb DNA region revealed the presence of 31 complete ORFs, including genes predicted to encode a 2‐epi‐5‐epi‐valiolone synthase (CetA), a glyoxalase/bleomycin resistance protein (CetB), an acyltransferase (CetD), an FAD‐dependent dehydrogenase (CetF2), two oxidoreductases (CetF1 and CetG), two aminotransferases (CetH and CetM), and a pyranose oxidase (CetL). CetA has previously been demonstrated to catalyze the cyclization of sedoheptulose 7‐phosphate to the cyclic intermediate, 2‐epi‐5‐epi‐valiolone. In this report, the glyoxalase/bleomycin resistance protein homolog CetB was identified as a 2‐epi‐5‐epi‐valiolone epimerase (EVE), a new member of the vicinal oxygen chelate (VOC) superfamily. The 24 kDa recombinant histidine‐tagged CetB was found to form a homodimer; each monomer contains two βαβββ scaffolds that form a metal binding site with two histidine and two glutamic acid residues. A BLAST search using the newly isolated cet biosynthetic genes revealed an analogous suite of genes in the genome of Frankia alni ACN14a, suggesting that this plant symbiotic nitrogen‐fixing bacterium is capable of producing a secondary metabolite related to the cetoniacytones.