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In this paper, the CoZrTaB thin films are fabricated using sputtering on different substrates and characterized comprehensively. The CoZrTaB thin films have been fabricated in the single-layer and multi-layer structures with SiO2 as the insulator layer, of which the vibrating sample magnetometer results suggest that the saturation field and the coercivity change of the multi-layer structure can be minimized while the lamination structure can suppress the eddy current at high working frequency. Compared with the continuously sputtered 400 nm CoZrTaB thin film, the multi-layer thin film shows a hysteresis loop with a single domain and small coercivity. The surface roughness of each CoZrTaB thin film and two kinds of polyimide substrates is extracted by the atomic force microscope instrument. Besides, material characterization such as X-ray powder diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry have been conducted to acquire the information of phase and element ratio of the CoZrTaB thin film. Also, the different process conditions that could affect the magnetic properties are investigated and verified. A comparison is made with the previously reported results, sustaining the improvement of the CoZrTaB thin film on different substrates.

Mobile devices applied to many businesses applications. Constructing a useful security system for a mobile device is necessary. As to lots of personal information on the mobile device, it must protect completely. Now, the mobile device has many protection mechanisms. However, even we have these mechanisms that still cannot protect someone who wants to use your passcode to intrude private information. The 3D-Touch features use people’s habit and action. According to these functions, we construct them to become a decision tree. In this paper, we will use 3D-Touch techniques to propose an enhanced passcode mechanisms for protection mobile device system. Experimental results show that the method is feasible and efficient.

The potential genotoxic effects of methanolic extracts of Euphorbia hirta which is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseased conditions including asthma, coughs, diarrhea and dysentery was investigated using Allium cepa assay. The extracts of 125, 250, 500 and 1,000 mu g/mL were tested on root meristems of A. cepa. Ethylmethanesulfonate was used as positive control and distilled water was used as negative control. The result showed that mitotic index decreased as the concentrations of E. hirta extract increased. A dose-dependent increase of chromosome aberrations was also observed. Abnormalities scored were stickiness, c-mitosis, bridges and vagrant chromosomes. Micronucleated cells were also observed at interphase. Result of this study confirmed that the methanol extracts of E. hirta exerted significant genotoxic and mitodepressive effects at 1,000 mu g/mL. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.

Comparison among inhibitions by AgNP (by chemical method), AgNP with Aloe vera plant extract, only Aloe vera plant extract and only AgNO3 solution. 1. Staphylococcus aureus; 2. Bacillus cereus; 3. Micrococcus luteus; 4. Escherichia coli; 5. Klebsiella pneumoniae. The values were determined based on statistical standard deviation with the triplicate values. The calculated standard deviations were between Âą1 and Âą2. (DOCX 84 kb)

The potential genotoxic effects of methanolic extracts of Euphorbia hirta which is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseased conditions including asthma, coughs, diarrhea and dysentery was investigated using Allium cepa assay. The extracts of 125, 250, 500 and 1,000 µg/mL were tested on root meristems of A. cepa. Ethylmethanesulfonate was used as positive control and distilled water was used as negative control. The result showed that mitotic index decreased as the concentrations of E. hirta extract increased. A dose-dependent increase of chromosome aberrations was also observed. Abnormalities scored were stickiness, c-mitosis, bridges and vagrant chromosomes. Micronucleated cells were also observed at interphase. Result of this study confirmed that the methanol extracts of E. hirta exerted significant genotoxic and mitodepressive effects at 1,000 µg/mL.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women may result in abortion and foetal abnormalities, and may be life-threatening in immunocompromised hosts. To identify the potential infection markers of this disease, 2-DE and Western blot methods were employed to study the parasite circulating antigens and host-specific proteins in the sera of T. gondii-infected individuals. The comparisons were made between serum protein profiles of infected (n = 31) and normal (n = 10) subjects. Antigenic proteins were identified by immunoblotting using pooled sera and monoclonal anti-human IgM-HRP. Selected protein spots were characterised using mass spectrometry. Prominent differences were observed when serum samples of T. gondii-infected individuals and normal controls were compared. A significant up-regulation of host-specific proteins, alpha(2)-HS glycoprotein and alpha(1)-B glycoprotein, was also observed in the silver-stained gels of both active and chronic infections. However, only alpha(2)-HS glycoprotein and alpha(1)-B glycoprotein in the active infection showed immunoreactivity in Western blots. In addition, three spots of T. gondii proteins were detected, namely (i) hypothetical protein chrXII: 3984434-3 TGME 49, (ii) dual specificity protein phosphatase, catalytic domain TGME 49 and (iii) NADPH-cytochrome p450 reductase TGME 49. Thus, 2-DE approach followed by Western blotting has enabled the identification of five potential infection markers for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis: three are parasite-specific proteins and two are host-specific proteins. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.

