Investigations of the performance of 3D printed micro wind turbine composed of PLA material.

Wind energy conversion systems (WECS) have gained increasing attention in recent years as promising renewable energy sources. Despite their potential, a clear research gap exists: the majority of WECS underperform in low wind speed conditions, limiting their applicability in many regions. To address this problem, this study proposes a novel approach by developing a 100 W micro wind turbine using Polylactic Acid (PLA) to generate efficient power in low wind speed conditions. The proposed wind turbine design employs Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT), which is commonly used for modeling wind turbine performance. Geometric design, mechanical analysis, and aerodynamic analysis are the fundamental considerations for designing any machine. In this work, the CREO 3.0 three-dimensional modeling software is used to create the geometric design of the proposed work. The airfoil SD7080 is selected due to its superior aerodynamic performance, and mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, density, and Poisson's ratio are attained to evaluate the wind blade's performance. Additionally, ANSYS 15.0 is used to conduct a detailed analysis of the proposed wind turbine, evaluating properties such as equivalent stress, deformation, and equivalent strain. Both simulation (ANSYS 15.0) and experimental setups are used to investigate the proposed wind turbine's performance, and the corresponding results are presented and discussed in this manuscript. The results indicate a significant performance improvement of the proposed wind blade when compared to conventional and ABS wind blades, demonstrating its potential as a more efficient solution for WECS. This proposed wind turbine design overcomes the problems like underprformance in low wind speed conditions and the wind turbine efficiency in all regions.

The Utility of Using Preoperative MRI as a Predictor for Intraoperative Pituitary Adenoma Consistency and Surgical Resection Technique.

Objective Most pituitary adenomas are of soft consistency and can be resected during surgery with routine suction instruments. However, fibrous adenomas may require more aggressive techniques. The ability to predict consistency on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would improve preoperative preparation and may have implications on the extent of resection. Design A retrospective review of MRI and tumor histology of 50 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal resection for nonfunctional adenomas was performed. Methods An intensity ratio was calculated based on quantitative MRI signal intensity of the adenoma and pons. Intraoperatively, a sequentially graded technique required for resection ranged from suction (R1) for softer tumors, curettes (R2) for tumors with intermediate consistency, and aspirators and/or other microinstruments (R3) for firmer tumors. Fibrotic content was determined from histologic collagen percentage, and rates of gross total resection (GTR) were calculated from postoperative imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to determine if resection classification could be predicted by intensity ratio or collagen percentage, calculate ratio of cut-off points for clinical use, and assess for correlation between intensity ratios and collagen percentage. Results Tumors with ratios < 1.6 on the T2-weighted coronal image and collagen content > 5.3% were likely to have required a more aggressive resection technique. Statistically significant lower rates of GTR and higher rates of perioperative complications were seen with such tumors. Conclusion Preoperative MRI analyses can be helpful but not definitive in predicting adenoma consistency. Fibrous adenomas, associated with higher collagen content, are more difficult to resect and have higher rates of subtotal resection.

Organocatalytic Selective [3 + 2] Cycloadditions: Synthesis of Functionalized 5-Arylthiomethyl-1,2,3-triazoles and 4-Arylthio-1,2,3-triazoles.

An organocatalytic azide-ketone [3 + 2] cycloaddition (OrgAKC) of a variety of 1-aryl-3-(arylthio)propan-2-ones and 1-alkyl-3-(arylthio)propan-2-ones with different aryl/vinyl/alkyl azides is reported under ambient conditions to furnish the medicinally important 1,4-disubstituted-5-arylthiomethyl-1,2,3-triazoles and 1,5-disubstituted-4-arylthio-1,2,3-triazoles, respectively, in a regioselective manner with high yields/rates. With controlled and online NMR experiments, we proved that the reaction path is following the organocatalytic enolization through selective deprotonation followed by a [1,3]-H shift. Surprisingly, the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of aryl/vinyl/alkyl azides with the in situ-generated equilibrated thermodynamic ↔ kinetic enolates furnished the highly regioselective functionally rich 1,2,3-triazoles by discriminating their reactivities. This is the first report on the investigation of a selective OrgAKC with the regiomers of enolates generated in situ from the unsymmetrical carbonyl compounds. The reaction sustainability is explained with a few controlled experiments, mechanistic studies, and applications.

