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Background: Colon cancer begins in the large intestine (colon) and is aggressive due to late diagnosis, so there is a poor prognosis and higher mortality rates, as reported. Colon cancer has become a vital research area requiring more investigation of cellular signaling in its initiation and development. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the biological effects of Glycerol in cell proliferation and the possible regulation of cellular signaling by exogenous treatment of Glycerol in colon cancer cells compared with colon mucosal epithelial cells. Materials and Methods: The influence of Glycerol on cell viability rate was monitored by inverted microscopy, and the number of living cells was assessed upon incubation with different concentrations of Glycerol. We further inspected the apoptotic rate of CaCo-2 cells by using Annexin-V staining by flow cytometry. Moreover, we achieved the expression profile of lysosomal-associated proteins, LAMP-1 and LAMP-2, in treated cells using qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Finally, we monitored the released pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory in response to Glycerol treatment using ELISA assay. Results: Our results showed that Glycerol treatment could prevent cancer cell proliferation without any detectable cytotoxic occurrence in the normal cells. Interestingly, we evidenced that Glycerol targets and breaks down the lysosomal activities by inhibiting the expression profile of both LAMP-1 and LAMP-2. Furthermore, Glycerol treatment successfully adjusted the production of IL-6 and IL-8 as pro-inflammatory cytokines while stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, in a time-dependent manner. Conclusion: These data provide evidence for the anti-cancer properties of Glycerol in colon cancer cells via targeting lysosomal activities and disturbance of the degradation events in colon cancer cells.

Bone marrow embolism (BME) is likely a consequence of fractures in which pulmonary vessels are the most affected. However, some cases of BME were reported in the absence of trauma. Thus, a traumatic injury might not be necessary for developing BME. This study discusses BME cases in patients without signs of fractures or blunt trauma. The discussion addresses various possible mechanisms for the appearance of BME. Options include cancer in which bone marrow metastasis is a suggestive cause. Another proposal is the chemical theory where bone marrow fats are released via lipoprotein lipase in a pro-inflammatory state, resulting in vascular/pulmonary obstruction. Other cases discussed in this study are hypovolemic shock and drug-abuse related BME. All autopsy cases with BME were included regardless of the cause of death for a period of 2 years. Autopsies involved complete dissection with the macroscopic evaluation of the affected organs, including the heart, lungs, and brain. Tissues were also prepared for microscopic examination. Of the 11 cases, eight showed non-traumatic BME (72%). These findings conflict with theories in the literature that BME most commonly occurs after fractures or trauma. One of the eight cases exhibited mucinous carcinoma; one is presented with hepatocellular carcinoma; and two cases showed severe congestion. Lastly, one case was found to be associated with each of the following conditions: liposuction, drug abuse, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure. Each case suggests a different pathophysiology for developing BME, yet the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Further study of non-traumatic associated BME is recommended.

Sarcocystosis is caused by different Sarcocystis species. It’s a protozoal infection with worldwide distribution in many species of animals. The current study aimed to transfer infection of S.moulei into the mice as well as morphological diagnosis to confirm this aquatic plant and treat the mice experimentally infected by S.moulei. The plants of the family Ruppiaceae are monocotyledons, containing only one genus, which has many species in the world., Plant samples of Ruppia sp. were isolated from one of the salt marshes(swamps) in a province in the area of five miles and were carried out for phenotypic and then molecular diagnosis for confirmation. The whole plant is approximately 30 cm (40-65) cm in length and less than 1 mm (0.9 mm) in stem diameter. The plant is monocious, and the flowers are bisexual and sessile in groups at the base of the leaves; the peduncles are more than 5 cm long and reach 22–23 cm in length, flexuous but not spirally coiled, and bearing 5–11 obliquely ovoid (2-2.5) mm in length. The leaves are distributed alternately across the stem. Experimental transfer of the infection was carried out to laboratory mice, and three concentrations were used to treat the infection (0.106, 0.156, and 0.206) g/kg of extract alkaloid of Ruppia sp., showing the two concentrations (0.156 and 0.206 g/kg) complete efficacy and complete recovery compared to the other groups and other concentrations, as well as the group (infected and treated with albendazole 0.250 g/kg).

