Convergence analysis of perturbed hemivariational inequalities

We consider the rate of convergence for a class of perturbed hemivariational inequalities in reflexive Banach Spaces. Our results can be viewed as an extension and refinement of some previous known results in this area.     

Dendritic cells: In the forefront of immunopathogenesis and vaccine development – A review

Dendritic cellls (DCs) comprise an essential component of the immune system. These cells, as antigen presenting cells (APCs) to na?ve T cells, are crucial in the initiation of antigen specific immune responses. In the past years, several DC subsets have been identified in different organs which exert different effects in order to elicit adaptive immune responses. Thus, identification of such DC subsets has led to a better understanding of their distribution and function in the body. In this review, several key properties of the immunobiology, immunopathogenesis and vaccine strategies using DCs will be discussed.     

Dielectric relaxation of polystyrene with side-chain- and chain-end-labels

Polystyrenes with different concentrations of side groups with cyano groups were prepared and complex dielectric constants were measured in the range of the glass transition temperature and the frequency range of 10^–2–10⁷ Hz.The GPC and DSC measurements showed that the molecular weight of these polystyrenes was about 10500 g/mole and the glass transition temperatures were 89.5°C for all samples.The dielectric relaxation spectra obtained for the side group polystyrene labels and also the chain-end polystyrene labels prepared before [9] were analyzed to find out the degree of coupling of the chain-end and side-group labels with the cooperative reorientation of the polymeric matrix. The analysis of the spectra was carried out using the analysis method developed by Mansour and Stoll [6].The results obtained showed that both end- and side-group labels are strongly coupled with the segmental reorientation and relax with relaxation times longer than that of the segments.The value of logf _m = (logf _m(label)) – logf _m(matrix)) was obtained from the recently designed comparison diagram suggested by Mansour and Stoll [6, 14]. The value of logf _m depends on the label length in the case of chain-end labels.It was surprising to find that the side groups relax slower than the segments by only 0.9 decades. These results obtained implied that the label relaxes through a multistep relaxation mechanism of the side and end groups and not through a diffusion mechanism of the whole chain. In addition, the effective lengths of the relaxing units were determined using the empirical equation obtained before in the case of rodlike molecules in polyisoprene [7].     

Electrochemical behaviour of an indium electrode in concentrated KOH solutions at different temperatures

Summary The electrochemical behaviour of pure indium in KOH solutions (1–4M) was studied at different temperatures (25–70°C) by potentiostatic techniques. Two anodic peaks corresponding to the formation of In(OH)₃ and In₂O₃ were observed. The heights of the two peaks increased with the increase of alkali concentration. An increase of temperature increased the peak currents and shifted their corresponding potentials to more negative values. The variation of the peak currents and peak potentials with scan rate suggested that the anodic dissolution of indium was a diffusion controlled process. In cyclic voltammetry, the reverse scan consistently showed one peak which was attributed to the reduction of anodic oxidation products into indium. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of In(OH)₃ at the first anodic peak, In(OH)₃ and In₂O₃ at the second anodic peak and In₂O₃ in the permanent passive region.

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Zum elektrochemischen Verhalten einer Indium-Elektrode in konzentrierter Kalilauge bei verschiedenen Temperaturen

Zusammenfassung Es wurde das Verhalten von reinem Indium in 1 – 4M KOH-Lösungen bei Temperaturen zwischen 25 und 70°C mittels potentiostatischer Methoden untersucht. Zwei anodische Peaks, entsprechend der Bildung von In(OH)₃ und In₂O₃, traten auf. Die Höhe der beiden Peaks wurde mit zunehmender Alkalikonzentration gesteigert. Eine Temperaturerhöhung verstärkte die Peakströme und verschob die entsprechenden Potentiale zu negativeren Werten. Die Abhängigkeit der Peakströme und Peakpotentiale von der Scangeschwindigkeit legte den Schluß nahe, daß die anodische Lösung von Indium in einem diffusionskontrollierten Prozeß stattfindet. Bei der cyclischen Voltammetrie zeigte der reverse Scan einheitlich einen Peak, der der Reduktion der anodischen Oxidationsprodukte zu Indium zugeschrieben wurde. Röntgendiffraktionsanalyse bestätigte die Präsenz von In(OH)₃ beim ersten anodischen Peak, In(OH)₃ beim zweiten Peak und In₂O₃ im permanent passiven Bereich.

