Anti-inflammatory activity of Devil’s claw in vitro systems and their active constituents

Cell suspension and Agrobacterium rhizogenes-transformed hairy root cultures of Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), an African plant with high medicinal value, were cultivated in shake-flasks. A purification scheme to isolate their main active constituents (the phenylethanoid glycosides verbascoside, leucosceptoside A, β-OH-verbascoside and martynoside; structurally identified by NMR and LC–MS) was then developed, and their concentrations in the cultures were determined by UV spectrometry following HPLC separation. Preparations, extracts and the isolated phenylethanoid glycosides from the H. procumbens in vitro systems were tested on isolated murine macrophages to study their effects on nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine (TNF-α, IL-6) release and the expression of COX-1 and COX-2. They were also added to human serum to investigate their effects on the classical pathway of complement activation. The results indicate that the extracts and preparations of the in vitro systems, and pure verbascoside (their main active constituent), had strong anti-inflammatory properties, comparable to or even higher than that of pure harpagoside (a major anti-inflammatory constituent of intact Devil’s claw tubers). Thus, they have potential as new anti-inflammatory agents.     

Environmental impact of poultry production systems on surface water: monitoring the Taquari-Antas basin,southern Brazil

ABSTRACT

The research evaluated the impact of poultry farming on the quality of surface waters in a mountainous area of southern Brazil, in order to collect data and assist in the decision-making for sustainable development. The study monitored 13 spots for two years in the sub-basins with intense poultry activity. The water samples were submitted to physicochemical and microbiological analyses in order to assess the Water Quality Index (WQI). The data were analysed by principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation. Some zones are able to receive future investments and could serve as a basis for the installation of new agricultural units. Others require greater attention from the environmental control agencies.     

Method for studying the effects of thermal deformations on optical systems for space application

In this paper, the results of the thermo-elastic analysis performed on the stereo channel of the imaging system Integrated Observatory System for the BepiColombo European Space Agency mission to Mercury are presented. The aim of the work is to determine the effects of ambient parameter variations on the equipment performance; the optical performance is changing during the mission lifetime primarily because of the optics misalignments and deformations induced by temperature variations. The camera optics and their mountings are modeled and processed by a thermo-mechanical finite element model (FEM) program, which reproduces the expected optics and structure thermo-elastic deformations in the instrument foreseen operative temperature range, i.e., between -20 °C and 30 °C. The FEM outputs are elaborated using a MATLAB optimization routine: an algorithm based on nonlinear least square data fitting is adopted to determine the surface equation (plane, spherical, nth polynomial) which best fits the deformed optical surfaces. The obtained surfaces are then directly imported into a ZEMAX code for sequential ray-tracing analysis. Variations of the optical spot diagrams, modulation transfer function curves, and ensquared energy are then computed. The overall analysis shows that the preferred solution for mounting the optical elements is adopting the kinematic constraints instead of using the classical glue solution.     

Fundamentals of power spectra of extracellular potentials produced by a skeletal muscle fibre of finite length. Part I: Effect of fibre anatomy

To provide a thorough understanding of the changes in the power spectrum of electromyographic (EMG) signals, the formation of the power spectrum (PS) of extracellular potentials (EPs) produced by a skeletal muscle fibre of finite length was analysed. It was shown that, as in the case of an infinite fibre, the PS could be represented as the product of power spectra of the input signal (the first temporal derivative of the intracellular action potential, IAP) and of the impulse response (IR) of the fibre of finite length as a system of EP generation. The interrelations between the two multipliers determine the sensitivity of the EP power spectrum to alterations in parameters. The anatomical parameters of the fibre (length, depth, position of the end-plate in respect of the fibre ends) affect the EP power spectrum through IR power spectrum. Variations of the EP characteristic frequencies along the fibre length as well as oscillations in the PS are intrinsic properties of the fibre of finite length.     

