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Leucas asperais a high value medicinal plant in India, Java, Mauritius and Philippines. The effects of plant growth regulators effects on in vitrocallus biomass accumulation and root enhancement were assessed using leaf and stem explants. Leaf and stem explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of auxins and cytokinins. The highest amount of callus biomass accumulation was observed on leaf explants. Comparisons between stem and leaf explants indicated that leaf explants showed the greatest callus formation. Greatest callus formation was observed on NAA (2 mg L−1) (79.22%), followed by 2,4-D (2.0 mg L−1) (70.11%) and IBA (2.0 mg L−1) showed the least formation (36.42%). Maximum callus formation was observed on stem explants; these showed 60.70% from 2,4-D (2 mg L−1), NAA (2 mg L−1) showed 40.16%, and far less was obtained on IBA (31.60%). The greatest root formation (75.32%) was obtained on IBA (2 mg L−1) and the number of roots per shoot obtained was 26.55%; IAA (2 mg L−1) showed 66.82% root formation and the number of roots obtained was 21.22%; NAA (2 mg L−1) showed 54.33% root formation. In conclusion, root enhancement increased best under dark conditions, the conditions most suitable for regeneration of large numbers of high value clonal plants for commercial production and isolation of bioactive compounds.

The poor dissolution characteristics of water-insoluble drugs are a major challenge for pharmaceutical scientists. Reduction of the particle size/increase in the surface area of the drug is a widely used and relatively simple method for increasing dissolution rates. The objective of this study was to improve solubility, release and comparability of dissolution of a poorly soluble drug using two different types of formulations (solid dispersions and microspheres). Hydrochlorothiazide was used as a model drug. The solid dispersions and microspheres were prepared by solvent evaporation method using ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in different drug-to-carrier ratios (1:1, 1:2 w:w). The prepared formulations were evaluated for interaction study by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry,percentage of practical yield, drug loading, surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and in-vitrorelease studies. The results showed no interaction between the drug and polymer, amorphous state of solid dispersions and microspheres, percentage yield of 42.53% to 78.10%, drug content of 99.60 % to 99.64%, good spherical appearance in formulation VI and significant increase in the dissolution rate.

Despite the contemporary advancements in the field of science and medicine, combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely challenging in many aspects as the virus keeps spreading and mutating rapidly. As there is no effective and conclusive drug therapy to date, it is crucial to explore plant-based natural compounds for their potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Recent research highly focuses on screening various phytochemicals to elucidate their anti-viral efficacy. However, very few studies were published investigating the anti-viral efficacy of ginsenosides. Hence, the main aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory potential of the available 122 ginsenosides from Panax ginsengagainst SARS-CoV-2-related proteins using a molecular docking and molecular dynamics approach. The major bioactive compounds “ginsenosides” of P. ginsengwere docked to six vital SAR-CoV-2 host entry-related proteins such as ACE2, Spike RBD, ACE2 and Spike RBD complex, Spike (pre-fused), Spike (post-fused), and HR domain, with lowest binding energies of -9.5 kcal/mol, -8.1 kcal/mol, -10.4 kcal/mol, -10.4 kcal/mol, -9.3 kcal/mol, and -8.2 kcal/mol, respectively. Almost all the ginsenosides have shown low binding energies and were found to be favourable for efficient docking and resultant inhibition of the viral proteins. However, ACE2 has shown the highest interaction capability. Hence, the top five ginsenosides with the highest binding energy with ACE2 were subjected to MD, post MD analysis, and MM/PBSA calculations. MD simulation results have shown higher stability, flexibility, and mobility of the selected compounds. Additionally, MM-PBSA also affirms the docking results. The results obtained from this study have provided highly potential candidates for developing natural inhibitors against COVID-19.