The plants of the family Ruppiaceae are monocotyledons, containing only one genus, which has many species in the world., In Iraq, especially in Basrah Governorate, this study was aimed at morphological and molecular diagnosis to confirm this species, which is the only one registered at the local level in the country and in Basrah in particular. Plant samples of Ruppia maritima were isolated from one of the salt marshes(swamps) in a province in the area of five miles and were carried out for phenotypic and then molecular diagnosis for confirmation. The whole plant approximately more than 30 cm (40-65) cm in length and less than 1 mm (0.9 mm) in stem diameter .The plant is monocious and the flowers are bisexual and sessile as groups in the base of leaves ,the length of peduncles more than 5 cm reach to 22-23 cm flexuous ,but not spirally coiled and bearing between 5-11 fruits obliquely ovoid (2-2.5)mm in length. The leaves are distributed alternately across the stem . The PCR amplification of ten samples revealed that most of the samples have a positive band on gel electrophoresis. The partial chloroplast atpB-gene was amplified in all positive samples and produced the expected PCR size of 601bp for all samples. The present phylogenetic and genetic tree analysis confirmed that samples in the current study are closest to R. maritima. In accordance with the phenotypic classification, this is the first study from a molecular point of view in Iraq to establish this plant species.

Atherosclerosis progression is associated with a complex array of cellular processes in the arterial wall, including endothelial cell activation/dysfunction, chemokine-driven recruitment of immune cells, differentiation of monocytes to macrophages and their subsequent transformation into lipid laden foam cells, activation of inflammasome and pro-inflammatory signaling, and migration of smooth muscle cells from the media to the intima. The use of in vitro model systems has considerably advanced our understanding of these atherosclerosis-associated processes and they are also often used in drug discovery and other screening platforms. This chapter will describe key in vitro model systems employed frequently in atherosclerosis research.

Albumin infusion reduces the incidence of postparacentesis circulatory dysfunction among patients with cirrhosis and tense ascites compared with no treatment. Less costly treatment alternatives such as vasoconstrictors have been investigated, but the results are controversial. Midodrine, an oral α1-adrenergic agonist, increases effective circulating blood volume and renal perfusion by increasing systemic and splanchnic blood pressure. Our aim is to assess whether or not morbidity in terms of renal dysfunction, hyponatremia, systemic, or portal hemodynamics derangement or mortality differed in patients receiving albumin versus midodrine.Seventy-five patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites were randomized to receive albumin infusion, oral midodrine for 2 days, or oral midodrine for 30 days after therapeutic large volume paracentesis (LVP). The primary endpoints were development of renal impairment or hyponatremia, change in systemic and portal hemodynamics, cost, and mortality in the short-term and long-term follow-up.No significant difference was found between groups in the development of renal impairment, hyponatremia, or mortality 6 and 30 days after LVP. A significant increase in 24-h urine sodium excretion was noted in the midodrine 30-day group. Renal perfusion improved significantly with the midodrine intake for 30 days only. The cost of midodrine therapy was significantly lower than albumin.Midodrine is as effective as albumin in reducing morbidity and mortality among patients with refractory ascites undergoing LVP at a significantly lower cost. Long-duration midodrine intake can be more useful than shorter duration intake in terms of improvement of renal perfusion and sodium excretion.

The medical, social and business disturbance associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus caused dramatical changes in the usage of mobile devices. People were forced during the lockdown to use different mobile-based context-aware application to cope their lives while staying home. Consequently, a typical user's privacy preferences and behavior were altered due to that fact that these applications at that moment are found to be an optimum solution to endure the predicament. This paper is aimed to assess how COVID-19 pandemic changes the mobile usage and contextual privacy behavior in Kuwait. Toward this goal, an information visualization system is developed to accumulate the user behavior dataset from their mobiles. The result shows the average mobile usage hours have increased by 60% and in total the user behavior changed by 27.9% in loosen their contextual privacy.

