Use of Zebrafish Embryo Assay to Evaluate Toxicity and Safety of Bioreactor-Grown Exopolysaccharides and Endopolysaccharides from European Ganoderma applanatum Mycelium for Future Aquaculture Applications

Natural mycelial exopolysaccharide (EPS) and endopolysaccharide (ENS) extracted from bioreactor-cultivated European Ganoderma applanatum mushrooms are of potential high commercial value for both food and adjacent biopharmaceutical industries. In order to evaluate their potential toxicity for aquaculture application, both EPS (0.01–10 mg/mL) and ENS (0.01–10 mg/mL) extracts were tested for Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity (ZFET); early development effects on Zebrafish Embryos (ZE) were also analyzed between 24 and 120 h post-fertilization (HPF). Both EPS and ENS are considered non-toxic with LC₅₀ of 1.41 mg/mL and 0.87 mg/mL respectively. Both EPS and ENS did not delay hatching and teratogenic defect towards ZE with <1.0 mg/mL, respectively. No significant changes in the ZE heart rate were detected following treatment with the two compounds tested (EPS: 0.01–10 mg/mL: 176.44 ± 0.77 beats/min and ENS: 0.01–10 mg/mL: 148.44 ± 17.75 beats/min) compared to normal ZE (120–180 beats/min). These initial findings support future pre-clinical trials in adult fish models with view to safely using EPS and ENS as potential feed supplements for supplements for development of the aquaculture industry.     

ON THE GLOBAL AND LOCAL STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF PACKED BEDS OF NONEQUILATERAL CYLINDRICAL PARTICLES

The structure of a series of packed beds of non-equilateral cylindrical particles has been investigated and compared with those of beds of spheres and equilateral cylinders of similar dimensions. It is found that the mean voidage of beds of equilateral cylinders is consistently lower than the corresponding values for beds of spheres and non-equilateral cylinders of aspect ratios 0.25, 0.5, 2 and 3. End effects do not appear to be present in beds of cylinders of aspect ratios of 0.25 and 0.5 and generally, both wall and end effects are significantly weaker than corresponding effects in beds of spheres and equilateral cylinders. This suggests that chanelling is reduced in beds of non-equilateral cylindrical pellets. Whilst the axial voidage distribution of beds of non-equilateral cylinders appears to be almost uniform, the radial voidage distribution bears the effect of confining walls and an oscillatory profile is observed in most cases, but is seen to be irregular for aspect ratios 0.25 and 0.5. The orientation effect of particles of aspect ratio 0.25 in adjacent layers causes an irregular pattern in the axially averaged radial voidage distribution. Observed axially averaged radial voidage profiles suggest that a uniform structure may be achieved by modifying the basic cylindrical shape.     

Vehicle routing and scheduling with dynamic travel times

The field of dynamic vehicle routing and scheduling is growing at a fast pace nowadays, due to many potential applications in courier services, emergency services, truckload and less-than-truckload trucking, and many others. In this paper, a dynamic vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time windows is described where both real-time customer requests and dynamic travel times are considered. Different reactive dispatching strategies are defined and compared through the setting of a single “tolerance” parameter. The results show that some tolerance to deviations with the current planned solution usually leads to better solutions.     

Evaluating Land Surface Changes of Makassar City Using DInSAR and Landsat Thematic Mapper Images

Urban growth has been a major issue in environmental monitoring and changes occurred on land surfaces have been monitored by applying remote sensing as well as ground measurement. Most major cities in the world have experienced land subsidence phenomena on some parts of them due to the load of development and modernization. Excessive extraction of groundwater for the needs of industry has led to the condition where the water table drops, and this can possibly trigger subsidence, as observed in Indonesian cities. In this study the authors have shown that the application of DInSAR （differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar） technique using Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-I Synthetic Aperture Radar JERS-I SAR data can reveal subsidence conditions in the studied Makassar city area. Landsat TM （thematic mapper） images were used to evaluate the change of land cover during the observation period of 1994-1999. Makassar is fiat, covered mainly by alluvium deposit that is vulnerable to the load of constructions, and volcanic formations which is porous and will easily be degraded by groundwater extraction. It is found that mostly the subsidence has occurred in the western part of the city, including the industrial district, reclamation area, trading center area and the seaport area. The ground survey has indicated that high human activity exists in every point of subsidence. It is likely that various human activities such as ground water pumping and construction work should have affected the local subsidence phenomena in Makassar, as in the case of other large-scale cities in Indonesia.     

