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AbstractA series of eight nitroxide compounds (four substituted piperidines, three pyrrolidines and one oxo-piperidine) are found to undergo electron transfer to 2’-deoxyribose-peroxyl and the guanyl radical. One-electron oxidation potentials of the nitroxides to oxoammonium cations (oxoammonium reduction potential), E0’, have been measured against a common redox indicator, chlorpromazine, and found to span the range 751 ± 15 mV to 973 ± 15 mV. Fast chemical reduction of the 2’-deoxyribose-peroxyl radical to the hydroperoxide, generated by •OH radical attack on 2-deoxyribose, dR, in oxygenated aqueous solution, is a redox-dependent reaction, with rate constants of 0.8–3.5 x 107 M−1 s−1.The guanyl radicals, produced upon one-electron oxidation of 2’-deoxyguanosine monophosphate, dG, by the selenite radical, SeO3•-, react with the nitroxides in a redox-independent reaction with diffusion rate constants of 1–2 x 108 M−1 s−1. These findings represent a possible antioxidant role for nitroxides in the fast chemical repair of DNA radicals, which is supported by an in vitro strand break study using a plasmid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability analysis of a panel of twenty clones of Neolamarckia cadamba was evaluated in three locations viz., Chennai, Neyveli and Dhimbum. Experiment was conducted using Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Tree height and girth were measured from the second year of planting and subjected to statistical analysis. Pooled mean of tree height varied from 4.56 (C17) to 6.11 m (C127), while girth was ranged from 21 (C17) to 31.81cm (C105) across locations. Results of the pooled analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences (p<0.01) for the studied traits across genotypes, environments and genotypes by environment interaction (GEI). Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) biplots constructed between the first two principal components, explained 73.5 and 69.8% of the GEI for height and girth, respectively. Neyveli was identified as the ideal location among three locations studied based on the biplots. Clones C144 and C127 were reported to be highly stable based on the different biplot models while AMMI stability indices identified C140 and C105 as more stable. Utilizing these clones in future breeding programmes could improve yield production, and these clones identified could be recommended for commercial cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentors play a vital role in students' academic journey by providing guidance and encouragement to achieve ambitions and educational goals in future. What if the mentor is an alumnus? In this article, a case study of alumni mentoring in Postgraduate Studies at Middle East College, Sultanate of Oman is presented and proposes an alumnus mentoring framework with three major phases for a systematic implementation across the institution. The practice was implemented in a phased approach, starting with 1st semester modules, and further extended to higher semester modules based on student feedback. The survey conducted to review the effectiveness of alumni mentoring sessions confirms that the alumni mentoring practice contributes significantly to shaping students' journey to academic success and supports in creating a community of learners.

Online International Learning (OIL) facilitates bringing together students virtually from various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) located at different countries. The framework adopted for Collaborative OIL implementation involved academic staff members and students from Middle East College (MEC), Sultanate of Oman, Coventry University (CU), UK and Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Ghana, in solving a particular problem or a set of tasks based on the Internationalized Learning Outcomes over an online platform, in a collaborative manner. The whole experience provides students and academic staff members a new perspective of interaction, experience and learning in Higher Education with a global impact. Collaborative OIL (COIL) was executed as a driving force towards Internationalization strategy at the participating HEIs. Students expressed their satisfaction and mentioned in the feedback that the activities benefit them to improve digital competences, intercultural experiences, and collaborative skills that would help them succeed in their future career prospects.

The main objective of this study was to formulate mesalamine loaded alginate microspheres for local treatment of ulcerative colitis and optimized batch were then filled in capsules coated with Eudragit S 100. The microspheres were prepared by ionic gelation method. Box Behnken design using design expert software was employed in formulating and optimizing the microspheres. Microspheres were evaluated for particle size, shape and entrapment efficiency. The optimized batch was then filled in capsule coated with Eudragit S100.This encapsulated system released alginate microspheres at colon region in a sustained manner. The drug release of microspheres showed a longer residence time in the colon due to better mucoadhesion properties of sodium ALG. Therefore mesalamine-loaded alginate microspheres enteric coated in capsules can be potential delivery system for local treatment of ulcerative colitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3,6,7-trimethyllumazine (Lepteridine™) is a newly discovered natural pteridine derivative unique to Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) nectar and honey, with no previously reported biological activity. Pteridine derivative-based medicines, such as methotrexate, are used to treat auto-immune and inflammatory diseases, and Mānuka honey reportedly possesses anti-inflammatory properties and is used topically as a wound dressing. MMP-9 is a potential candidate protein target as it is upregulated in recalcitrant wounds and intestinal inflammation. Using gelatin zymography, 40 μg/mL LepteridineTM inhibited the gelatinase activities of both pro- (22%, p < 0.0001) and activated (59%, p < 0.01) MMP-9 forms. By comparison, LepteridineTM exerted modest (~10%) inhibition against a chromogenic peptide substrate and no effect against a fluorogenic peptide substrate. These findings suggest that LepteridineTM may not interact within the catalytic domain of MMP-9 and exerts a negligible effect on the active site hydrolysis of small soluble peptide substrates. Instead, the findings implicate fibronectin II domain interactions by LepteridineTM which impair gelatinase activity, possibly through perturbed tethering of MMP-9 to the gelatin matrix. Molecular modelling analyses were equivocal over interactions at the S1′ pocket versus the fibronectin II domain, while molecular dynamic calculations indicated rapid exchange kinetics. No significant degradation of synthetic or natural LepteridineTM in Mānuka honey occurred during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. MMP-9 regulates skin and gastrointestinal inflammatory responses and extracellular matrix remodelling. These results potentially implicate LepteridineTM bioactivity in Mānuka honey's reported beneficial effects on wound healing via topical application and anti-inflammatory actions in gastrointestinal disorder models via oral consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the sophisticated institutional investors' preference for sustainable investing. Precisely, we examine the link between financial reporting quality and investment behaviour of institutional investors in the context of relatively high level of information asymmetry. The results suggest that sophisticated (i.e. institutional) investors tend to shy away from firms with poor quality of information in financial statements. Our analysis also suggest that an aggregate institutional ownership reduces by 1.2% for every unit decrease in financial reporting quality, and foreign institutional ownership decreases by 1%. Foreign ownership in firms with influential block holders decreases by 3% for every unit decrease in financial reporting quality. Overall, we find that institutional investors avoid relying on trading strategies that enhance returns based on information discovery in markets with high information acquisition costs and liquidity constraints, such as emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]