In the present study, the protective effects of honey and bee venom (BV) either independently or in combination against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatoxicity, lipid peroxidation, and hematological alterations in male albino rats were investigated. In addition, histopathological alterations of hepatic tissues induced by LPS/CCL4 were recorded. Sixty-four of male albino rats of average weight 120–150 g were included in this study. Rats were divided into eight equal groups of eight. The obtained results demonstrated that treatment with LPS/CCl4 caused an increase in the levels of alpha-fetoprotein, which was accompanied by changes in the hepatic function biomarkers that characterized by the increased levels of transaminases (AST, ALT). The results showed oxidative stress as assigned by the increase in lipid peroxide. Meantime detraction in the antioxidants, including glutathione peroxidase was observed. Interruptions in biochemical parameters accompanied by disturbances in hematological parameters and liver histopathology were resulted due to exposure to LPS/CCl4. This study showed the use of honey and BV provided a protective effect on hepatotoxicity induced by LPS/CCl4. This might have been occurred through the reduction of hepatic transaminases and the “Alpha-fetoprotein” in serum and the equilibration of the antioxidation system, thereby, inhibiting the reactive oxygen species accumulation. Honey and BV administration reestablish disturbed hematological parameters and liver histopathology persuaded by LPS/CCl4. More interesting, we demonstrated that using a combination of the honey and BV showed promising enhancement in their protective effects over the use of just one of the two reagents.

اهتم البحث الموسوم بــــ(استراتيجية الاستدامة واتجاهاتها الحديثة في تصميم المنتجات الصناعية) بالتركيز في تطوير المنتجات بنحو تكون قادرة على تلبية متطلبات الإنسان من خلال تأثير التكنولوجيا المستدامة على نظم تصاميم المنتجات، وفاعليتها في تحقيق المتغيرات التصميمية الشكلية والوظيفية ذات الاثر الفاعل في ايجاد مواءمة بين المستخدم والمنتجات التصميمية، تتوافق مع متطلبات المستخدم الحياتية على مستوى التفاعل اليومي. وتضمن الفصل الاول مشكلة البحث المتمثلة بالسؤال الآتي:هل حققت المنتجات الصناعية مفاهيم الاستدامة لتتواءم مع المستخدم؟ اما هدف البحث فقد تضمن اولا دراسة مفهوم التصميم المستدام، وتطبيقات الاستدامة في تصميم المنتجات الصناعية. ثانيا ايجاد معايير تصميمية لأغراض تطبيقية، وذلك؛ لتفعيل دور تصميم المنتجات الصناعية. وشملت حدود هذه الدراسة منتجات الاجهزة الكهربائية الالكترونية المستدامة لشركة (فيليبس) و(آبل) المصنعة في عام 2015- 2016م. وأحتوى الفصل الثاني على ثلاثة مباحث، أما الفصل الثالث؛فقد شمل إجراءات البحث،ووصف نماذج العينة وتحليلها. فيما كان الفصل الرابع محتويا على النتائج والاستنتاجات التي توصل اليها الباحث.

يرصد البحث بعضاً من سيمياء الحركات الجسدية في الوجه التي يصدرها المتلقي تَأَثراً بالنص الشعري أو بطريقة أنشاده , مصحوباً بالحركات والاشارات المعبرة عن الانفعال المستجيب للحظةٍ شعورية تتماهى مع ما يحتمل في النفس جراء سماع النص وسواء أكان هذا التأثر إرادياً مقروناً بوعي المتلقي أم كان غير أرادي مدفوعاً بإيحاء ملفوظ صوتي وهزّة داخلية أحدثتها عوامل نفسية كامنة .فإن هذا البحث يختص بسيمياء حركة الوجه من خلال ما يظهر عليه من مظاهر تبين لحظة تأثره بحالة من الفرح والسرور والشوق والحزن والغضب والتعجب وغيرها من جراء تلقي النص واستقباله إذ تظهر وسيلة التعبير على مُحيّا الانسان دالاً على ذلك الموقف وظرفه الذي عَرض للمُستَقبِل, إذ حظيت حالة الفرح والحزن بالنصيب الاكبر من النصوص فضلاً عن حالة البكاء المعبرة عن الشوق والحنين والفراق.