During real time there are problems in transmitting video directly to the client. One of the main problems is, intermediate intelligent proxy can easily hack the data as the transmitter fails to address authentication, and fails to provide security guarantees. Hence we provide steganography and cryptography mechanisms like secure-code, IP address and checksum for authentication and AES algorithm with secret key for security. Although the hacker hacks the video during transmission, he cannot view the information. Based on IP address and secure-code, the authenticated user only can get connected to the transmitter and view the information. For further improvement in security, the video is converted into frames and these frames are split into groups and separate shared key is applied to each group of frames for encryption and decryption. This secured communication process is applied in image processing modules like face detection, edge detection and color object detection. To reduce the computation time multi-core CPU processing is utilized. Using multi-core, the tasks are processed in parallel fashion.

The tumor microenvironment plays key roles in cancer biology, but its impact on the regulation of signaling pathway activity in cancer cells has not been systemically investigated. We designed an analytical strategy that allows differential analysis of signaling between cancer and stromal cells present in tumor xenografts. We used this approach to investigate how in vivogrowth conditions and PI3K inhibitors regulate pathway activities in both cancer and stromal cell populations. We found that, despite inducing more modest changes in protein expression, in vivogrowing conditions extensively rewired protein kinase networks in cancer cells. As a result, different sets of phosphorylation sites were modulated by PI3K inhibitors in cancer cells growing in tumors relative to when these cells were in culture. The p110δ PI3K-selective compound CAL-101 (Idelalisib) did not inhibit markers of PI3K activity in cancer or stromal cells; however, unexpectedly, it induced phosphorylation on SQ motifs in both subpopulations of tumor cells in vivobut not in vitro. Thus, the interaction between cancer cells and the stroma modulated the ability of PI3K inhibitors to induce the activation of apoptosis in solid tumors. Our study provides proof-of-principle of a proteomics workflow for measuring signaling specifically in cancer and stromal cells and for investigating how cancer biochemistry is modulated in vivo.

AbstractThis paper describes the adsorption of basic dye, methylene blue (MB) dye, from aqueous solution using raw tamarind seeds (RTS) and surface modified tamarind seeds (SMTS). The adsorbents (RTS and SMTS) were characterized by using the Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis. The operating parameters such as pH, adsorbent dose, time, initial dye concentration, and temperature that influence the adsorption of MB dye onto adsorbents were investigated. The adsorption equilibrium data were tested by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The results indicated that the adsorption of MB dye onto RTS and SMTS were best fit by the Langmuir and Freundlich model, respectively. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for the RTS and SMTS was found to be 16.611 and 34.483 mg/g, respectively. The best described adsorption isotherm model was used to design a single-stage batch reactor. Adsorption kinetics was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Adsorption mechanism was explained with the intraparticle diffusion and Boyd kinetic model. The thermodynamic analysis revealed the exothermic and spontaneous nature of adsorption. The results indicated that the tamarind seeds have great potential to remove MB dye from aqueous solution.

Phosphoproteomic techniques are contributing to our understanding of how signaling pathways interact and regulate biological processes. This technology is also being used to characterize how signaling networks are remodeled during disease progression and to identify biomarkers of signaling pathway activity and of responses to cancer therapy. A potential caveat in these studies is that phosphorylation is a very dynamic modification that can substantially change during the course of an experiment or the retrieval and processing of cellular samples. Here, we investigated how exposure of cells to ambient conditions modulates phosphorylation and signaling pathway activity in the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. About 1.5% of 3,500 sites measured showed a significant change in phosphorylation extent upon exposure of cells to ambient conditions for 15 min. The effects of this perturbation in modifying phosphorylation patterns did not involve random changes due to stochastic activation of kinases and phosphatases. Instead, exposure of cells to ambient conditions elicited an environmental stress reaction that involved a coordinated response to a metabolic stress situation, which included: (1) the activation of AMPK; (2) the inhibition of PI3K, AKT, and ERK; (3) an increase in markers of protein synthesis inhibition at the level of translation elongation; and (4) an increase in autophagy markers. We also observed that maintaining cells in ice modified but did not completely abolish this metabolic stress response. In summary, exposure of cells to ambient conditions affects the activity of signaling networks previously implicated in metabolic and growth factor signaling. Mass spectrometry data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000472.