     

Phytochemical Characterization,Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cleome arabica L. Fruits Extract against Formalin Induced Chronic Inflammation in Female Wistar Rat: Biochemical,Histological, and In Silico Studies

In recent decades, the use of herbs and plants has been of great interest, as they have been the sources of natural products, commonly named as bioactive compounds. In specific, the natural compounds from the Capparaceae family which has been proved to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic activities, by several studies. Cleome arabica L. (CA) specie is the most used medicinal plants in Tunisia and elsewhere in North African countries for treatment of various diseases including diabetes, rheumatism, inflammation, cancer, and digestive disorders. The current work was undertaken to estimate the total phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin contents, to identify and quantify the polyphenolic compounds, and to evaluate the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory proprieties of CA fruits extract against formalin induced chronic inflammation in Female Wistar rats. In fact, the antioxidant activity was tested by Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging (DPPH), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Nitric Oxide radical (NO·). Anti-inflammatory effect of fruits extract was examined using formalin (2%) induced paw edema in rats. Molecular docking tools were used to investigate the interaction of some compounds from CA fruits extract with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) target protein. Our results showed that, the total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins contents, which were assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu, Quercetin, and Catechin methods, respectively, were 230.22 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight (mg GAE/g DW), 55.08 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight (QE/g DW) and 15.17 mg catechin equivalents/g dry weight (CatE/g DW), respectively. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of five polyphenolic compounds whose catechin was found to be the most abundant compounds. The antioxidant activity of extract was quantified by DPPH, FRAP and NO· tests and IC₅₀ reached the values of 3.346 mg/mL, 2.306 and 0.023 mg/mL, respectively. Cleome fruits ameliorated the histological integrity of the skin and alleviated the disruptions in hematological parameters (WBC, LYM, RBC, and HGB), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), C-reactive protein, and some oxidative stress markers (TBARS (−49%) and AOPP (−42%) levels, SOD (+33%) and GPx (+75%) activities, and GSH (+49%) content) induced by formalin injection. Moreover, the in-silico investigation had shown that CA fruits extract compounds have a stronger interaction with COX-2 active site, more than the reference drug “indomethacin” (two H-bonds). Our research gives pharmacological backing to the healthcare utilization of Cleome plant in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and oxidative harm.     

Amplified detection of nucleic acids and proteins using an isothermal proximity CRISPR Cas12a assay

Herein, we describe an isothermal proximity CRISPR Cas12a assay that harnesses the target-induced indiscrimitive single-stranded DNase activity of Cas12a for the quantitative profiling of gene expression at the mRNA level and detection of proteins with high sensitivity and specificity. The target recognition is achieved through proximity binding rather than recognition by CRISPR RNA (crRNA), which allows for flexible assay design. A binding-induced primer extension reaction is used to generate a predesigned CRISPR-targetable sequence as a barcode for further signal amplification. Through this dual amplification protocol, we were able to detect as low as 1 fM target nucleic acid and 100 fM target protein isothermally. The practical applicability of this assay was successfully demonstrated for the temporal profiling of interleukin-6 gene expression during allergen-mediated mast cell activation.

Herein, we develop an isothermal proximity CRISPR Cas12a assay that harnesses the target-induced collateral cleavage activity of Cas12a for the quantitative profiling of gene expression and detection of proteins with high sensitivity and specificity.     

Some physical and magnetic properties of Mg‐Zn ferrite

Some physical properties (such as lattice parameter, density and porosity) and magnetic properties of the system Mg_1‐xZn_xFe₂O₄; where x=0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4,0.5and 0.6 have been studied. It was found that the lattice parameter increases with increasing the zinc concentration. The composition dependence of the physical properties is divided into two regions. The first one is for x ≤ 0.3 and the second one is for x > 0.3. From the magnetization measurements, the basic composition (MgFe₂O₄) shows the lowest magnetization, while the composition of x=0.4 shows the highest one. The behaviour of magnetization M versus composition shows also two regions for x <>0.3. The behaviour of M versus x was discussed in the bases of cation distribution. From the B‐H loops, the remanence induction B_r, saturation induction B_s and the coercive force H_c were determined and studied with x. The Curie temperature T_C was determined from the measurements of the initial permeability μ_i versus temperature. It was found T_C decreases with increasing Zn‐content. Also paramagnetic temperature T_P was determined from the behaviour of M_S vs. T. In general it was found T_P > T_C by about 7‐10 K.