Deep Learning Based Skin Lesion Segmentation and Classification of Melanoma Using Support Vector Machine (SVM)

Objective: The main objective of this study is to improve the classification performance of melanoma using deep learning based automatic skin lesion segmentation. It can be assist medical experts on early diagnosis of melanoma on dermoscopy images. Methods: First A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based U-net algorithm is used for segmentation process. Then extract color, texture and shape features from the segmented image using Local Binary Pattern ( LBP), Edge Histogram (EH), Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) and Gabor method. Finally all the features extracted from these methods were fed into the Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Naïve Bayes (NB) classifiers to diagnose the skin image which is either melanoma or benign lesions. Results: Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. The Dice co-efficiency value of 77.5% is achieved for image segmentation and SVM classifier produced 85.19% of accuracy. Conclusion: In deep learning environment, U-Net segmentation algorithm is found to be the best method for segmentation and it helps to improve the classification performance.

Stereoselective Insertion of Benzynes into Lawsones: Synthesis of Biologically Important Benzannulated Bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes.

An ideal stereoselective insertion of in situ generated benzynes into lawsones through domino formal [2+2]-cycloaddition followed by rearrangement is disclosed. The reaction allowed for the preparation of biologically important benzannulated bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes in good yields and with excellent selectivities by using simple substrates and conditions.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Phosphorylated Abacavir Derivatives as Antiviral Agents Against Newcastle Disease Virus Infection in Chicken.

Newcastle disease virus is the most devastating virus in poultry industry. It can eradicate the entire poultry flocks once infected. This study is aimed to investigate the antiviral efficacy of novel phosphorylated analogues of the drug abacavir (ABC) against Newcastle disease virus (NDV). About 16 analogues of ABC were designed and docking was performed against fusion protein of NDV. Three compounds were identified and selected for synthesis and biological evaluation based on binding affinity and docking scores. The compounds were synthesized and characterized by IR, (1)H, (13)C, (31)P and CHN analysis and mass spectra. These compounds were tested for antiviral efficacy against NDV-infected DF-1 cells. Compound ABC-1 had shown potent antiviral activity as evidenced by significant reduction in plaque units and cytopathic effect. Therefore, ABC-1 was selected to test for NDV-infected chicken survival rate. Effective dose50 concentrations were determined for ABC-1. Antioxidant enzyme levels in brain, liver and lung tissues were estimated. Superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly raised and lipid peroxidation and HA titer levels were decreased upon treatment with 2 mg/kg body weight ABC-1. Histopathological modifications were also restored in the ABC-1-treated group. These findings demonstrated ABC-1 as a potential antiviral agent against NDV in chicken.

Design and synthesis of biaryl aryl stilbenes/ethylenes as antimicrotubule agents.

Two new series of compounds E-2,3,4-trimethoxy-6-styrylbiphenyls and 2,3,4-trimethoxy-6-(1-phenylvinyl)biphenyls were designed, synthesized and evaluated for antitubulin activity. A common intermediate 4,5,6-trimethoxybiphenyl-2-carbaldehydes was employed to generate the two scaffolds. Majority of the analogs inhibited cell proliferation and those functionalized with 3,4-(1,3-dioxolane) and 3,4-difluoro groups were identified as effective inhibitors in both the series. Treatments with 19b, 19c, 22b and 22c arrested cells at G2/M phase, disrupted microtubule network, accumulated tubulin in the soluble fraction and manifested an increased expression of the G2/M marker, Cyclin B1. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated the interaction of these compounds at the colchicine binding site of tubulin.

Structural investigations on sodium-lead borophosphate glasses doped with vanadyl ions.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), optical absorption, and FT-IR spectra of vanadyl ions in the sodium-lead borophosphate (Na(2)O-PbO-B(2)O(3)-P(2)O(5)) (SLBP) glass system have been studied. EPR spectra of all the glass samples exhibit resonance signals characteristic of VO(2+) ions. The spin Hamiltonian parameters g and A are found to be independent of the V(2)O(5) content and temperature. The values of the spin Hamiltonian parameters indicate that the VO(2+) ions in SLBP glasses are present in octahedral sites with tetragonal compression. The population difference between Zeeman levels (N) is calculated as a function of temperature for an SLBP glass sample containing 1.0 mol % VO(2+) ions. From the EPR data, the paramagnetic susceptibility (χ) is calculated at different temperatures, and the Curie constant (C) is calculated from the 1/χ versus T graph. The optical absorption spectra of the glass samples show two absorption bands, and they are attributed to V(3+) and V(4+) ions. The optical band gap energy (E(opt)) and Urbach energy (ΔE) are calculated from their ultraviolet absorption edges. It is observed that, as the vanadium ion concentration increases, E(opt) decreases and ΔE increases. The study of the IR absorption spectrum depicts the presence of BO(3), BO(4), PO(3), PO(4), and VO(5) structural units.

Nimbolide retards tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis by downregulating MMP-2/9 expression via inhibiting ERK1/2 and reducing DNA-binding activity of NF-κB in colon cancer cells.

