Determination of nicotine extracted from eggplant and green pepper by HPLC

Nicotine was separated from eggplant and green pepper seeds (Solanaceous) by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).The concentration of nicotine in the eggplant extract (0.871-0.877 μg/ml) was determined by injecting standard material with 0.5 and 1.5 μg/ml, while the concentrations of nicotine in green pepper extract (0.613-0.618 μg/ml) was determined when the standard material was injected with 0.5 and 1.5 μg/ml. The qualitative chemical data was calculated from derivations of the standard material. Nicotine concentration was measured qualitatively in both extracts through the calibration curve and method of the standard addition. This technique has high accuracy and compatibility, bringing the proportion of relative recovery percentage of nicotine extracted from eggplant seeds to 95.880-103.104% and relative error of -4.119-3.104%. Relative recovery percentage of nicotine extracted from green pepper seeds was 97.284 - 103.518 % and relative error was -2.716-3.518%.

Applications of logistic regression and artificial neural network for ICSI prediction

The third most serious disease estimated by Word Wide Organization after cancer and cardiovascular disease is the infertility. The advanced treatment techniques is the Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedure, it represents the best chance to have a baby for couples having an infertility problem. ICSI treatment is expensive, and there are many factors affecting the success of the treatment, including male and female factors. The paper aims to classify and predict the ICSI treatment results using logistic regression and artificial neural network. For this purpose, data are extracted from real patients and contain parameters such as age, endometrial receptivity, endometrial and myometrial vascularity index, number of embryo transfer, day of transfer, and quality of embryo transferred. Overall, the logistic regression predicts the output of the ICSI outcome with an accuracy of 75%. In other parts, the neural network managed to achieve an accuracy of 79.5% with all parameters and 75% with only the significant parameters.

Effect of killing methods and preservative solutions on the larval body length of chrysomya marginalis (dipteral : calliphoridae)

Estimation of the minimum post mortem interval (PMI) is the essential role of forensic entomology. The accurate determination of this interval depends on the correct larval identification and accurate estimation of larval age. One method of larval age estimation is the larval length measurement. Killing methods and the type of preservative solutions can greatly affect the larval length and therefore reduce the accuracy of PMI estimation. This study was conducted to determine which killing method and preservative can preserve the best larval length of Chrysomya marginalis. Third instar C. marginalis larvae were either placed live in the preservatives, 10% formalin, 70% ethanol, XAA, Kahleˊs solution and Pampleˊs fluid, or killed by boiling water (BWK) before being placed in the same preservatives. The larval length was recorded after day 1, 3, 5, 7 and 15 and for BWK larvae only; the length was recorded immediately after killing the larvae and before being placed in the preservatives. The larval length of C. marginalis was significantly affected by killing method (live or BWK) and the type of the preservative used. The mean length of the larvae placed live in the preservatives decreases significantly than those killed by boiling water before being placed in the preservatives.It was observed that killing larvae by boiling water then preserved in 10% formalin and Kahleˊs solution is the best method for preserving the larval length, but 10% formalin is not recommended if DNA recovery is desired.

Effect of simultaneous proprioceptive-visual feedback on gait of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

To evaluate the effect of simultaneous proprioceptive - visual training on gait parameters in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract carcinomas

Radical multimodality therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma

Mitochondrial fatty acid biosynthesis and muscle fiber plasticity in very long‐chain acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase‐deficient mice

The white skeletal muscle of very long‐chain acyl‐CoA‐dehydrogenase‐deficient ( VLCAD −/− ) mice undergoes metabolic modification to compensate for defective β‐oxidation in a progressive and time‐dependent manner by upregulating glucose oxidation. This metabolic regulation seems to be accompanied by morphologic adaptation of muscle fibers toward the glycolytic fiber type II with the concomitant upregulation of mitochondrial fatty acid biosynthesis ( mFASII ) and lipoic acid biosynthesis. Dietary supplementation of VLCAD −/− mice with different medium‐chain triglycerides over 1 year revealed that odd‐chain species has no effect on muscle fiber switch, whereas even‐chain species inhibit progressive metabolic adaptation. Our study shows that muscle may undergo adaptive mechanisms that are modulated by dietary supplementation. We describe for the first time a concomitant change of mFASII in this muscular adaptation process.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of New Poly(ether‐amide)/Silver Nanocomposites

In this work, a series of antibacterial poly(ether‐amide)/silver nanocomposites (PANCs) was prepared via in situ preparation of Ag nanoparticles within a new poly(ether‐amide) (PA) matrix. A new type of dicarboxylic acid (DA) containing ether and aliphatic moieties was successfully synthesized via a solvent‐free reaction. Then a new PA with high solubility in common organic solvents was synthesized from a direct reaction of 4,4‐diamino diphenylmethane and the DA. Silver nanoparticles were embedded within the PA chains through using a silver/ammonia complex [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] + . The formation of nano silver was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The effect of Ag nanoparticles on thermal properties of the prepared nanocomposites was studied by the thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the thermal properties of the nanocomposites were improved as compared with the neat PA. The antibacterial capability of the PANCs was studied by the disk diffusion method against Escherichia coli , which suggested that the PANCs can be considered as good antibacterial agents.

Issue Information

Progress in Poly (3‐Hexylthiophene) Organic Solar Cells and the Influence of Its Molecular Weight on Device Performance

Poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was an early frontrunner in the development of donor polymers to be used in organic photovoltaics. A relatively straightforward and inexpensive synthesis suggests that it may be the most viable donor polymer to use in large‐scale commercial organic solar cells. Replacing fullerenes with new electron acceptors has led to significant improvements in device performance and stability, with devices now able to exceed an efficiency of 7%. Past studies have reported a dependence of device performance on the molecular weight of the polymer in fullerene‐containing blends, however, with nonfullerene acceptors now showing promise a similar study was needed. P3HT blends, with two nonfullerene acceptors (O‐IDTBR and EH‐IDTBR), were probed using a number of polymer batches with varying molecular weights. O‐IDTBR was shown to exhibit a dependence on the polymer molecular weight, with optimal performance achieved with a 34 kDa polymer, while EH‐IDTBR displayed an independence in performance with varying polymer molecular weight. Probing the thermal and morphological behavior of the P3HT:O‐IDTBR blends suggests that an optimal morphology with pronounced donor and acceptor domains was only achieved with the 34 kDa polymer, and a greater degree of mixing was exhibited in the other blends, likely leading to poorer device performance.