Automatic localization of pupil using eccentricity and iris using gradient based method

This paper presents a novel approach for the automatic localization of pupil and iris. Pupil and iris are nearly circular regions, which are surrounded by sclera, eyelids and eyelashes. The localization of both pupil and iris is extremely important in any iris recognition system. In the proposed algorithm pupil is localized using Eccentricity based Bisection method which looks for the region that has the highest probability of having pupil. While iris localization is carried out in two steps. In the first step, iris image is directionally segmented and a noise free region (region of interest) is extracted. In the second step, angular lines in the region of interest are extracted and the edge points of iris outer boundary are found through the gradient of these lines. The proposed method is tested on CASIA ver 1.0 and MMU Iris databases. Experimental results show that this method is comparatively accurate.     

Pressure anisotropy effects on nonlinear electrostatic excitations in magnetized electron-positron-ion plasmas

The propagation of linear and nonlinear electrostatic waves is investigated in a magnetized anisotropic electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma with superthermal electrons and positrons. A two-dimensional plasma geometry is assumed. The ions are assumed to be warm and anisotropic due to an external magnetic field. The anisotropic ion pressure is defined using the double adiabatic Chew-Golberger-Low (CGL) theory. In the linear regime, two normal modes are predicted, whose characteristics are investigated parametrically, focusing on the effect of superthermality of electrons and positrons, ion pressure anisotropy, positron concentration and magnetic field strength. A Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) type equation is derived for the electrostatic potential (disturbance) via a reductive perturbation method. The parametric role of superthermality, positron content, ion pressure anisotropy and magnetic field strength on the characteristics of solitary wave structures is investigated. Following Allen and Rowlands [J. Plasma Phys. 53, 63 (1995)], we have shown that the pulse soliton solution of the ZK equation is unstable to oblique perturbations, and have analytically traced the dependence of the instability growth rate on superthermality and ion pressure anisotropy.     

ΛΛ 6 hypernucleus in α + 2Λ cluster model

The binding energy of the double hypernucleus _ΛΛ ⁶ is calculated in α + 2Λ cluster model using the method of translation invariant basis TIMO. As regards the required interaction potentials we use a density dependent effective ΛN force and a gaussian form for ΛΛ potential. With these interactions a very reasonable value ofB _ΛΛ is obtained if the oscillator states up to the excitation quantum numberN=12 are taken into account in the expansion of wavefunction of the hypernucleus. This value ofN is much smaller than that obtained in an earlier study. This lowering inN value is attributed to a much better choice of ΛN potential used in the present study.     

TmDOTA-: a sensitive probe for MR thermometry in vivo.

The lanthanide complex, thulium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (TmDOTA-), has been investigated as an agent for MR thermometry in vivo. The chemical shifts of the TmDOTA- protons were highly sensitive to temperature at a clinically relevant field strength, yet insensitive to pH and the presence of Ca2+. Given the excellent stability of lanthanide-DOTA complexes and high thermal sensitivity, TmDOTA- is expected to be a good candidate for MR thermometry in vivo.     

Effect of Andrographis paniculata leaf extract on wound healing in rats

This work was carried out to study the effect of topical application of Andrographis paniculata on the rate of wound enclosure and its histological features. A wound was created in four groups of rat in posterior neck region. Blank placebo was applied topically to the wounds of Group 1. Groups 2 and 3 were dressed with placebo containing 5% and 10% extracts of A. paniculata, respectively. Intrasite gel was applied topically to the wounds of Group 4. Macroscopical examination revealed that the rate of wound healing was significantly accelerated in the wound dressed with A. paniculata extract compared to the blank placebo. The wounds dressed with 10% extract or Intrasite gel healed earlier compared to the wounds dressed with placebo containing 5% A. paniculata extract. Histologically, wounds dressed with A. paniculata extracts showed markedly less scar width and contained large amounts of fibroblast proliferation. More collagen and less angiogenesis with absence of inflammatory cells were seen for wounds dressed with 10% A. paniculata compared to the blank placebo. Conclusion, A. paniculata extracts significantly enhanced rate of wound healing in rats.     

A simple and efficient synthesis and dynamic NMR studies of some new podands of dithiocarbamates formed from bis(naphthyl) derivatives

The reaction of dithiocarbamate salts ( IV _{a − c} ) with bis(naphthalene chloroacetates) ( II _a,b ) and bis(naphthalene ethoxybromide) ( II _c ) in dimethylformamide (DMF) furnished corresponding podands as V _{a − i} in high to excellent yields. Three reacting ligands, ( II _a,b ) and ( II _c ), were obtained in the reaction of bis(naphthalene) ( I _a,b ) with chloroacetylchloride and 1,2‐dibromoethane. Dynamic NMR spectroscopic data of three series of podands ( V _{a − c} , V _d−f , and V _{g − i} ) are discussed, and their free energy of activation (Δ G_C^≠) at coalescence temperatures are figured out. The Δ G_C^≠ s of these podands were attributed to conformational isomerization in the range of 14.5–18.3 kcal mol⁻¹ due to rotation and resonance effects about thioamide C N bond. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:659–668, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20730     