Nimbolide, a plant-derived limonoid has been shown to exert its antiproliferative effects in various cell lines. We demonstrate that nimbolide effectively inhibited proliferation of WiDr colon cancer cells through inhibition of cyclin A leading to S phase arrest. It also caused activation of caspase-mediated apoptosis through the inhibition of ERK1/2 and activation of p38 and JNK1/2. Further nimbolide effectively retarded tumor cell migration and invasion through inhibition of metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9) expression, both at the mRNA and protein level. It was also a strong inhibitor of VEGF expression, promoter activity, and in vitro angiogenesis. Finally, nimbolide suppressed the nuclear translocation of p65/p50 and DNA binding of NF-κB, which is an important transcription factor for controlling MMP-2/9 and VEGF gene expression.

The "Two faces" of Tumor Suppressor p53-revisited.

About 15 years ago, several groups including ours had used matched pairs of cell lines carrying wild type or mutant p53 genes to ascertain a role for p53 in cell survival. These were isogenic cell lines differing only by p53 status. The trend at that time was to support p53-mediated apoptosis. Accordingly, p53-wildtype cells were sensitive to DNA damage compared to p53-mutant cells which were thought to evade apoptosis. However, this finding was not universal. In particular, after UV-radiation, p53-mutant cells were more sensitive than their wild type p53 counterparts in several studies. The finding that p53 controlled a major DNA repair pathway, nucleotide excision repair (NER) which repairs UV-damage, provided a mechanism for the observations. We coined the term "the two faces of tumor suppressor p53" to illustrate that p53 can on one hand induce apoptosis leading to cell sensitivity, but p53 can also enhance the rate of DNA repair thereby protecting cells from DNA damage. This concept has gained acceptance and has been expanded to other DNA-damaging agents. New insights into how p53 is "switched" from a protective function to an apoptotic function are reviewed.

The Xpc gene markedly affects cell survival in mouse bone marrow.

The XPC protein (encoded by the xeroderma pigmentosum Xpc gene) is a key DNA damage recognition factor that is required for global genomic nucleotide excision repair (G-NER). In contrast to transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER), XPC and G-NER have been reported to contribute only modestly to cell survival after DNA damage. Previous studies were conducted using fibroblasts of human or mouse origin. Since the advent of Xpc-/- mice, no study has focused on the bone marrow of these mice. We used carboplatin to induce DNA damage in Xpc-/- and strain-matched wild-type mice. Using several independent methods, Xpc-/- bone marrow was approximately 10-fold more sensitive to carboplatin than the wild type. Importantly, 12/20 Xpc-/- mice died while 0/20 wild-type mice died. We conclude that G-NER, and XPC specifically, can contribute substantially to cell survival. The data are important in the context of cancer chemotherapy, where Xpc gene status and G-NER may be determinants of response to DNA-damaging agents including carboplatin. Additionally, altered cell cycles and altered DNA damage signalling may contribute to the cell survival end point.

Seleno-L-Methionine Modulation of Nucleotide Excision DNA Repair Relevant to Cancer Prevention and Chemotherapy.

Organic selenium compounds are known to prevent certain cancers although mechanisms may be complex. A widely-held view is that selenium compounds can induce apoptosis in cancer cells, or more precisely, in aberrant cells that are undergoing clonal evolution somewhere along the carcinogenesis process. There are at least 20 different selenium compounds, inorganic as well as organic, that have been used in various published studies. Extrapolation between studies should therefore be undertaken with caution. Similarly, it will be important to ascertain the physiological relevance of the selenium concentrations used in some studies. While cancer prevention by selenium is well-established, recently, organic selenium in the form of pure seleno-L-methionine (SeMet) has been used in combination with cancer chemotherapy drugs. SeMet can induce a DNA repair response in some cell types including bone marrow. Cancer cells generally lack a SeMet-inducible DNA repair response. Thus, SeMet appears to selectively regulate a DNA repair pathway and thereby potentially alter responses to cancer chemotherapy drugs. The specific pathway implicated, nucleotide excision DNA repair (NER) is required for repair of cisplatin or carboplatin DNA damage relevant to chemotherapy. Moreover, some studies have implicated NER as a factor in carcinogenesis processes. Thus, the capacity of SeMet to selectively regulate NER may prove useful in both therapeutic and preventive contexts.

Pinocembrin triggers Bax-dependent mitochondrial apoptosis in colon cancer cells.