Quality control standardizations of the various medicinal plants used in traditional medicine is becoming more important today in view of the commercialization of formulations based on these plants. An attempt at standardization of Cassia spectabilis leaf has been carried out with respect to authenticity, assay and chemical constituent analysis. The authentication involved many parameters, including gross morphology, microscopy of the leaves and functional group analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The assay part of standardization involved determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extract which could help assess the chemical effects and establish curative values. The MIC of the C. spectabilis leaf extracts was investigated using the Broth Dilution Method. The extracts showed a MIC value of 6.25 mg/mL, independent of the extraction time. The chemical constituent aspect of standardization involves quantification of the main chemical components in C. spectabilis. The GCMS method used for quantification of 2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione in the extract was rapid, accurate, precise, linear (R(2) = 0.8685), rugged and robust. Hence this method was suitable for quantification of this component in C. spectabilis. The standardization of C. spectabilis is needed to facilitate marketing of medicinal plants, with a view to promoting the export of valuable Malaysian Traditional Medicinal plants such as C. spectabilis. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.

We observed reptation of single DNA molecules in fused silica nanoslits of sub-30 nm height. The reptation behavior and the effect of confinement are quantitatively characterized using orientation correlation and transverse fluctuation analysis. We show tube-like polymer motion arises for a tense polymer under strong quasi-2D confinement and interaction with surface- passivating polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) molecules in nanoslits, while etching- induced device surface roughness, chip bonding materials and DNA-intercalated dye-surface interaction, play minor roles. These findings have strong implications for the effect of surface modification in nanofluidic systems with potential applications for single molecule DNA analysis., Comment: 22 pages. 4 figures

Keratinases are proteolytic enzymes predominantly active when keratin substrates are available that attack disulfide bridges in the keratin to convert them from complex to simplified forms. Keratinases are essential in preparation of animal nutrients, protein supplements, leather manufacture, textile processing, detergent formulation, feather meal processing for feed and fertilizer, the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, and waste management. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a method for continuous production of keratinase from reliable sources that can be easily managed. Microbial keratinase is less expensive than conventionally produced keratinase and can be obtained from fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes. In this overview, the expansion of information about microbial keratinases and important considerations in keratinase production are discussed.

This paper estimates educational choice, wage determination, and the rate of return to education in Taiwan using Taiwan's Manpower Utilization Survey data of 1996. As education investment is a self-selection process, this paper adopts a two-stage estimation method. First, a polychotomous ordered probit model is used to estimate the education decision. Second, the wage equations of different educational attainments are estimated by incorporating the possible selection bias obtained in the probit model. Finally, rates of return on each education level are calculated from the estimation results.

Plants play important roles in human life not only as suppliers of oxygen but also as a fundamental resource to sustain the human race on this earthly plane. Plants also play a major role in our nutrition by converting energy from the sun during photosynthesis. In addition, plants have been used extensively in traditional medicine since time immemorial. Information in the biomedical literature has indicated that many natural herbs have been investigated for their efficacy against lethal irradiation. Pharmacological studies by various groups of investigators have shown that natural herbs possess significant radioprotective activity. In view of the immense medicinal importance of natural product based radioprotective agents, this review aims at compiling all currently available information on radioprotective agents from medicinal plants and herbs, especially the evaluation methods and mechanisms of action. In this review we particularly emphasize on ethnomedicinal uses, botany, phytochemistry, mechanisms of action and toxicology. We also describe modern techniques for evaluating herbal samples as radioprotective agents. The usage of herbal remedies for combating lethal irradiation is a green anti- irradiation approach for the betterment of human beings without high cost, side effects and toxicity.

