A new denoising method for removing salt & pepper noise from image

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Digital image has a significant importance in many fields in human life such as, in medicine, photography, biology, astronomy, industry and defense. Thus, it...     

Hedgehog Antagonist Pyrimidine–Indole Hybrid Molecule Inhibits Ciliogenesis through Microtubule Destabilisation

One of the crucial regulators of embryonic patterning and tissue development is the Hedgehog‐glioma (Hh‐Gli) signalling pathway; its uncontrolled activation has been implicated in different types of cancer in adult tissues. Primary cilium is one of the important factors required for the activation of Hh signalling, as it brings the critical components together for key protein–protein interactions required for Hh pathway regulation. Most of the synthetic and natural small molecule modulators of the pathway primarily antagonise Smoothened (Smo) or other effectors like Hh ligand or Gli. Here, we report a previously described Hh antagonist, with a pyrimidine–indole hybrid (PIH) core structure, as an inhibitor of ciliogenesis. The compound is unique in its mode of action, as it shows perturbation of microtubule dynamics in both cell‐based assays and in vivo systems (zebrafish embryos). Further studies revealed that the probable targets are α‐tubulin and its acetylated form, found in the cytoplasm and primary cilia. PIH also showed axonal defasiculation in developing zebrafish embryos. We thus propose that PIH antagonises Hh signalling by repressing cilia biogenesis and disassembling α‐tubulin from its stabilised form.     

Effect of alcohol type and amount on the total energy consumption and yield of the free fatty acids esterification reaction with simultaneous adsorptive water removal

The present work investigates the energy consumption and yield of the esterification reaction of free fatty acids (waste oil pretreatment) under a simultaneous water removal by adsorption. The reaction was performed under methanol, ethanol, and 1-propanol at the optimum reaction temperature of 100°C. The higher boiling point temperature of 1-propanol reduced the energy requirement of the reaction by 36.3 and 34.4% compared to methanol and ethanol, respectively. Moreover, despite the higher reactivity associated with alcohols having lower carbon chains, the reaction yield was approximately 16.4% higher under 1-propanol than the other two alcohols. This can be ascribed to the ability to use higher amounts of 1-propanol while maintaining lower energy consumption. The results also indicated that the reaction at 100°C under methanol and ethanol had a similar energy consumption and yield, favoring the use of the renewable ethanol over the widely used nonrenewable methanol. Finally, these findings highlight the importance of investigating the energy consumption of novel oil pretreatment processes and not solely focus on their ability to convert free fatty acids to biofuel.     

Digital advertising around paid spaces,E-advertising industry’s revenue engine: A review and research agenda

We develop and describe a framework for research in a particular segment of digital advertising. Internet Advertising Paid Slots and Spaces (IAPS) is a neologism and work almost like a stock exchange for buying and selling advertising in various formats on designated spaces around web and make a significant contribution to Internet advertising revenues. These paid spaces were found to encompass diverse areas of Internet advertising that include search engine marketing, social media advertising and display advertising. Given the complexity of the modern digital advertising eco system, this literature review seeks to provide clarity, up-to-date knowledge and ongoing insights into Internet advertising channels, for managers making investment decisions in this context.     

Structural Analysis with Fuzzy Variables

Abstract: The analysis of existing structures requires engineers to model two types of uncertainty, cognitive and non-cognitive. The objective of this paper is to reexamine structural analysis methods by considering the cognitive type of uncertainty. Two analytical approaches are proposed for this purpose: (1) combining the displacement method with fuzzy arithmetic and (2) considering all possible permutations of extreme values of any uncertain variables in a structure using the displacement method. The first approach, which is based on fuzzy arithmetic, requires less computing time as compared with the permutations method but only obtains approximate solutions. However, the second approach produces the exact solution. For the purpose of illustration, the modulus of elasticity E is assumed to be an uncertain variable and is modeled as a triangular fuzzy number. The structural behavior was investigated due to this cognitive uncertainty in E. The results based on the second approach show that if E is a triangular fuzzy number, the member forces can be either fuzzy numbers or crisp values, depending on the structural type. In addition, modified definitions for fuzzy division and fuzzy subtraction are proposed in this paper. Applications of these modified definitions and proposed methods are also presented.     

Controllable formation of ionic liquid micro- and nanoparticles via a melt-emulsion-quench approach

We present a facile, scalable, and general method for the size-variable generation of monodispersed, near-spherical solid-state (frozen) ionic liquid nanoparticles based on a novel melt-emulsion-quench approach. Simple manipulation of the internal templating droplets within oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions also permits the formation of well-defined microspheres. This simple and rapid preparation, requiring neither specialized equipment nor harsh conditions, suggests a wealth of potential for these designer nanomaterials within the biomedical, materials, and analytical communities.     

Genetic Biomarkers in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: What Have We Learned So Far?

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a rare malignant proliferative disease of the hematopoietic system, whose molecular hallmark is the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). The Ph chromosome originates an aberrant fusion gene with abnormal kinase activity, leading to the buildup of reactive oxygen species and genetic instability of relevance in disease progression. Several genetic abnormalities have been correlated with CML in the blast phase, including chromosomal aberrations and common altered genes. Some of these genes are involved in the regulation of cell apoptosis and proliferation, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tumor protein p53 (TP53), or Schmidt-Ruppin A-2 proto-oncogene (SRC); cell adhesion, e.g., catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1); or genes associated to TGF-β, such as SKI like proto-oncogene (SKIL), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) or transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGFB2); and TNF-α pathways, such as Tumor necrosis factor (TNFA) or Nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1). The involvement of miRNAs in CML is also gaining momentum, where dysregulation of some critical miRNAs, such as miRNA-451 and miRNA-21, which have been associated to the molecular modulation of pathogenesis, progression of disease states, and response to therapeutics. In this review, the most relevant genomic alterations found in CML will be addressed.     

A comprehensive design and rating study of evaporative coolers and condensers. Part I. Performance evaluation

The mathematical models of evaporative fluid coolers and evaporative condensers are studied in detail to perform a comprehensive design and rating analysis. The mathematical models are validated using experimental as well as numerical data reported in the literature. These models are integrated with the fouling model presented in an earlier paper, using the experimental data on tube fouling. In this paper, we use the fouling model to investigate the risk based thermal performance of these evaporative heat exchangers. It is demonstrated that thermal effectiveness of the evaporative heat exchangers degrades significantly with time indicating that, for a low risk level (p=0.01), there is about 66.7% decrease in effectiveness for the given fouling model. Furthermore, it is noted that there is about 4.7% increase in outlet process fluid temperature of the evaporative fluid cooler. Also, a parametric study is performed to evaluate the effect of elevation and mass flow rate ratio on typical performance parameters such as effectiveness for rating calculations while surface area for design calculations.