Using 24 months of 1-min radiometric measurements conducted at two remote arid sites in Kuwait, the impact of sensor technology (thermopile vs. photodiode with rotating shadowband) on the magnitude of the three components of solar irradiance (global, direct and diffuse) is analyzed. The deviations (photodiode minus thermopile) are typically affected by both sun zenith angle and irradiance magnitude. For the global and direct components, most deviations (91% in the case of GHI, 87–91% in the case of DNI, depending on site) are within ±5%, and can thus be considered satisfactory. Larger deviations in direct and global irradiance are typically found under low zenith angles (summer conditions). The main source of concern is the negative bias and intricate pattern found in the diffuse deviations, most of the time. Only 46–61% of the deviations (depending on site) are within ±5%. The diffuse issue seems to be caused by an insufficient spectral correction of the diffuse reading. The so-called “cat ear” angular issue (a sudden spike in sensitivity for an angle of incidence ≈80°, combined with a sudden drop in sensitivity beyond ≈85°) is also still present in the direct and global irradiance measurements under clear conditions. The present results underline the imperfect nature of the empirical corrections typically applied to photodiode instruments to improve their irradiance estimates. Nonetheless, the deviations observed here are sufficiently low in general to guarantee good resource assessments, even under harsh and variable desert conditions, to the condition that the photodiode instruments are properly calibrated on site during periods whose atmospheric conditions are representative of the whole year, and their readings are duly corrected with the best possible algorithms.

Atherosclerosis and its complications are responsible for one in three global deaths. Nutraceuticals show promise in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis but require an indepth understanding of the mechanisms underlying their actions. A previous study showed that the omega-6 fatty acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), attenuated atherosclerosis in the apolipoprotein E deficient mouse model system. However, the mechanisms underlying such protective effects of DGLA are poorly understood and were therefore investigated. We show that DGLA attenuates chemokine-driven monocytic migration together with foam cell formation and the expression of key pro-atherogenic genes induced by three pro-inflammatory cytokines in human macrophages. The effect of DGLA on interferon-γ signaling was mediated via inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 phosphorylation on serine 727. In relation to anti-foam cell action, DGLA inhibits modified LDL uptake by both macropinocytosis and receptor-mediated endocytosis, the latter by reduction in expression of two key scavenger receptors (SR-A and CD36), and stimulates cholesterol efflux from foam cells. DGLA also improves macrophage mitochondrial bioenergetic profile by decreasing proton leak. Gamma-linolenic acid and prostaglandin E1, upstream precursor and key metabolite respectively of DGLA, also acted in an anti-atherogenic manner. The actions of DGLA extended to other key atherosclerosis-associated cell types with attenuation of endothelial cell proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells in response to platelet-derived growth factor. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-atherogenic actions of DGLA and supports further assessments on its protective effects on plaque regression in vivo and in human trials., Highlights • Dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) attenuates atherosclerosis in a mouse model system. • The mechanisms underlying anti-atherogenic actions of DGLA are poorly understood. • DGLA inhibited atherogenic processes in three key cell types in this disease. • Mechanisms underlying such protective actions of DGLA were identified. • Studies inform on the beneficial anti-atherogenic actions of DGLA.

This paper investigated cost overruns and delays in Qatari public construction projects. An extensive review of regional and international publications was conducted to get a better understanding of the problem and the various methodologies that were used to analyze it. The data that was collected from Qatar public work authority ASHGHAL included 122 public road, building, and drainage projects. ANOVA method was used for data analysis and inference. A regression analysis was also conducted to establish the relationships between project contract prices and cost overruns and to develop prediction models for estimating cost overruns. Two linear regression models were developed for predicting cost overruns for building and drainage public projects, respectively. Cost overruns for building projects increased with contract prices. On the other hand, cost overruns for drainage projects decreased with increasing contract prices. A significant effort was spent in collecting data on cost overruns and delays in public construction projects. However, data confidentiality did allow the collection of enough data to ensure the robustness of the developed regression prediction models.

This study presents the actual monitoring data and performance analysis results obtained from the 11.15-MW grid-connected Shagaya Photovoltaic Park, Kuwait (latitude 29.2°N, longitude 47.04°W). The plant was specifically built to compare two PV technologies: a Thin-Film (TF) installation of 5.5 MW and a Polycrystalline (PC) silicon installation of 5.6 MW. The plant has been designed as a pilot testbed to evaluate the performance of different grid-tied PV technologies under a hot desert environment. A 25-month monitoring period has provided important information that will be used to prepare the design of upcoming GW-size PV projects at Shagaya. Performance parameters of the PV system evaluated here include: final yield, reference yield, array yield, system losses, array capture losses, cell temperature losses, PV module efficiency, system efficiency, inverter efficiency, performance ratio, and capacity factor. Comparison between the TF and PC PV subsystems reveals no significant difference between the two technologies regarding annual reference yields (1805 kWh / kW for TF and 1810 kWh / kW for PC), performance ratios (80.0% for TF and 80.2% for PC), or system losses (20.04% for TF and 19.81% for PC). The PC panels are affected by slightly higher module capture losses due to their higher negative temperature coefficient. It is found, most importantly, that the two PV subsystems have very similar performance behavior when they have similar capacity and operate under the same Shagaya desert environment with the same stringent operational and maintenance strategies. One disadvantage of the TF subsystem, however, is that it requires 18.5% more land area than the PC subsystem to match the installed capacity. The soiling of panels is substantial and requires monthly cleaning with water, which is scarce in a desert environment. A smaller total panel area for a similar power output could constitute a significant economic advantage for the PC technology under such conditions.