Bioflavanoids are the major pigments in plants with multitude of biological activities including inhibition of proliferation or induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. Even though the safety records of most flavanoids are exceptional, its therapeutic use is still in its infancy. We have isolated pinocembrin (5,7-dihydroxyflavanone) from Alpinia galanga that showed cytotoxicity against a variety of cancer cells including normal lung fibroblasts with relative nontoxicity to human umbilical cord endothelial cells. The compound induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential with subsequent release of cytochrome c and processing of caspase-9 and -3 in colon cancer cell line HCT 116. Processing of caspase-8 was minimal. The initial trigger for mitochondrial apoptosis appears to be by the translocation of cytosolic Bax protein to mitochondria. Overexpression of proapoptotic Bax protein sensitized the colon cancer cells to pinocembrin-induced apoptosis and Bax knockout cells were resistant to pinocembrin-induced apoptosis. Antiapoptotic protein Bcl-X(L) only partially prevented apoptosis induced by this compound. The Bax-dependent cell death involving classical cytochrome c release and processing of caspase-9 and -3 suggests that pinocembrin is a classical mitochondrial apoptosis inducer. But the failure of Bcl-X(L) overexpression to completely prevent apoptosis induced by this compound suggests that pinocembrin is capable of triggering mitochondrial-independent cell death that needs to be clarified. The existence of cell death upon Bcl-X(L) overexpression is a promising feature of this compound that can be exploited against drug resistant forms of cancer cells either alone or in combination with other drugs.

Isodeoxyelephantopin, a novel sesquiterpene lactone, potentiates apoptosis, inhibits invasion, and abolishes osteoclastogenesis through suppression of nuclear factor-kappaB (nf-kappaB) activation and nf-kappaB-regulated gene expression.

PURPOSE: Deoxyelephantopin (ESD) and isodeoxyelephantopin (ESI) are two sesquiterpene lactones derived from the medicinal plant Elephantopus scaber Linn. (Asteraceae). Although they are used for the treatment of a wide variety of proinflammatory diseases, very little is known about their mechanism of action. Because most genes that control inflammation are regulated by activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), we postulated that ESD and ESI mediate their activities through modulation of the NF-kappaB activation pathway. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We investigated the effect of ESI and ESD on NF-kappaB activation by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and NF-kappaB-regulated gene expression by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: We found that ESI suppressed NF-kappaB activation induced by a wide variety of inflammatory agents, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1beta, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and lipopolysaccharide. The suppression was not cell type specific, and both inducible and constitutive NF-kappaB activation was blocked. ESI did not interfere with the binding of NF-kappaB to DNA but rather inhibited IkappaBalpha kinase, IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, IkappaBalpha degradation, p65 phosphorylation, and subsequent p65 nuclear translocation. ESI also suppressed the expression of TNF-induced NF-kappaB-regulated, proliferative, antiapoptotic, and metastatic gene products. These effects correlated with enhancement of apoptosis induced by TNF and suppression of TNF-induced invasion and receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand-induced osteoclastogenesis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ESI inhibits NF-kappaB activation and NF-kappaB-regulated gene expression, which may explain the ability of ESI to enhance apoptosis and inhibit invasion and osteoclastogenesis.

Indigenous cost-effective peritoneo-venous shunt for refractory ascites.

About 5% of patients with chronic liver disease develop massive refractory ascites. These patients cease to respond to diuretic therapy and may develop prerenal azotemia. There is a small but definite role for the peritoneo-venous shunt in these patients. In our study of 36 patients, managed with locally made, single-valved peritoneo-venous shunts (GSAIMS shunts), shunt failure and complication rates were assessed postoperatively. There is a definite improvement in quality of life with this cost-effective locally made shunt if patients are selected carefully. Long-term follow-up of these patients is not possible because most of these patients succumb to advanced liver disease.

RETRACTED: A simple spectrophotometric technique for the determination of carbaryl pesticides in various environments.

This article has been retracted at the request of the Editors-in-Chief. Please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). REASON: Considerable concern was raised about the research purportedly conducted at Sri Venkateswara University, India with the alleged involvement of Prof. P. Chiranjeevi. Questions were raised as to the volume of publications, the actual capacity (equipment, orientation and chemicals) of the laboratory in which Prof. Chiranjeevi worked, the validity of certain of the research data identified in the articles, the fact that a number of papers appear to have been plagiarized from other previously published papers, and some aspects of authorship. Professor Chiranjeevi was given the opportunity to respond to these allegations. Thereafter, a committee was constituted by the University to look into these allegations. Based on the enquiry committee report, we have been informed by the head of the Department of Chemistry at Sri Venkateswara University that the university authorities have taken disciplinary action against Prof. Chiranjeevi, as the university considers that there are grounds for such action. Therefore, based on the results of this investigation, the Editor is retracting this article.