Antibacterial Effects of Flavonoids and Their Structure-Activity Relationship Study: A Comparative Interpretation

According to the latest report released by the World Health Organization, bacterial resistance to well-known and widely available antibacterial drugs has become a significant and severe global health concern and a grim challenge to tackle in order to cure infections associated with multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms efficiently. Consequently, various strategies have been orchestrated to cure the severe complications related to multidrug-resistant bacteria effectively. Some approaches involved the retardation of biofilm formation and multidrug-resistance pumps in bacteria as well as the discovery of new antimicrobial agents demonstrating different mechanisms of action. In this regard, natural products namely alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, anthraquinone, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, etc., have been suggested to tackle the multidrug-resistant bacterial strains owing to their versatile pharmacological effects. Amongst these, flavonoids, also known as polyphenolic compounds, have been widely evaluated for their antibacterial property due to their tendency to retard the growth of a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. The hydroxylation of C5, C7, C3′, and C4′; and geranylation or prenylation at C6 have been extensively studied to increase bacterial inhibition of flavonoids. On the other hand, methoxylation at C3′ and C5 has been reported to decrease flavonoids’ antibacterial action. Hence, the latest information on the antibacterial activity of flavonoids is summarized in this review, with particular attention to the structure–activity relationship of this broad class of natural compounds to discover safe and potent antibacterial agents as natural products.     

Synthesis of Fe3O4-supported Schiff base Cu (II) complex: a novel efficient and recyclable magnetic nanocatalyst for one-pot three-component synthesis of quinolin-5-one,chromene-3-carbonitrile and phthalazine-5,10-dione derivatives

Research on Chemical Intermediates - In this research, synthesis and characterization of a novel Schiff base Cu (II) complex immobilized on Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles are reported. Then, the...     

Selenium Alleviates the Adverse Effect of Drought in Oilseed Crops Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) and Canola (Brassica napus L.)

Drought poses a serious threat to oilseed crops by lowering yield and crop failures under prolonged spells. A multi-year field investigation was conducted to enhance the drought tolerance in four genotypes of Camelina and canola by selenium (Se) application. The principal aim of the research was to optimize the crop yield by eliciting the physio-biochemical attributes by alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress. Both crops were cultivated under control (normal irrigation) and drought stress (skipping irrigation at stages i.e., vegetative and reproductive) conditions. Four different treatments of Se viz., seed priming with Se (75 μM), foliar application of Se (7.06 μM), foliar application of Se + Seed priming with Se (7.06 μM and 75 μM, respectively) and control (without Se), were implemented at the vegetative and reproductive stages of both crops. Sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃), an inorganic compound was used as Se sources for both seed priming and foliar application. Data regarding physiochemical, antioxidants, and yield components were recorded as response variables at crop maturity. Results indicated that WP, OP, TP, proline, TSS, TFAA, TPr, TS, total chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectant (GB, anthocyanin, TPC, and flavonoids), antioxidants (APX, SOD, POD, and CAT), and yield components (number of branches per plant, thousand seed weight, seed, and biological yields were significantly improved by foliar Se + priming Se in both crops under drought stress. Moreover, this treatment was also helpful in boosting yield attributes under irrigated (non-stress) conditions. Camelina genotypes responded better to Se application as seed priming and foliar spray than canola for both years. It has concluded that Se application (either foliar or priming) can potentially alleviate adverse effects of drought stress in camelina and canola by eliciting various physio-biochemicals attributes under drought stress. Furthermore, Se application was also helpful for crop health under irrigated condition.     

Malformin-A1 (MA1) Sensitizes Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis

High-grade epithelial ovarian cancer is a fatal disease in women frequently associated with drug resistance and poor outcomes. We previously demonstrated that a marine-derived compound MalforminA1 (MA1) was cytotoxic for the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of MA1 on human ovarian cancer cells. The potential cytotoxicity of MA1was tested on cisplatin-sensitive (A2780S) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780CP) ovarian cancer cell lines using AlamarBlue assay, Hoechst dye, flow cytometry, Western blot, and RT-qPCR. MA1 had higher cytotoxic activity on A2780S (IC50 = 0.23 µM) and A2780CP (IC50 = 0.34 µM) cell lines when compared to cisplatin (IC50 = 31.4 µM and 76.9 µM, respectively). Flow cytometry analysis confirmed the cytotoxic effect of MA1. The synergistic effect of the two drugs was obvious, since only 13% of A2780S and 7% of A2780CP cells remained alive after 24 h of treatment with both MA1 and cisplatin. Moreover, we examined the expression of bcl2, p53, caspase3/9 genes at RNA and protein levels using RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively, to figure out the cell death mechanism induced by MA1. A significant down-regulation in bcl2 and p53 genes was observed in treated cells compared to non-treated cells (p < 0.05), suggesting that MA1 may not follow the canonical pathway to induce apoptosis in ovarian cancer cell lines. MalforminA1 showed promising anticancer activity by inducing cytotoxicity in cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant cancer cell lines. Interestingly, a synergistic effect was observed when MA1 was combined with cisplatin, leading to it overcoming its resistance to cisplatin.