This paper proposes a dynamic workload’s threshold-based scheduling and load balancing algorithm for distributed computing systems. It takes into account the dynamicity and heterogeneity of available system resources, and tasks. It automatically updates the workload thresholds upon any significant change of any resource workload and balances the system’s workload using the new thresholds. Unlike most of the current scheduling and load balancing algorithms, the proposed algorithm uses the resource’s load as a workload index instead of number of tasks. The number of tasks is not a good workload index especially when the weights of tasks are different. A node can be overloaded even if it has a number of tasks less than that in an under-loaded node. A simulation model is built to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with that of Min–Min, and Ant Colony scheduling algorithms using mean task response time, average utilization of processing nodes, and load balancing level as performance metrics. The results show that the proposed algorithm reduces the task mean response time, improves resources utilization, and load balancing level compared with the other two studied algorithms in the range of system’s parameters values examined.

Message Passing Interface (MPI) is a well know paradigm that is widely used in coding explicit parallel programs. MPI programs exchange data among parallel processes using communication routines. Program execution trace depends on the way that its processes are communicated together. For the same program, there are a lot of processes transitions states that may appear due to the nondeterministic features of parallel execution. In this paper we present a new algorithm that statically generates the execution trace of a given MPI program using data flow analysis technique. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with that of two heuristic techniques that use a random and genetic algorithm approaches to generate trace sequences. The results show that the proposed algorithm scales well with the program size and avoids the problem of processes state explosion which the other techniques suffer from.

Identifying the genetic expression profile of CD133Circulating CD133Data analysis of stem cells related genes in CD133KRT15 can be used to differentiate between circulating CD133

Aim Molecular characterization of the CD133+ stem cells associated with hepatocarinogensis through identifying the expression patterns of specific microRNAs (miRNAs). Methods We investigated the expression pattern of 13 miRNAs in purified CD133+ cells separated from the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers, chronic hepatitis C (CHC), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients a long with bone marrow samples from the healthy volunteers and the LC patients using custom miScript miRNA PCR array. Results The differential expression of the 13 studied miRNAs in CD133+ cells separated from the HCC patients' peripheral blood compared to the controls revealed that miR-602, miR-181b, miR-101, miR-122, miR-192, miR-125a-5p, and miR-221 were significantly up regulated (fold change = 1.8, 1.7, 2, 5.4, 1.6, 2.9 & 1.5 P value = 0.039, 0.0019, 0.0013, 0.0370, 00024, 0.000044 &0.000007 respectively). As for the HCC group compared to the CHC group; miR-602, miR-122, miR-181b, miR-125a-5p, and miR-192 were significantly up regulated (fold change = 13, 3.1, 2.8, 1.6 & 1.56, P value = 0.01, 0.001, 0.000004, 0.002 & 0.007 respectively). Upon comparing the HCC group to the LC group; miR-199a-3p, miR-192, miR-122, miR-181b, miR-224, miR-125a-5p, and miR-885-5p were significantly up regulated (fold change = 5, 6.7, 2.3, 3, 2.5, 4.2 & 39.5 P value = 0.001025, 0.000024, 0.000472, 0.000278, 0.000004, 0.000075 & 0.0000001 respectively) whereas miR-22 was significantly down regulated (fold change = 0.57 P value = 0.00002). Only, miR-192, miR-122, miR-181b and miR-125a-5p were significant common miRNAs in CD133+ cells of the HCC group compared to the other non-malignant groups. Conclusion We identified a miRNA panel comprised of four miRNAs (miR-192, miR-122, miR-181b and miR-125a-5p) that may serve as a molecular tool for characterization of the CD133+ cells associated with different stages of hepatocarinogensis. This panel may aid in developing a new target therapy specific for those CD133+ cells.

金沢大学理工研究域電子情報学系