Oculo-facio-cardio-dental (OFCD) syndrome

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects on SPECT quantitation caused by erroneous size and position of the attenuation map and inaccurate pixel size used in the Chang algorithm. METHODS: Projection data of a three-dimensional head phantom were simulated with a uniform attenuation coefficient of 0.15/cm for the inside of the phantom. Images were reconstructed using the filtered backprojection algorithm without attenuation compensation and the Chang algorithm with different attenuation maps. Quantitative comparison then was performed between the reconstructed images and the phantom. RESULTS: The pixel values obtained for noisy data by using the first-order Chang algorithm with an accurate attenuation map were less than 10% different from the true values and the left-right asymmetry was under 5%. Small errors in the geometric parameters of the attenuation map, however, caused considerable quantitative inaccuracy in the reconstructed image. For example, a 0.64-cm error in the size of the map caused 10% deviation from the true value and a 0.64-cm shift of the position of the map towards the left produced 10% left-right pixel value asymmetry. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of the Chang algorithm critically depends on the geometric parameters. For a uniform attenuator with symmetric geometry, such as the human brain, a true left-right symmetry in the pixel value can be altered significantly by a small error in the geometric parameters, while symmetry can be maintained with no attenuation compensation.     

交通环境犯罪：来自瑞典斯德哥尔摩和巴西圣保罗地铁系统的经验总结

通过评估瑞典斯德哥尔摩和巴西圣保罗地铁系统的犯罪活动及扰乱公共秩序行为案例,探讨相关经验教训。对比2个国家地铁系统的时空犯罪模式及上述案例的研究结果,总结环境对犯罪活动及扰乱公共秩序行为的影响。研究中地理信息系统、田野调查和建模等分析过程应用了相应地铁运营商的基础数据。研究发现市中心地铁站及终点站往往比其他站点更容易发生犯罪。除了区位因素,地铁站的环境属性、周边环境及社区环境也会影响站点的犯罪机会。预防犯罪的干预措施必须针对具体犯罪活动、核心地铁站的拥挤情况,特别是易发生犯罪的高峰时段制定。以此总结今后相关研究方向,并提出相应政策建议。     

As (V) biosorption in an aqueous solution using chemically treated lemon (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) residues

The use of biosorbents to remove metals and metalloids from contaminated water systems has gained great usage in various parts of the world. The objective of the current study was to test lemon peels as biosorbents for As (V). Lemon peels were chemically characterized and arsenic contact experiments were performed to determine the adsorption capacity of the peels using different empirical models. The model that fit the experimental data was the Lagergren empirical model with a correlation coefficient of R= 0.8841. The results show that lemon peels were able to retain 474.8 μg of As (V)/g of biosorbent. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Lemon agro-industrial waste can be useful in the removal of heavy metals, such as arsenic, from aqueous media.     

Study and design of a hybrid wind–diesel-compressed air energy storage system for remote areas

Remote areas around the world predominantly rely on diesel-powered generators for their electricity supply, a relatively expensive and inefficient technology that is responsible for the emission of 1.2 million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) annually, only in Canada [1]. Wind–diesel hybrid systems (WDS) with various penetration rates have been experimented to reduce diesel consumption of the generators. After having experimented wind–diesel hybrid systems (WDS) that used various penetration rates, we turned our focus to that the re-engineering of existing diesel power plants can be achieved most efficiently, in terms of cost and diesel consumption, through the introduction of high penetration wind systems combined with compressed air energy storage (CAES). This article compares the available technical alternatives to supercharge the diesel that was used in this high penetration wind–diesel system with compressed air storage (WDCAS), in order to identify the one that optimizes its cost and performances. The technical characteristics and performances of the best candidate technology are subsequently assessed at different working regimes in order to evaluate the varying effects on the system. Finally, a specific WDCAS system with diesel engine downsizing is explored. This proposed design, that requires the repowering of existing facilities, leads to heightened diesel power output, increased engine lifetime and efficiency and to the reduction of fuel consumption and GHG emissions, in addition to savings on maintenance and replacement cost.