PI3K-mammalian target of rapamycin and MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) are the most frequently dysregulated signaling pathways in cancer. A problem that limits the success of therapies that target individual PI3K-MAPK members is that these pathways converge to regulate downstream functions and often compensate each other, leading to drug resistance and transient responses to therapy. In order to overcome resistance, therapies based on cotreatments with PI3K/AKT and MEK/MAPK inhibitors are now being investigated in clinical trials, but the mechanisms of sensitivity to cotreatment are not fully understood. Using LC-MS/MS-based phosphoproteomics, we found that eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K), a key convergence point downstream of MAPK and PI3K pathways, mediates synergism to cotreatment with trametinib plus pictilisib (which target MEK1/2 and PI3Kα/δ, respectively). Inhibition of eEF2K by siRNA or with a small molecule inhibitor reversed the antiproliferative effects of the cotreatment with PI3K plus MEK inhibitors in a cell model–specific manner. Systematic analysis in 12 acute myeloid leukemia cell lines revealed that eEF2K activity was increased in cells for which PI3K plus MEKi cotreatment is synergistic, while PKC potentially mediated resistance to such cotreatment. Together, our study uncovers eEF2K activity as a key mediator of responses to PI3Ki plus MEKi and as a potential biomarker to predict synergy to cotreatment in cancer cells.

Continuous carbon fibre/carbon composites are candidates for ultra-high temperature applications due to their ability to retain their strength at elevated temperatures, however they easily oxidize and ablate in high temperature oxygen-based environments, a fact that seriously limits their applications in the aerospace industry. The introduction of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) as a matrix in carbon fibre preforms effectively improves their oxyablation resistance at ultra-high temperatures in air atmospheres. In the present study, zirconium carbide-based ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMCs) simultaneously doped with silicon carbide and rare earth (RE) metal oxides were prepared by a slurry impregnation and pyrolysis method using phenolic resin as the bonding agent. The combination of injection and vacuum impregnation achieved a maximum density of up to 60% of theoretical. These composites were subsequently evaluated in terms of their ablation properties using an oxyacetylene (OAT) torch at temperatures of ∼2500 °C for 60 s. No significant surface damage was observed on any of the ablated samples. When ceria was used as the RE metal oxide dopant, the evidence suggests that cerium silicate was formed by the ceria dissolving in the molten silica; though this didn't appear to offer very much additional oxyablative protection. In contrast, when yttria was used, it improved the performance via stabilization of the cubic zirconia that formed on oxidation; this provided the greatest protection of all the samples tested. The combination of both ceria and yttria yielded the combined mechanism.

The importance of dental plaque biofilms for oral and dental disease was proposed recently. This study determined the presence of Candidaspp. in dental plaques of both males and females. Pooled samples of dental plaque were collected from 25 males and 55 females aged between 25 and 50years. Colony growth was verified and 30 Candidaisolates were chosen for the screening. The identification of biofilm forming Candidawas confirmed by performing several screening techniques (Microtiter plate method, Test tube method). Screened positive Candidaisolates DV1, DV17 and DV21 were characterized by several biochemical tests including growth on Hi-Crome agar. Molecular characterization has also been performed for isolates DV1, DV17 and DV21 by sequencing 18S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for three Candidaisolates and identified as Candida albicansDV1, C. albicansDV17 and C. albicansDV21. The biofilm formation of Candidaspp. on catheter was evaluated using scanning electron microscopic analysis. The extra cellular polysaccharide (EPS) quantity was measured with the effect of different carbon sources, adherence time and biofilm forming time. The above isolates were screened for antifungal resistance against six clinically important antifungal agents such as Amphotericin B, Ketaconazole, Fluconazole, Itraconazole, Nystatin and Clotrimazole (10µg/ml). The biofilm forming isolates were significantly resistant to the antifungal drugs in comparison with non-biofilm forming Candidaisolates. The present study reveals the presence of Candidabiofilm on human dental surface and indicates the magnitude of antibiotic resistance.