Understanding the Corrosion Inhibition Mechanism of Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid by a Triazole Derivative: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - The effect of an heterocycle triazole, namely (1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methanol (MTM) on the corrosion of mild steel in...     

In Silico/In Vitro Hit-to-Lead Methodology Yields SMYD3 Inhibitor That Eliminates Unrestrained Proliferation of Breast Carcinoma Cells

SMYD3 is a lysine methyltransferase that regulates the expression of over 80 genes and is required for the uncontrolled proliferation of most breast, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinomas. The elimination of SMYD3 restores normal expression patterns of these genes and halts aberrant cell proliferation, making it a promising target for small molecule inhibition. In this study, we sought to establish a proof of concept for our in silico/in vitro hit-to-lead enzyme inhibitor development platform and to identify a lead small molecule candidate for SMYD3 inhibition. We used Schrodinger^® software to screen libraries of small molecules in silico and the five compounds with the greatest predicted binding affinity within the SMYD3 binding pocket were purchased and assessed in vitro in direct binding assays and in breast cancer cell lines. We have confirmed the ability of one of these inhibitors, Inhibitor-4, to restore normal rates of cell proliferation, arrest the cell cycle, and induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells without affecting wildtype cell behavior. Our results provide a proof of concept for this fast and affordable small molecule hit-to-lead methodology as well as a promising candidate small molecule SMYD3 inhibitor for the treatment of human cancer.     

PEC thermography for imaging multiple cracks from rolling contact fatigue

With the development and operation of high speed trains, condition based maintenance becomes an important approach for the improvement of reliability and safety of rail transportation. This paper reports a feasibility study using pulsed eddy current thermography for imaging multiple cracks caused by rolling contact fatigue (RCF). After reviewing rail track inspection and RCF cracks, a PEC thermography system is introduced and applied to the imaging of multiple rolling contact fatigue cracks. Potential on-line inspection for rail track is also discussed.     

Fracture Process in ± θ Laminates Subjected to Mode II Loading

This work studies the behavior of a multidirectional laminate under Mode II loading. We describe the process of delamination in a reinforced composite of glass/epoxy. The stacking sequence (plies orientation [± ] was selected to minimize the coupling effects. The Mode II interlaminar test under three-point bending and cantilever flexure using ENF (End Notch Flexure) and ELS (End Load Split) specimens, respectively, was performed and analyzed. The test procedures and the results of strain-energy-release rate study for crack initiation are presented. The fracture process and the mechanical behavior of the two types of specimens are analyzed. The analysis clearly shows a close link between the angle , the ratio a/L, and the thickness h of the specimen. Fracture by delamination can be obtained only with an optimal choice of these parameters. The analysis of the states of stresses at the tip of crack allows us to explain the phenomenon of bifurcation between plies and is confirmed by the experimental results.     

Shift catalysts in biomass generated synthesis gas

One of the CHRISGAS project objectives is to study the shift catalysts in biomass-generated synthesis gas. The water gas shift reaction is ruled by equilibrium, and the state of the gas can for a given H₂/CO ratio be shifted by addition/removal of water, CO₂ and/or by a change in the temperature. Stability area in respect to gas composition, sulphur content, pressure and temperature for FeCr shift catalyst has been investigated by thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. The calculations show that carbide formation is favourable in the “Normal water” case without sulphur in the gas. If sulphur is present in the gas, the situation improves due to sulphide formation.     

Cell-mediated autoimmunity in paraneoplastic neurological syndromes with anti-Hu antibodies

The authors investigated the association of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea with myocardial infarction in a study of 340 cases and age-, sex-, and community-matched controls. The odds ratio for drinking > or = 4 cups/day of caffeinated coffee versus drinking < or = 1 cup/week was 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49-1.42) after adjustment for coronary risk factors (1 cup = 237 ml). The odds ratio for drinking > 1 cup/day of decaffeinated coffee versus nondrinkers was 1.25 (95% CI 0.76-2.04). For tea, the odds ratio for drinking > or = 1 cup/day versus nondrinkers was 0.56 (95% CI 0.35-0.90). In these data, only tea was associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction.