HEALTH Growth with Active Transformation of Mind and Body Through Abundant Natural Methods

Wireless Personal Communications - The ongoing technological developments have totally transformed the lives of human beings. With the emergence of the smart era and the smart city concept, a few...     

Activation of rat liver cholesterol ester hydrolase by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C

Short term regulation of hepatic cholesterol ester hydrolase by reversible phosphorylation is described. Two different kinase systems seem to be involved in this regulation. The addition of ATP, cyclic AMP and Mg²⁺ to rat liver 104,000× g supernatant (S104) produced a 100–140% increase in cholesterol ester hydrolase activity. This stimulation was abolished when protein kinase inhibitor was added prior to the addition of ATP, cyclic AMP and Mg²⁺. Cholesterol ester hydrolase activity was also stimulated when calcium ions, phosphatidylserine, and diolein were added to S104 along with ATP and Mg²⁺. Diolein in this reaction could be substituted by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Preincubation of S104 with alkaline phosphatase resulted in a deactivation of cholesterol ester hydrolase. The addition of increasing concentrations of Mg²⁺ to S104 produced increasing inhibition of cholesterol ester hydrolase activity, and this effect was blocked by NaF. It is suggested that rat liver cholesterol ester hydrolase is activated by cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C. Deactivation is accomplished by dephosphorylation catalyzed by a phosphoprotein phosphatase, dependent on Mg²⁺. This work was presented at the Twenty-Third Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference, held October 26–28, in Cashiers, North Carolina.     

Development of Palmprint Verification System Using Biometrics

1 Introduction Reliability in personal authentication is key to the security in any transactional database. Many physiological characteristics of humans i.e., biometrics, are typically time invariant, easy to acquire, and unique for every individual. Biom…     

Migpore,a code package for the estimation of migration of radioactive species in a porous medium

In the event of an accidental leakage of high level radioactive waste buried deep in repositories surrounded by rock, the build up of the concentration of the radioactive species within the rock needs to be assessed. Towards this, we follow the model of Chen and Li and provide a numerical code to solve the relevant partial differential equations using a compact finite difference scheme.     

Comparison of inter- and intra-chromosomal aberrations in blood samples exposed to different dose rates of gamma radiation

Peripheral blood samples obtained from a normal healthy volunteer were exposed in vitro to gamma radiation with various doses at different dose rates of 1.0, 0.1 and 0.0014 Gy min(-1). The exposed samples were analysed for different chromosomal aberrations such as dicentrics (DC), centric rings (CR) and double-minutes (DM). The ratio of DC chromosomes (inter) to the total number of centric rings (CR) and double-minutes (DM) (CR + DM = intra) were analysed for all the three dose rates. The study showed that the frequency of inter-arm chromosomal aberrations was more then three times higher than that observed with intra-arm chromosomal aberrations in samples exposed at a dose rate of 1.0 and 0.1 Gy min (-1). However, the frequency of inter- and intra-arm chromosomal aberrations were almost same (ratio 1:1) in samples exposed at a dose rate of 0.0014 Gy min(-1). This paper discusses the usefulness of the ratio of inter- and intra-arm chromosome aberration in finding out whether the sample was exposed to high or low dose rate radiation.     

Development and analysis of a 12-year daily 1-km forest fire dataset across North America from NOAA/AVHRR data

Fires in boreal and temperate forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. While forest fires in North America (NA) have been surveyed extensively by U.S. and Canadian forest services, most fire records are limited to seasonal statistics without information on temporal evolution and spatial expansion. Such dynamic information is crucial for modeling fire emissions. Using the daily Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data archived from 1989 to 2000, an extensive and consistent fire product was developed across the entire NA forest regions on a daily basis at 1-km resolution. The product was generated following data calibration, geo-referencing, and the application of an active fire detection algorithm and a burned area mapping algorithm. The spatial-temporal variation of forest fire in NA is analyzed in terms of (1) annual and monthly patterns of fire occurrences in different eco-domains, (2) the influence of topographic factors (elevation zones, aspect classes, and slope classes), and (3) major forest types and eco-regions in NA. It was found that 1) among the 12 years analyzed, 1989 and 1995 were the most severe fire years in NA; 2) the majority of burning occurred during June-July and in low elevation zones (< 500 m) with gentle slopes (< 10°), except in the dry eco-domain where more fires occurred in higher elevation zones (> 2000 m); 3) most fires occurred in the polar eco-domain, sub-arctic eco-division, and in the taiga ( boreal forests), forest-tundras and open woodlands eco-provinces in the boreal forests of Canada. The tendency for multiple burns to occur increases with elevation and slope until about 2500 m elevation and 24° slope, and decreases therefore. In comparison with ground observations, the omission and commission errors are on the order of 20%.     