Copper Indium Telluride films were deposited for the first time by the pulse electrodeposition technique at different duty cycles in the range of 6 - 50 % at room temperature and at a constant potential of -0.66V(SCE). The films exhibited single phase copper indium telluride. The grain size increased with increase of duty cycle. Optical band gap of the films varied in the range of 0.98 - 1.02 eV. Atomic force microscopy studies indicated that the grain size and surface roughness vary from 15 nm to 30 nm and 1.0 nm to 1.5 nm respectively with increase of duty cycle. Capacitance voltage measurements indicated the films to exhibit n-type behaviour. The flat band potential was - 0.76V(SCE) and carrier density was in the range of 1016 cm-3.

SUMMARYWith a view to eliminating the use of toxic cyanide for electroplating copper, a non-cyanide alkaline bath, using triethanolamine as complexant, has been investigated. Various steps of bath developments are discussed in this paper. These include stability and immersion deposition characteristics of solutions with varying concentrations, Hull cell experiments to arrive at a plating bath composition and determination of current efficiency and deposit nature under varying operating parameters to optimise the deposition conditions.

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), differentiation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) into myofibroblast-like cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can both promote and suppress tumor progression. Here, we show that the Rho effector protein kinase N2 (PKN2) is critical for PSC myofibroblast differentiation. Loss of PKN2 is associated with reduced PSC proliferation, contractility, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) stress fibers. In spheroid co-cultures with PDAC cells, loss of PKN2 prevents PSC invasion but, counter-intuitively, promotes invasive cancer cell outgrowth. PKN2 deletion induces a myofibroblast to inflammatory CAF switch in the PSC matrisome signature both in vitroand in vivo. Further, deletion of PKN2 in the pancreatic stroma induces more locally invasive, orthotopic pancreatic tumors. Finally, we demonstrate that a PKN2KOmatrisome signature predicts poor outcome in pancreatic and other solid human cancers. Our data indicate that suppressing PSC myofibroblast function can limit important stromal tumor-suppressive mechanisms, while promoting a switch to a cancer-supporting CAF phenotype.

The CuAlO2delafossite complex was incorporated with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) based nanocomposite (N-rGO-MWCNT/CuAlO2) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The CuAlO2delafossite complex was made by self-combustion glycine nitrate process (GNP), and the N-rGO-MWCNT composite was prepared by the hydrothermal method. The morphology was characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The materials were structurally well ordered with a porous structure and high surface area. The GCE/N-rGO-MWCNT/CuAlO2electrode exhibited electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under strongly acidic conditions with a low over-potential, increasing reduction current, and a small Tafel slope of 48 mV dec?1at 10 mA cm?1with long-term stability under operating conditions.

Protein kinases lie at the heart of cell-signaling processes and are often mutated in disease. Kinase target recognition at the active site is in part determined by a few amino acids around the phosphoacceptor residue. However, relatively little is known about how most preferences are encoded in the kinase sequence or how these preferences evolved. Here, we used alignment-based approaches to predict 30 specificity-determining residues (SDRs) for 16 preferences. These were studied with structural models and were validated by activity assays of mutant kinases. Cancer mutation data revealed that kinase SDRs are mutated more frequently than catalytic residues. We have observed that, throughout evolution, kinase specificity has been strongly conserved across orthologs but can diverge after gene duplication, as illustrated by the G protein-coupled receptor kinase family. The identified SDRs can be used to predict kinase specificity from sequence and aid in the interpretation of evolutionary or disease-related genomic variants.

