Increasing the quality of services and resource utilization in vehicular cloud computing using best host selection methods

One of the technology for increasing the safety and welfare of humans in roads is Vehicular Cloud Computing (VCC). This technology can utilize cloud computing advantages in the Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET). VCC by utilizing modern equipment along with current vehicles, can play a significant role in the area of smart transportation systems. Given the potential of this technology, effective methods for managing existing resources and providing the expected service quality that is essential for such an environment are not yet available as it should. One of the most important barriers to providing such solutions seems to be resource constraints and very high dynamics in vehicles in VCC. In this article, based on virtualization and taking into account the environment with these features, we propose simple ways to manage resources better and improve the quality of service. We were able to achieve better results in simulation than previous methods by providing a flexible data structure to control the important data in the environment effectively. To illustrate the impact of the proposed methods, we compared them with some of the most important methods in this context, and we used SUMO 1.2.0 and MATLAB R2019a software to simulate them. Simulation results indicate that the proposed methods provide better results than previous methods in terms of resource efficiency, Quality of Service (QoS), and load balancing.

     

In-vitro and In-vivo management of Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood and Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butler in cotton using organic’s

Root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood and Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butler, fungus, are very dangerous root damaging pathogens. Present study was planned to establish a chemical control of these root deteriorating pathogens under lab conditions as well as in field. Maximum death rate of nematode juveniles and minimum numbers of nematode eggs hatched were recorded in plates treated with Cadusafos (Rugby® 100G) @12 g/100 ml and Cartap® (4% G) @9g/100 ml. Chemical treatment of Rhizoctonia bataticola with Trifloxystrobin + Tebuconazole (Nativo®) @0.2 g/100 ml and Mancozeb + Matalaxyl (Axiom) @0.25 g/100 ml significantly controlled the mycelial growth in plates. The best treatments tested in laboratory were applied in field as protective and curative treatments. Results proved that chemical control of root-knot nematode and root rot fungi by tested chemicals at recommended time and dose is a significant management technique under field conditions.     

Small and overlooked: Phylogeny of the genus Trigonodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the first record of Trigonodactylus arabicus from Jordan

Geckos of the genus Trigonodactylus are widely distributed in the sand deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Three species of this genus are currently recognized, with a fourth one, Stenodactylus pulcher, which placement within Trigonodactylus has been tentatively suggested, but not yet confirmed. We present a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Trigonodactylus with new specimens collected in central Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan. New genetic data has been generated from three mitochondrial markers to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of all species of the genus and to assess the putative generic assignment of S. pulcher. Our results confirm that S. pulcher indeed belongs within Trigonodactylus, branching as a sister lineage to all other species of the genus. The new samples cluster within Trigonodactylus arabicus, thus confirming the genetic homogeneity of the species across its large and seemingly inhospitable range. The new specimen collected in southern Jordan represents the first record for the country and a considerable range extension to the northwest from all previously reported localities. Our findings and discovery of a new species for Jordan highlight the need of more field surveys to be carried out in the underexplored parts of Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia, as these places still hold a potential for new discoveries and are crucial for understating the biogeography of the Arabian herpetofauna.     

Gap junction blockers: a potential approach to attenuate morphine withdrawal symptoms

Background

The exact mechanisms of morphine-induced dependence and withdrawal symptoms remain unclear. In order to identify an agent that can prevent withdrawal syndrome, many studies have been performed. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of gap junction blockers; carbenoxolone (CBX) or mefloquine (MFQ); on morphine withdrawal symptoms in male rat.Adult male Wistar rats (225 – 275 g) were selected randomly and divided into 10 groups. All groups underwent stereotaxic surgery and in order to induce dependency, morphine was administered subcutaneously) Sc) at an interval of 12 hours for nine continuous days. On the ninth day of the experiment, animals received vehicle or CBX (100, 400, 600 μg/10 μl/rat, icv) or MFQ (50, 100 and 200 μg/10 μl/rat, icv) after the last saline or morphine (Sc) injection. Morphine withdrawal symptoms were precipitated by naloxone hydrochloride 10 min after the treatments. The withdrawal signs including: jumping, rearing, genital grooming, abdomen writhing, wet dog shake and stool weight, were recorded for 60 minutes.

Results

Results showed that CBX and MFQ decreased all withdrawal signs; and the analysis indicated that they could attenuate the total withdrawal scores significantly.

Conclusion

Taking together it is concluded that gap junction blockers prevented naloxone-precipitated withdrawal symptoms.     

Accounting for robustness in modeling signal transduction responses

Abstract

A classical question in systems biology is to find a Boolean model which is able to predict the observed responses of a signaling network. It has been previously shown that such models can be tailored based on experimental data. While fitting a minimum-size network to the experimentally observed data is a natural assumption, it can potentially result in a network which is not so robust against the noises in the training dataset. Indeed, it is widely accepted now that biological systems are generally evolved to be very robust. Therefore, in the present work, we extended the classical formulation of Boolean network construction in order to put weight on the robustness of the created network. We show that our method results generally in more relevant networks. Consequently, considering robustness as a design principle of biological networks can result in more realistic models.     

In vitro cytotoxic,antibacterial, antifungal and urease inhibitory activities of some N4- substituted isatin-3-thiosemicarbazones

A series of 15 previously reported N⁴-substituted isatin-3-thiosemicarbazones 3a-o has been screened for cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal and urease inhibitory activities. Compounds 3b, 3e and 3n proved to be active in cytotoxicity assay; 3e exhibited a high degree of cytotoxic activity (LD₅₀ = 1.10 × 10^{? 5} M). Compound 3h exhibited significant antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, whereas compounds 3a, 3k and 3l displayed significant antifungal activity against one or more fungal strains i.e. T. longifusus, A. flavus and M. canis. In human urease enzyme inhibition assay, compounds 3g, 3k and 3m proved to be the most potent inhibitors, exhibiting relatively pronounced inhibition of the enzyme. These compounds, being non-toxic, could be potential candidates for orally effective therapeutic agents to treat certain clinical conditions induced by bacterial ureases like H. pylori urease. This study presents the first example of inhibition of urease by isatin-thiosemicarbazones and as such provides a solid basis for further research on such compounds to develop more potent inhibitors.