Managing peer relationships online – Investigating the use of Facebook by juvenile delinquents and youths-at-risk

While extensive research has been conducted on young people’s peer interaction via online communication, the focus has been on mainstream youths, with marginalized youth communities being understudied. To help address this inadequacy, the current study conducted interviews with Singaporean male juvenile delinquents (n = 36) to understand the role of online communication in their peer interactions and the salient characteristics of such interactions. Our findings show that Facebook was the principal tool of online peer interaction. However, given the particular circumstances of juvenile delinquents, online social networking presents issues that may compromise efforts to rehabilitate them. These include extending the time and opportunities for unstructured and unsupervised peer socialization, peer endorsement of delinquent acts and the pressure of having to display group loyalty in the online space. Even after rehabilitation, youths who attempt to distance themselves from their delinquent peers are challenged by the persistence of their online social networks.     

Simulation of microphysical structure associated with tropical cloud clusters using mesoscale model and comparison with TRMM observations

An attempt has been made in the present study to examine the microphysical structure of a non‐squall Tropical Cloud Cluster (TCC). Three‐dimensional model simulations of cloud microphysical structure associated with a non‐squall TCC occurred on 26 October 2005 over the South Bay of Bengal have been carried out. The initial conditions for the model simulations were improved by incorporating upper air radiosonde observations and Indian Mesosphere Stratosphere Troposphere (MST) radar wind observations through analysis nudging. The horizontal and vertical distribution of the cloud hydrometeor fields observed from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) are compared to those simulated by a mesoscale model using a sophisticated microphysical scheme. Substantial differences are noticed in the amounts of cloud microphysical parameters, with simulated values of hydrometeors being higher than TMI retrievals. Spatial distribution of Cloud Liquid Water (CLW) and Rain Water (RNW) from TMI and model simulations correspond well with each other. The cloud microphysical structure during the initial and mature phases of the storm is also investigated. Comparisons of horizontal and vertical reflectivity structure from the TRMM‐Precipitation Radar (PR) and those simulated by the model show reflectivity cores of values greater than 30 dBZ. The TRMM‐PR echo tops are 3–4 km higher than the simulated echo tops. The 24 hr accumulated precipitation from model simulations are then verified with the combined rainfall product from the TRMM observations.     

Irreversibility analysis of micropolar nanofluid flow in a vertical channel with the impact of inclined magnetic field and heat source or sink

This article examines the inclined magnetic field effect on the flow of micropolar nanofluids in a vertical channel with convective boundary conditions and heat source or sink. Thermodynamics second law is employed to analyze the aspects of entropy generation. The governing differential equations are modified into dimensionless form by using suitable nondimensional variables. These transformed equations are solved by implementing the differential transform technique. The results are analyzed graphically. Skin friction and Nusselt number values are evaluated at the boundary walls of the channel. The major findings of the study are material parameter enhances the microrotation but suppresses both velocity and temperature. Magnetic parameter and angle of the implication of magnetic field decrease the velocity and microrotation. Material parameter and angle of imposed magnetic field minimize the entropy generation.     

The effects of high hematocrit on arterial flow—A phenomenological study of the health risk implications

Though red blood cells are essential to deliver oxygen to tissue, abnormally high levels can have deadly consequences. High hematocrit (Hct)—the percentage of total blood volume occupied by red blood cells (RBCs)—can occur in arterial flow due to a variety of causes. Examples include: dehydration, polycythemia vera, and exogenous use of recombinant human erythropoietin. In this phenomenological study, we present a simplified quantitative analysis of the physiological effects of increased hematocrit, especially for small arteries. In particular, we are primarily interested in the potential relation between the exogenous use of recombinant human erythropoietin by athletes (blood ‘doping’) and the not insignificant numbers of sudden heart attacks suffered by these otherwise superbly conditioned contestants. We proceed as follows: An expression for the variation of the viscosity of blood with both shear rate and hematocrit is obtained using the low and high shear experimental measurements of Chien and Çinar, respectively. This is done in a two-step process: (i) curve fits of shear rate dependent viscosity for hematocrits ranging from 40% to 80% are derived with resulting R-squared values greater than 0.99; (ii) viscosity is shown to be well-represented as an exponential function of shear rate for various hematocrit levels. The resulting relationship is used, in a simplified analysis, to calculate velocity profiles in a generic coronary artery as a non-linear function of viscosity for various hematocrit levels. Using these relationships, increasing hematocrit is shown to dramatically decrease and flatten velocity profiles in a small artery. The resulting velocity profiles of slower flow with greater area of low shear rate due to increased hematocrit makes likely a corresponding increased risk of thrombus formation.