Silicon carbide (SiC) coated carbon fibre preforms are often reported to offer superior mechanical and oxidation resistance compared to those without such coatings, although the use of SiC is limited by its poor oxidation resistance in the presence of moisture, low oxygen partial pressures and/or temperatures above 1550 ​°C. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, the doping of a SiC coating with two rare earth (RE) oxides, Y2O3and CeO2, both separately and in combination has been investigated with a view to improving the oxidation resistance. The coating was deposited using chemical vapour infiltration (CVI) of SiC onto the individual fibres within 2.5D carbon fibre preforms and the subsequent oxidation studies were undertaken in the range 1300–1700 ​°C with and without the presence of the RE oxide particles and with both continuous and isothermal oxidation behaviour being investigated. SiO2growth rates were calculated for all the samples at different temperatures. Immiscible solid RE silicates were formed in the molten silica, which are believed to have enhanced the oxidation resistance by two different mechanisms: i) delays in the active oxidation of SiO2by decreasing the evaporation of SiO and ii) enhancing the viscosity of molten SiO2, which further reduces the diffusivity of oxygen through the glassy phase.

Cancelas: Cerus Co.: Research Funding; TerumoBCT: Consultancy, Research Funding; Macopharma Inc: Research Funding; Cytosorbents: Research Funding; Cellphire: Research Funding; Velico: Consultancy, Research Funding; Fresenius-Kabi: Research Funding; Hemanext: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Premature loss of teeth in children leads to space loss and affects arch integrity. The band and loop space maintainer is used in majority of patients requiring single tooth space maintenance in both primary and mixed dentitions. It preserves the proximal dimensions, but it is nonfunctional. This paper describes a method to modify the conventional band and loop space maintainer into a functional one and reports its clinical application and follow-up in five children.

This paper presents an emotion mining system, which assigns emoticons to newspaper articles into a pre-defined emotion category based on the underlying emotion in the news. Next, the system makes recommendation to the reader by tagging the news headline with the respective emoticons. Users are then able to decide whether to read the news based on the emoticons provided. The system also provides a filter for the users to choose the category of news to read following the emoticons.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Fitzgibbon: Epizyme: Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria.

According to the US governments, more than 125,000 people die each year due to failure to manage their medications, leading to approximately USD100 billion in preventable costs to healthcare systems. The core failure in medication management is attributed by patients failing to adhere their medication regimens, whether by accident, negligence, or intentional. Recognizing the importants of vigilant monitoring in medication management, this paper is set to review the latest android-based healthcare trends and propose a new mobile medication reminder application called IcHeart.

In effort to attract higher tourist expenditure along with higher tourist arrivals, this paper proposes a travel application called the SmartG, acronym for Spontaneous Malaysian Augmented Reality Tourist Guide, which operates by making recommendations to user based on the travel objective and individual budget constraints. The applications relies on augmented reality technology, whereby a three dimensional model is presented to the user based on input from real world environment. User testing returned a favorable feedback on the concept of using augmented reality in promoting Malaysian tourism.

The article offers information on a technique that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) system to identify the retail price and related information for an item during the purchase and uses bar code for any item return or replacement. It stresses the necessity for a billing system to have the capability to support various payment mechanisms. Item validity checking, automatic billing, and automatic payment are included in the technique in terms of item purchase. The RFID reader supplies the data to the billing and validation system.

Copper Indium Telluride films were deposited for the first time by the pulse electrodeposition technique at different duty cycles in the range of 6 - 50 % at room temperature and at a constant potential of -0.66V(SCE). The films exhibited single phase copper indium telluride. The grain size increased with increase of duty cycle. Optical band gap of the films varied in the range of 0.98 - 1.02 eV. Atomic force microscopy studies indicated that the grain size and surface roughness vary from 15 nm to 30 nm and 1.0 nm to 1.5 nm respectively with increase of duty cycle. Capacitance voltage measurements indicated the films to exhibit n-type behaviour. The flat band potential was - 0.76V(SCE) and carrier density was in the range of 1016 cm-3.