Medicinal plants, such as Polyalthia longifolia (Indian mast tree), are important therapeutic sources for curing human diseases. In this work P. longifolia leaf extract was characterized by chromatographic and spectral fingerprinting techniques, phytochemical and heavy metal analyses, and microscopy. Light microscopy of a transverse section of the leaf of P. longifolia revealed the presence of various plant cells. Phytochemical screening results revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, tannins, saponin, anthraquinones, and glycosides in the extract. The concentrations of heavy metals determined in the extract were well below the permissible limit. Nine peaks observed in the HPLC spectra showed the presence of various compounds in the extract. The GCMS method used for quantification of (3 beta,4 alpha,5 alpha,9 beta)-4,14-dimethyl-9,19-cycloergost-24(28)-en-3-yl acetate (i.e., cycloeucalenol acetate) in the extract was rapid, accurate, precise, linear (R-2 = 0.8752), and robust. The HPTLC analysis showed ten specific peaks for the methanolic extract of P. longifolia leaf. Twelve major peaks in the range of 4,000 to 500 cm(-1) were observed in the FTIR spectra, which represented various specific functional groups in the extract.

Medicinal plants have been used in medicoculturally diverse countries around the world, where it is a part of a time-honoured tradition that is respected even today. Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract has been previously reported as an efficient antioxidant in vitro. Hence, the genotoxic effects of P. longifolia leaf were investigated by using plasmid relation, comet, and Allium cepa assay. In the presence of ∙OH radicals, the DNA in supercoil was start nicked into open circular form, which is the product of the single-stranded cleavage of supercoil DNA and quantified as fragmented separate bands on agarose gel in plasmid relation assay. In the plasmid relation and comet assay, the P. longifolia leaf extract exhibited strong inhibitory effects against H2O2-mediated DNA damage. A dose-dependent increase of chromosome aberrations was also observed in the Allium cepa assay. The abnormalities scored were stickiness, c-mitosis, bridges, and vagrant chromosomes. Micronucleated cells were also observed at the interphase. The results of Allium cepa assay confirmed that the methanol extracts of P. longifolia exerted no significant genotoxic or mitodepressive effects at 100 μg/mL. Thus, this study demonstrated that P. longifolia leaf extract has a beneficial effect against oxidative DNA damage. This experiment is the first report for the protective effect of P. longifolia on DNA damage-induced by hydroxyl radicals. Additionally in acute oral toxicity study, female rats were treated at 5000 mg/kg body weight of P. longifolia leaf extract and observed for signs of toxicity for 14 days. P. longifolia leaf extract did not produce any treatment-related toxic effects in rats.

The chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of the crude extracts of Mentha spicata were investigated. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of sugar, flavonoids and alkaloids in the crude extracts of Mentha spicata. GC-TOFMS (Gas Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry) analysis indicated the presence of fatty acid methyl esters (hexa decane, hepta decane, octa decane) terpenoids, terpenoid alcohol, caryophyllene and glycosides. Total phenolic components of the crude extracts was found to be 27.26±0.62 mg/g gallic acid equivalent which was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity was found to increase with increasing concentrations and was found to be 54.84±0.57% with an IC50 value of 25.2µg/ml. The reported antioxidant activity may be due to the presence of flavonoids and fatty acid methyl esters which has the scavenging potential by reducing the free radicals.

Entamoeba histolytica is the second major cause of liver abscess disease in humans, particularly in developing countries. Recently, DNA molecular-based methods have been employed to enhance the detection of E. histolytica in either pus or stool specimens. In this study, the results of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect E. histolytica DNA in pus from liver abscess cases were compared with those of indirect hemagglutination assay on the corresponding serum samples. Bacterial cultures were also performed on the pus samples for the diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess. The real-time PCR detected E. histolytica DNA in 23 of 30 (76.7) pus samples, when compared with 14 of 30 (46.7) serum samples in which anti-Entamoeba antibodies were detected by indirect hemagglutination assay and 4 of 30 (13.3) pus samples that showed bacterial infection by culture. The use of real-time PCR is a promising detection method for diagnosis and epidemiology assessment of amoebic liver abscess. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.